‘Rough Book’ movie review: Relevant and thought-provoking

Directed by: Anant Mahadevan
Produced by: Aakash Chaudhry
Cast: Tannishtha Chatterjee, Joy Sengupta, Kaizaad kotwal, Vipin Jain, Deepika Amin, Jayati Bhatia
Duration: 2 hours 00 minute
Bollywood Bubble Rating: 3/5

Anant Mahadevan’s ‘Rough Book’ is a film made to highlight the flaws of a highly commercialised education system where the relationship between the educator and the learner rather becomes a business and not a true learning process. The film has succeeded to a great extent.

Santoshi (Tannishtha Chatterjee) is a physics teacher in a college and has been given the charge to teach the weakest section of students. She comes up with interesting and innovative ways to explain theories and encourages students to understand and experiment the basics, rather than just mugging up. While students (the same ones who were least interested in studying) develop curiosity and start being regular in studies, Santoshi’s exceptional method of teaching does not go down well with the management. Soon, she stands up against the management’s decision of incorporating private coaching classes inside the school premises and is suspended. What happens after that? How a determined teacher and a group of students walk out of the conventional system and achieve success is an inspiring tale.

There have been a number of films, rotating around the same theme. However, what sets ‘Rough Book’ apart is the emphasis on using one’s own brain to decode and implement the learning; as Santoshi rightly says ‘Google ke paas information hai, par dimag nahi hai’. Also, while others mostly talk about undesired corruption in education system, ‘Rough Book’ also shows how the labyrinth of the commercialised system suffocates a student from a middle-class family.

However, we also feel the film remained limited, with sole emphasis given on academics. We would like it more if it also talked about those who aspire to build a career on something else apart from academics. Not everyone is born to be an engineer; all the footballers, painters, singers in making must also be finding space in cinema which deals with education in any way.

Kaizaad Kotwal as a college principal with clear motives, Deepika Amin, Jayati Bhatia and Joy Sengupta as Santoshi’s friends and Vipin Jain as Santoshi’s husband are apt. However, the one who deserves a special mention here is Ram Kapoor; he has nailed it as the loving but reticent father of an apparently spoilt child. We like Tannishtha Chatterjee’s subtle performance.

Anant Mahadevan has once more shown that he was right to have shifted to content-driven films from the commercial genre. After ‘Mee Sindhutai Sapkal’ and ‘Gour Hari Dastan’, he will surely be remembered for this piece.

Maneesh Chandra Bhatt’s cinematography is clear and specific. Background scores are apt but could be more effective.

Over all, ‘Rough Book’ is surely going to provoke many necessary thoughts. We suggest you give it a watch.