All India Rank REVIEW: Bodhisattva Sharma shines in Varun Grover’s directorial debut laced with 90s’ nostalgia, throws light on education system

Film:
All India Rank Review

Director: Varun Grover

Star cast: Bodhisattva Sharma, Samta Sudiksha, Shashi Bhushan, Geeta Agrawal, Sheeba Chaddha, Neeraj, Ayush Pandey, Saadat Khan

Runtime: 1 hour 41 mins

Platform: Theatre

All India Rank Review

All India Rank gets a theatrical release after it premiered at the MAMI festival. The movie comes out amidst the mega success of Vikrant Massey starrer 12th Fail. Amidst the movie’s success, director Varun Grover released All India Rank and people will surely draw lines between the two. This movie shows us how the education system works and how the students go out and about to get the top rank in IIT. The movie is about a student Vivek Singh who strives hard to study at IIT while carrying his family’s expectations on his shoulders. Even though everything is drowning him, Vivek gets a little motivation to live a life and that is his love and friendship.

Moreover, the movie also highlights the important aspects of studying IIT which is students committing suicides. It has been a problem for a very long time when students had to take the hardest route due to IIT coaching centres in Kota. Varun Grover tries to highlight the serious issue of the education system and how it affects the students who are trained to do IIT but fails in the end.

Story

A coming-of-age comedy-drama set in the late 90s where a 17-year-old Lucknow boy Vivek Singh struggles with the ambitions & mediocrity of his parents while prepping for India’s toughest undergraduate exam in an IIT coaching in Kota. A story of possible dreams and impossible competition.

Highlights of All India Rank

Direction: Varun Grover makes his directorial debut with All India Rank and he brings simplicity to every frame. He knows what he wants to show to the audience and that genuineness will touch your heart. Even though the movie is set in the 90s, the relevance to the subject is intact. People can relate to it instantly as his narration was quite crisp. The little touches of the 90s also take you down memory lane. But the doses of humour in this drama only make the movie interesting to watch.

Background score: The songs used in the movie hit you differently. They are soothing, calm and meaningful. It is sheer magic to your ears. Well, it seems like Varun Grover needs to release the soundtrack soon. Even the background score adds a lot of weight to the scene, making it an impactful one.

Storyline: It is not like filmmakers have not shown the plight of a student who is studying IIT or JEE. We have seen movies based on these lines. However, Varun chose to show this topic, showing the core problem. The simple coming-of-age story could have been easily melodramatic but Varun kept it relatable and relevant for the people to connect with it easily.

Drawbacks of All India Rank

Screenplay: The topic of student suicide and the budding teenage love story don’t seem to be in the right place. In some instances, it seems rushed and was wrapped up abruptly.

Star performances

Bodhisattva Sharma is the heart of the story as his innocence will captivate you for sure. He gives a beautiful performance while showcasing the childlike innocence in his demeanour. Samta Sudiksha also delivers an innocent act. She is adorable. On the other hand, Shashi Bhushan and Geeta Agrawal are mind-blowing. These two veterans steal the limelight from everyone. Sheeba Chaddha is another veteran whose presence is just enough. She does leave a memorable impression.

Conclusion

Concluding the review, All India Rank is a simple yet powerful movie that will move you from within. The story feels both meaningful and heartfelt. The film can remind you of dramas like Aspirants or Kota Factory but All India Rank has its own charm and stands out from the rest.

Watch All India Rank trailer after the review

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