With Hindi Medium, director Saket Chaudhary has raised a question which I relate to on a very personal level. Why has english become a mark of standard in our Indian society? The millennials are mostly comfortable in talking in english, which is good, but many of them can’t even narrate a paragraph written in hindi. That one girl who prefers typing in Hindi is old school, that one guy who prefers watching mainstream hindi cinema over the Fast and Furious series is teased, having hindi songs playlist in your phone can even become a matter of public shame and wishing your friends with a ‘namaste’ and not ‘hey dude!’ sounds funny. 

The sad part is, I am not exaggerating about even a single statement that I have noted above. 

Hindi Medium shows the story of the struggle of a rich businessman of Chandni Chowk whose financial strength isn’t enough to get his daughter admitted in any of the top 5 schools of New Delhi. There are outrageous rules, a huge rich-poor divide, and immense competition for every single seat. But, just like every parent, our leads also want the best education possible for their child, and well, obviously the best ‘school’ becomes more important than best ‘education’. 

Saket Chaudhary’s story is not totally relatable, but it’s a wonderful fictional, commercialised representation of a very important subject. In the two halves, he shows two totally different societies. The use of humour makes the film extremely enjoyable and moving, simultaneously, much like a Raju Hirani film. The best part about Chaudhary’s direction is that he never deviates from the main substance of the film. 

The beauty of Hindi Medium lies in its simple teachings about real facts of life. Chaudhary is not at all taking it over the top when he puts a point that in a lower middle class/poor society, your friend will come in front of a car to help you in whatever way possible. And similarly, he isn’t exaggerating when he shows that your rich neighbour will not invite you for a party if you don’t have the dressing sense which suits the general ambience at such parties. 

The editing is sharp, and the story is very cleverly written. The writers have done a good job with the dialogues too, especially those between Irrfan and Saba Qamar. 

Towards the end, there are few sequences that are not logically in sync with the flow of the film, and the whole drama created to give the final message just gets a little too much to digest. But, the humorous nature of the film allows such irregularities, and it definitely doesn’t deter you from enjoying the film. 

Do I really have to write about Irrfan? He is undoubtedly one of our best actors, and this time, he is at his humorous best. Saba Qamar proves her acting skills in her debut hindi film and looks very gorgeous too. 

The music is situational, yet enjoyable. 

Final word – 

Hindi Medium is a must, must, MUST watch. Especially for the important messages it imparts and Irrfan’s brilliant acting. Strongly recommended. 

Rating – 4/5