Nayandeep Rakshit (DNA; July 26, 2018)

A majority of people in Mumbai are unaware of it, but a strong movement around mathematician Anand Kumar has been playing out in Bihar over the last few days. A controversy has erupted against the Super 30 founder and several students. According to their parents, Anand has allegedly made some false claims. Reportedly, he had started the Super 30 programme in 2002 along with IPS officer Abhayanand in order to help and teach underprivileged kids, free of cost, to crack the IIT-JEE examinations. But in the wake of recent events and some media reports, which have been circulating on social media, it turns out that Anand is being accused of deceit. While the mathematician is yet to tell us his side of the story, his detractors say that a scam may be unearthed.

We reached out to Abhayanand, who originally started the Super 30 coaching classes with Anand, as he has been vocal on social media. He told us, “From what I have read and heard, there are children who are distraught and concerned. Students, who were part of the Super 30 programme, are coming out and talking. The media has opened a channel of communication now and they are sending out their messages and opinions.”

‘Super 30 can’t be a biopic’
Anand’s life is being made into a Hindi film, titled Super 30, with Bollywood superstar Hrithik Roshan playing the mathematician. The biopic has largely been shot and one hears just 20 per cent of the shoot is left. The movie will hit the screens on January 25 next year. Talking about it, Abhayanand says, “I don’t know what’s there in the film. Even if it is based on the biography written by Anand, it can’t be a biopic. I’m aware of the window between 1992-2008 in his life. I have read the book partly, but in my opinion, a lot of it is just fiction. He cannot deny my presence and contribution to Super 30. If he can claim it was solely his thought, I can also say it was my brainchild. It makes little difference to anyone as long as it’s a thought to help the society. But that hasn’t happened.”

‘Anand has made tall claims’
Reports floating around in Bihar suggest that while Anand claimed 26 out of 30 students from his programme made the cut this year, he failed to show their credentials when asked to do so.

Instead, apparently only three students from his team have actually cleared the examination. The mathematician allegedly got 10-12 students from Kota and introduced them to the media stating that they were his students. Abhayanand further adds that Anand had ‘made tall claims about his success rate’, on the basis of which ‘students used to come to study under him’. “Now, his claims are turning out to be highly suspicious. He’s not adhering to transparency. He can call it a ‘coaching institute’ and nobody will say anything. But don’t claim to be a champion of social causes when you are just taking money from people. It has suddenly become a controversy because the truth’s coming out now. If the producers had done their homework, they would have known it all along,” he adds.

When asked whether Abhayanand had reached out to the filmmaker or the actor and informed them about the controversy, the IPS officer says, “It’s not my job to show Hrithik Roshan the truth. Why should I reach out to him or the makers of the film? Mujhe kisi ko gyaan nahi dena hai, I’m not their teacher.”

Abhayanand feels the makers “should have done proper research on him”, before announcing the biopic. “Whatever basic knowledge we have about biopics, it teaches us that when you make a film on someone’s life, you need to find out a lot more about that person from others around him. Look at Hollywood — they do such detailed research on someone’s life before making a movie on the person. For a film like Super 30, at least six-seven years of research needed to be done,” he says before adding, “How many times have they come to Patna and how many people have they spoken to before announcing the film? People take biopics seriously. The internet can be a place where you begin your research, but it can’t be the end of it. This is not ancient Indian history where there can be lack of clarity.”

Although Abhayanand doesn’t want to jump to conclusions just as yet, a few pictures of Hrithik from the sets (where he is selling papad) have surprised him. He avers, “I heard they are showing that Anand Kumar had a poor background and used to sell papads! His neighbour, who also happens to be his first cousin and worked with him, has gone ahead and told everyone how these reports are false. They have told news channels that Anand’s father had 20 bighas (acres) of land and they all used to stay together. Patna mein makaan garib aadmi ka nahin hota hai. His father was doing government service. Yes, his mother would make papads but they were for the family. Woh bikta nahin tha! So how can they show a different story altogether?”

Responding to reports that suggested that Abhayanand was planning to take legal action against Anand, the erstwhile partner of Super 30 states hesitatingly, “I can’t tell you this right now. I don’t know because I haven’t watched the film yet. It will depend on what they show in the movie. If they omit me or show me in a bad light, it’s their prerogative. Until it comes out, I can’t do anything because the court will question me.”

We called Anand Kumar and his brother Pranav Kumar, and followed up our phone calls with text messages to both siblings, asking them for their side of the story. We texted filmmaker Vikas Bahl seeking his comment on the matter. Lastly, we sent out text messages and a mail to a representative of the film corporation which is bankrolling Super 30; we got no response from any of the concerned parties till the time of going to press.

Hrithik Roshan, Abhayanand and Anand Kumar

Nayandeep Rakshit (DNA; January 19, 2018)

Ever since the Anand Kumar biopic was announced, there has been a debate around it. The book, Super 30: Changing The World 30 Students at a Time, which the film is based on, has no mention of

Abhayanand who is the co-founder of the Super 30 concept. For those who came in late, it’s a free tutorial to coach 30 bright underprivileged students from Bihar, for the IIT entrance test.

Now, as Vikas Bahl readies himself to direct Hrithik Roshan, who plays Anand in the biopic also titled Super 30, Abhayanand is once again missing from the picture. A source tells us, “There’s no mention of Abhayanand in the film. Anand wants to portray himself as the sole founder of Super 30. In fact, there was also a meeting with Hrithik before he signed the film but apparently, nothing about Abhayanand or his contribution was discussed.”

The man in question, Abhayanand, who is the former DGP in Bihar, says, “I would term Hrithik’s film a work of fiction. If the main ingredients of your story are missing and far away from the truth, how is it a biopic? How can you ignore facts and make a film? The makers have based it on a biography by Anand. He hasn’t mentioned me there, which is why they think I don’t exist in the picture.”

Quiz him if he’s upset with Anand for not crediting him at all and he says, “If he wants to go ahead and lie, let him do so. His film won’t run in Bihar as he’s cheating the people of the state, who know the truth.” He also has a piece of advice for Hrithik, “The actor should find out the truth himself. He should go incognito or send his team to Patna and find out the facts from locals.”

Back in 2008, Abhayanand and Anand were honoured with the Real Heroes Award.

Another source reveals, “Along with the trophy, the organisers had also presented them with a Rs 5 lakh cheque, which Abhayanand refused to take. But when he learnt that Anand had accepted it, he told the organisers that he wanted his name to be removed from the trophy. That’s when they parted ways because Super 30 wasn’t supposed to be a means to make or accept money and donation in any form.”

The former policeman will now be seen in a documentary titled Abhayanand – The Cop With A Chalk, which is directed by filmmaker Sujit K Singh, in which Anand has been given due credit. “Whether rightly or wrong, this man has worked with me, so Sujit and I were of the firm belief that even in my docu-drama, he should be duly mentioned,” says Abhayanand. 

Talking about Anand’s tall claims, Abhayanand retorts, “IIT is not a joke. Time and again, he has claimed that all the 30 students that he has selected have cracked the entrance exams. When he was asked to provide the students’ names, he stayed silent for months. Why would he keep mum if he was speaking the truth?”

Abhayanand reveals that some filmmakers have expressed their interest in his story as well. “There are a few big producers — some of whom I have been talking to — who want to make a movie on my life. But I want it to be based on facts.”

Would he opt for legal action against the makers and Anand? He says, “Right now, I don’t want to talk about it. But I’ll definitely think about it.”

The long story short!
Abhayanand claims that he had met Anand Kumar in 1999 when the latter was asked by a leading daily to write a column. At that time, Abhayanand was guiding a few students for IIT while Anand had been teaching 30-40 students since 1994. It was only when Abhayanand’s pupils got into IIT that he discussed with Anand if he could pick some from the latter’s class who needed financial help and train them for IIT. Super 30 was started in 2002 and the first batch graduated in 2003. But according to Abhayanand, from 1994 to 2002, there was hardly anyone who could get a prominent placement in the IIT. Anand was also teaching at his Ramanujan School Of Mathematics where he would charge his students. A part of that money was being spent on Super 30. When Abhayanand got to know about it, he decided to quit the programme and later started tutorials such as Rahmani 30 and Magadh Super 30 in Gaya.