Paathshala tackles identifiable issues regarding the education system but while its intent is noble, it fails in its execution. The first half of Paathshala leaves you smiling but the second half leaves you baffled and bored.
Paathshala takes a look at the deterioration of the education system in India. How schools are more commercialized now and how education is being pushed to the background in favour of better amenities is what the film is about.
The first half of the film offers nothing new and can be called cheesy but it still leaves you smiling. You have on-campus romances (one between students and one between teachers, but neither is developed), students falling for teachers (again left untied), the sunshine-spreading teacher, cribbing parents, the wise good-natured peon and an opportunistic and uneducated management guy who works only for money. The film serves as a show reel for Shahid Kapoor, whose role was (thankfully) increased. He is the hero who saves the day every time, whether it is sacrificing his remuneration to pay a student’s fees or encouraging friendship among the students. And he does a good job at it. He is the saving grace of the film and lights up the screen with his boyish good looks, charming smile, lovely hair and restrained and sincere acting. Shahid’s fans will not be disappointed. In some ways, Shahid’s character and acting is reminiscent of Shah Rukh as Aryan in Mohabbatein. Ayesha Takia is adorable as the sweet teacher, Sushant Singh is aptly cast as the caring PE teacher, Anjan Srivastava delivers a heartfelt performance as the peon, Saurabh Shukla is sufficiently greedy and despicable; inspiring hatred for himself and Nana Patekar is absolutely natural and effortless as the stern principal.
In the stretched and mellow dramatic second half of the film, the school is converted into a film set and students are made to audition for reality shows. That episode is meant to demonstrate the pressure and demands on students but is quite a drag and very hard to believe. Making matters worse is the student-teacher strike and relentless media coverage towards the end by which you have stopped caring for the film. You wonder if all that is actually happening! Director Miling Ukey tries to cover every possible issue under the Sun and that’s where he loses his grip over the subject.