Director: Vidhu Vinod Chopra
Cast: Vikram Massey, Medha Shankar, Anant V Joshi, Sanjay Bishnoi.
Runtime: 2 hours 26 minutes
Distributed By: Zee Studios
In India, one of the most sought-after career options especially in the northern part of India is UPSC. From the streets to the Internet, you can see billboards flooded with advertisements of coaching institutes boasting about their candidates who have managed to crack one of the toughest exams in India. Yes, we are talking about the same. This movie is based on the real-life story of Manoj Kumar Sharma an IPS Officer based on the book of the same name. This movie depicts the struggles faced by the protagonist played by Vikrant Massey and how his love interest Shraddha (played by Medha Shankar) along with other aspirants help him through his struggle and make it to the IPS.
In the village of Chambal, in a poverty-stricken household lives Manoj with his family. His father is framed in a false case and is accused of a crime he didn’t commit. Then being inspired by the DSP of Chambal played by Priyanshu Chatterjee, Manoj sets out on his quest to become a DSP and to right the wrongs of the village. Very soon things take a different turn when he sets out on a bigger quest that will prove to be an uphill task in the future.
The plot is simple yet engaging. The journey from start to end is shown as a battle that is academic, mental & emotional. And all of them have been depicted gracefully. The screenplay is fine but doesn’t bore us and keeps us wondering as to what’s going to happen next. It does a good job of keeping us intrigued and connected with the story throughout the movie. Elements of screenplay like portraying the struggles of aspirants, things they go through, getting envious seeing others get the success they are striving for are expressed just fine. One of the aspects for which this movie stands out is representing the herd mentality of the crowd. But improvement was required on the part where several attempts of Manoj were shown. The movie seemed too fast-paced at this point which in some places fails to express the frustration and resentment of an aspirant. This plot lacks insight into the mind of a student by undermining the intensity of the preparation done by the student who has made several attempts. In this case, several attempts taken to clear this examination look no more than a student who has failed a driving test many times. Even though we have plenty of sources of motivation around us, that doesn’t make failure any less painful.
Given the fact that UPSC is a much-coveted examination that gives its aspirants who pass them a sense of status and power, few could imagine. The darkest side of this examination is yet to be explored and is an unchartered territory. Students study rigorously for many years since graduation to clear this exam. But very few make it to the top. The coaching institutes leave no stone unturned in promoting this exam and boasting of winners. Not a problem with that, but who talks about the ones who couldn’t make it? Is there any such data or research conducted as to what happens to those aspirants who gave their shot but failed to make it? Students pay for their failure with their time, peace of mind, and energy. Despite several attempts being given by the board a major portion of the years of students go in vain. Instead of which they could have chosen another path and would’ve made a name for themselves. The age of 20-30 is crucial for youngsters to lay the foundation of their careers. But channeling their energy and efforts into doing something that they only think is their purpose and goal in life and if they are unable to achieve it, leaves them with no option but to settle for a career that is beneath their caliber. It’s not to say that a career in UPSC isn’t fruitful but obsession for it can prove dangerous. Glorifying examinations like this only benefit the coaching institutes by bringing in huge sums of money by selling students dreams they can probably never achieve. This movie has done a brilliant job of exposing coaching mafias. As they go to any length to promote their brand even if it means snatching the credit of a student who has studied on his own and using his name to sell their course.
All in all, the struggle of the protagonist seems commonplace as there have been many examples who have achieved this feat with minimum effort. Let’s take the example of Mr. Vishwas Nangare Patil who cleared MPSC (Maharashtra Public Service Commission) and UPSC both in the same year. The vast syllabus and stringent selection criteria are in no way justifying of the fact that UPSC is the most efficient type of assessment that gives us white-collar, honest bureaucrats. There have been many stories in the news where bureaucrats who have cleared the same exam are accused of malpractice.
Due respect and love go out to the “protectors in khaki” who serve us day and night by protecting us from threats that we are unaware of. Big salute to them.
“JAI HIND”
Moviesamrat Rating: 3/5