Pareeksha - The Final Test

STORY: Buchi Paswan (Adil Hussain) is a rickshaw puller who has big dreams for his only son Bulbul (Shubham Jha) and resolves to send the 10^th grader to a private school for a better life. With others taking jibes at the kid owing to his family’s socio-economic standing, and bills raking up, how far will Buchi go to realise the dreams he has seen for his child?

REVIEW: Set in Ranchi, Buchi is a rickshaw puller who toils hard all day long just to make ends meet and has no qualms about taking home books and stationaries that is thrown away by the rich kids of Sapphire International School. Because of the nature of his work, Buchi frequents the school and one day, musters the courage to ask the authorities if his son could transfer from his government school in the slums to the ‘elite one’ as he wants Bulbul to make something of himself. But, the mother -Radhika Rane (Priyanka Bose) - works at a steel factory and Buchi’s own income is meagre. To what lengths is this determined father willing to go to ensure his son gets what he didn’t – a proper education.

Prakash Jha’s ‘Pareeksha – The Final Test’ is based on the true story of IPS officer Abhayanand, who teaches kids in a village in Bihar affected by the Naxalism to help them clear the IIT-JEE exams. Undoubtedly, the screenplay has noble intent at its heart but only manages to touch upon the periphery of the subject of the Indian education system and its shortcomings – an issue that required an in-depth handling. Also, the subplot of state-funded schools versus private schools and the mind-set that a student can only excel in a private institution is somewhat of a common trope now. The plotline rambles a bit in the first half and derails completely in the second. There are many aspects of this social commentary that don't make sense; most actors dole out unconvincing accents and their spotless, posh costumes don't help with the authenticity of this drama either.

Although the film boasts of a stellar cast, Adil Hussain as Buchi shockingly crumbles under the pressure of this lacklustre script. Priyanka Bose is not her usual polished self in it and the only two personable actors are Sanjay Suri as the generous Superintendent of Police Kailash Anand and Shubham Jha as the bookworm, genius-in-the-making Bulbul.

‘Pareeksha – The Final Test’ also toys with the politics of education but leaves it hanging mid-air. Unlike his previous outings on social issues, Prakash Jha’s latest offering seems like a desperate attempt to evoke empathy for the marginalised section of our society. But what it does end up doing is make one wonder why a filmmaker of his stature would cook up a hurried social drama with no layers – neither in the story nor in its characters.

The ‘final test’ results are out and it’s not looking good for the cast and crew.