akshaylakhi

One of the rare gems from Bollywood, which although did not become popular with the mass media, it received great critical acclaim globally. The four stories that are captured in "I Am" bring out pertinent yet seldom spoken-of issues in modern India through four powerful short stories.

Nandita Das' solemn character in one of the four stories sheds light on the entrenched sociological issue of placing emphasis on a woman's fertility in marriage. The other story on the historical issue of Kashmir does adequate justice to capturing the barbed-wired realities of the valley, especially thanks to Juhi Chawla & Manisha Koirala's performances. Both Rahul Bose and Sanjay Suri's stories perfectly reflect the repressed silent-treatment that the concerns of homosexuality and domestic child abuse have been constitutionally and systematically suppressed by the Indian state and society.

Finally, there are cameo appearances by two stalwart directors of Indian cinema: Anurag Basu and Anurag Kashyap. Overall an intelligent and well-made movie which brings out sociologically troublesome issues and leaves you grappling with questions...

Gondry, by posing as a layman and genuinely trying to understand, asks the most basic questions which Chomsky goes on to address fundamental issues in philosophy and the foundations of modern science.

The animations and illustrations merging with the voice of Chomsky in the background makes the loaded philosophical and scientific content accessible to the viewer. References from classical science to Galileo and Newton drive home the essence of science, a true endeavor to move from a description to an explanation about the world. Gondry's honest admissions of losing Chomsky's line of thought, further help in bringing the viewer on to the same page.

The film's frank rendition of Chomsky's personal life and academic journey sets the context for the viewer to understand the 'greatest academic alive,' thus making the film more humane and relatable.

PS: do watch the film with subtitles; because their accents make it difficult to follow their speech.

A plot which unpacks the deeper problems of primary school admissions in India, Hindi Medium starring Irrfan Khan and Sabah, makes a parody of the socioeconomic class divide in the country and drives a simple Marxist point across: that regardless of what background a child comes from, he is equally capable of excelling in school as is a rich man's child.

It also probes at the non-transparency in the admissions process of elite schools in Delhi, especially when it comes to complying with the 25% mandatory reservations for the poor as per the Right to Education (RTE) Act. Particularly insidious is the increasing capitalization of education, which goes on to further the divide between the quality of education provided in public vs private schools. And as with any business, comes consultants, thus the movie brings out the ridiculous nature of training that both parents and kids have to undergo in order to secure a primary education today.

The end may be a bit Bollywood, but it certainly drives home an attempt to create an equity between public and private schooling. This movie takes the industry's game up by a notch, as it is very rare in Bollywood these days, to see a humorous satirical movie made to address an important issue. Lastly, a stellar performance by Irrfan Khan :)