Jaspreet Singh Equality of education can not be based only on merit basis. If India was a developed nation, or if there were basic facilities for all, then a little help (quota) would't have required.I loved "Taare Zameen Par" and this "Aarakshan", both movies deal with society issues relating to education.Superb direction, some serious dialogues of Amitabh - Saif, and Deepika - Saif which shows reality of India and class perspectives.I am not sure why people gave poor rating to this movie. Movie Script helps in exploring Supreme court order and Constitutional values with a drama which is superbly directed and scripted.

Biswajit Tripathy Aarakshan is a well made movie from Prakash Jha on the subject of reservation based on caste. Dr. Prabhakar Anand (Amitabh Bachchan) is the Principal of a very well known college and his request for approval for reservation is rejected by standing committee of the institute he works for. So he resigns from his job. The new Principal Mithilesh Singh operates a parallel coaching institute. Story takes a different turn when Prabhakar Anand is thrown out from his home by Mithilesh Singh and he goes and stays in a Tabela and starts his own free coaching institute for everyone. His role has been borrowed from mathematician Anand from Patna who is running Super 30 and his coaching institute is named as Super Tabela rhyming with the Super 30 of Anand Kumar. The climax is very poor with entry of a Hema Malini whose only role is for just 5 minutes and story ends as if there was no issues at all. Bad acting & presence by Hema destroys the climax else the movie is well made. Saif, Amitabh & Deepika including Manoj Bajpayee have done justice to their role.Prakash Jha has written a very nice story with a very weak climax otherwise which the story is much better. Sachin's cinematography and Shankar's music makes it a memorable experience. A must watch for everyone.

susanc-12 As an American (now living in America, despite my profile), I occasionally go to Indian movies to sort of clear my head and watch a story told in a completely different way than most American movies. For this purpose, Aarakshan fit the bill just fine. In the controversy over the school entry quota, there was an obvious parallel to the controversy over affirmative action quotas in the U.S.The story did drag on and on a bit. The bad guys, particularly the vice principal, were a bit too over-the-top evil, and the noble persecuted principal stuck to his guns so firmly that at some point (specifically at the point where he sent the boys away rather than invite them to help him tutor the poor children) he went from principled to sort of stubborn and stupid.A few other random thoughts that distracted me during the movie: The "American" accent, if that's what it was supposed to be, of the Cornell professor was truly lamentable. I laughed, I grimaced. It was awful.In the scene where Sushant orders two coffees, it appears that the waitress delivers two glasses of milk.The actor who played Prabhakar Anand, the university president, seemed too young for the character he played; the one who played low-caste love interest and firebrand student Deepak Kumar looked decidedly too old, especially when compared with the character of Sushant, who I assume was supposed to be the same age and who looked age-appropriate. I also found that "Deepak Kumar" looked gym-toned in a way that was attractive, but detracted from the verisimilitude of his character ... and a further distraction was that to me he bears a strong resemblance to American comedian Robin Williams! Well, I told you these would be random comments. I did more or less enjoy watching the movie as a way to pass the afternoon, but it was no profound experience.

Vikas SS Prakash Jha has had a track record in making movies like 'Gangajal', 'Rajneeti' among others that are hard hitting and have got something to do with issues that make news. His latest is a movie whose title 'Aarakshan' suggests that it has something to do with caste-based reservations in India, an issue that raised a storm about five years ago. If the promos were to be believed, Jha had a winner in hand. But, in reality, the title is a misnomer as the principal plot in the story seems to deal with commercialization of education which is portrayed to be somehow strangely linked to reservation. Also, while this was a burning issue following the Supreme Court that was discussed in the movie, it may not have as many takers today. So, what's the story? Prabhakar Anand (Bachchan) is the principled Principal of a prestigious private college in Bhopal who treats all his students equally. He coaches weaker students in his verandah for free and the classes allow enough opportunity for his favorite pupil Deepak Kumar (Saif Ali Khan) to romance his daughter Poorbi (Deepika Padukone). Sushanth Seth (Prateik) also has his eyes on Poorbi. When the reservation issue heats up, people are divided along caste lines and suddenly the relations between them are strained. Anand has his adversary in Mithilesh Singh (Manoj Bajpai) whose commercial coaching classes clash with his principles. A twist of events puts Prabhakar Anand's beliefs to the test. And in the meantime, the film loses its way completely on what it wants to talk about. The very fact that caste inequality persists even decades after independence is shameful. But, it is sad to see that a sensitive issue has been used only to promote the movie. Well, the movie does not take sides; whether pro-reservation or anti-reservation since it would not have been without commercial repercussions. Obviously the title and some provocative language were meant to only rake in the moolah. On education its commercialization, if Prakash Jha wants people to believe that the proliferation of coaching classes has its origins in the nation's reservation policy, he has definitely lost the plot. As a result, what you get it a 'Baghban'esque lengthy film that seems to go nowhere. It has lectures on principles, conniving villains, treacherous friends and some kind hearted souls who attempt to engage you with some drama. To its credit, its actors do a good job. Amitabh Bachchan successfully plays the idealistic disciplinarian and a committed teacher who is complemented by Saif Ali Khan as the feisty youngster working his way though a biased system and Manoj Bajpai, as usual is a bankable actor to play the villain. As usual, Deepika Padukone sleepwalks through her role and the script didn't have much in store for Prateek. I'd recommend that you let this one pass. It neither has a consistent storyline nor memorable songs nor a tight script. So, don't reserve your seats for Aarakshan!