Films are often accused of teaching the wrong things to the impressionable minds in society. But we fail to realize that films teach some important lessons too. 2016 came up with some great films that left viewers with a lot and not just entertainment. Here’s the list of such films and the lessons from it:

Chalk N Duster: Remember Your Teachers
We pass out from school and then never look back at our teachers who educated us and played a very important role in our lives. Chalk N Duster tells us to not forget these people of the noble profession, especially when they are not getting deserving pay and their respect in the society is slightly dwindling.

Airlift: Never Give Up
Airlift’s Ranjit Katyal had an impossible task in hand – he had to get back 170,000 Indians from Kuwait, during Saddam Hussein’s invasion. How he tries every trick in the book assertively, insisting the officials, sometimes even smartly getting them to agree to him is something that’s not just entertaining but also enlightening.

Neerja: Darr Ke Aage Jeet Hai
Fear Gave Her Courage: The tagline said it all. Head Purser Neerja Bhanot could have easily chickened out and done nothing as the hijackers’ wreaked havoc. But she refused to be a mute spectator. That doesn’t mean she fought with them. Rather, she took control as much as she can. She saved the American passengers by hiding their passports. And that’s not all. She also took the bold step of walking out of an abusive marriage

Kapoor & Sons: It's All About Understanding Your Children
There are lots of lessons in the film but the most important being that parents should understand where they are going wrong in treating the children, sometimes unintentionally. Ratna Pathak Shah’s quest to ensure that Fawad is a ‘perfect baccha’ turns out to be a sword dangling over his head. Sidharth Malhotra’s unsuccessful attempts in being a writer was also somewhere due to his mother’s action going wrong (for Sidharth but for Fawad, it worked). Even the children however falter and it’s neatly shown and balanced out. The million-dollar lesson of Prem Ratan Dhan Payo, Har family mein problem hai, par woh khushnaseeb hai jinki family hoti hai, suits the film very well.

Ki & Ka: Being A House Hubby Is No Big Deal
The man in the society is pressurized from the start to earn degrees and later, lots of money. After all, who’ll marry him is the argument put forward. But not all men are ambitious. Some simply doesn’t want to work and instead, want to be a homemaker. Ki & Ka tells that it’s completely all right to do so. At a time when gender equality is being practiced and gender roles are being reversed, Ki & Ka couldn’t have come at a better time

Fan: Being Crazily Obsessed With Your Star Is Not Love
The film might not have been loved but the lesson it says makes a lot of sense. There’s no harm in loving a celebrity, putting up his posters and sometimes, even fighting for him on social media. But being obsessed about him/her, stalking the celebrity, going all lengths to meet that person and worse of all, harming that celebrity when he/she doesn’t reciprocate is just not justified. You are not in love then, you need help

Nil Battey Sannata: Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao
A maid’s daughter is not destined to be a maid. Through education, she can become anyone she wants. Nil Battey Sannata is a must for all those who don’t take schooling seriously and feel that it will not help, especially when you have a girl child. The manner in which the mother (Swara Bhaskar) in the film goes to so many lengths to get her daughter (Ria Shukla) pass in Class 10, including become a student herself, is quite heartening and motivating.

Sultan: It’s Never Too Late
When a man in his 40s with a paunch and burdened with guilt can transform himself and fight the world’s most ferocious fighters, what’s stopping you? Sultan Ali Khan gives it all to fight in the championship although he has a reason to do so. But he was passionate enough to give it his 100% and that too at a point where he didn’t really hope for a change. But that’s what life is – it changes for the better when you least expect it

Baar Baar Dekho: Family Is As Important As Work
The film was panned but it tells that one should not be totally consumed by work and ignore our loved ones. In fact, we should be grateful for our family. Jai (Sidharth Malhotra) learns the lesson when he time travels in the future. While he gets a chance to go back in time and correct things before they go wrong, in reality that doesn’t really happen. Hence, a work-life balance is very important and it should be done on an immediate basis

Pink: No Means No
Perhaps the most powerful lesson taught by a film in 2016! The girls in Pink are shown partying, going out late at night, wearing glamorous clothes, befriending men and even going to their hotel rooms. Yet, that doesn’t give a man the right to exploit them especially when they made it clear that they are not interested. Moreover, the prosecutor slyly tries to prove that the girls were offering sex for money. But the defence lawyer (Amitabh Bachchan) beautifully justifies that the woman can be anyone – a friend, girlfriend, wife, family member, colleague or even a sex worker – but if she says No, then it means No. In an industry which has been riddled with the idea that ‘A Girl Saying No Means Yes’, Pink comes and slams all such myths.

M S Dhoni - The Untold Story: Your Favourite Personality Doesn't Solely Deserve All The Credit
We appreciate our favourite sportsperson but don’t realize how many people rallied behind him/her to make him/her successful. M S Dhoni – The Untold Story is a homage to not just Dhoni but his friends, family and all others who realized his potential early on. Imagine if Bannerji sir would not have asked Dhoni to play cricket in school, would he have even realized his potential? Moreover, the manner in which Dhoni’s friends chip in money so that he can make it to Dum Dum airport is quite a touching scene. Another lesson to learn from Dhoni’s TC episode is – if you are not interested in your job, get out of it. Life is too short to be wasted on something you don’t like

Ae Dil Hai Mushkil: Dosti Mein Sukoon Hai
So what if the girl you love doesn’t reciprocate your feelings? Sometimes, you should not run away or declare that you can see her only as your girlfriend. There’s a possibility that you can be her friend as well. It’s difficult but not impossible – after all the person is important, not the kind of relationship you have with her. Ae Dil Hai Mushkil explains this idea beautifully. That it became successful shows that audiences accepted this notion.

Dear Zindagi: Let It Go, Let It Go…
Gauri Shinde’s Dear Zindagi explains how the shocking experiences of childhood can cause problems later in adulthood, especially when its repressed. Kaira (Alia Bhatt) breaks hearts of some genuinely nice men, is confused and shows her weird side by buying a candy floss machine but never using it. It’s only when she lets go of her childhood shocks that she is able to breathe again. Additionally, it also subtly tells how the girl child is still not given her due, even in high class societies. A family friend degrading Kaira at any giving opportunity is absolutely sickening and sadly, very relatable.

Dangal: Girls Can Be As Good Or Better Than Boys
A father has 4 daughters. He stays in Haryana, which has the lowest sex ratio in the country. But the father here is not concerned about marrying them off, dowry etc. Instead, he’s worried about training them well and that too in the sport of wrestling. And voila, his efforts pay off. While daughter wins a silver medal, the one wins gold. Dangal should ideally put an end to all the arguments that women are not as strong as men

There were several films this year that touched our hearts and entertained the movie buff in us. But business-wise, these films faltered badly. This Filmy Fenil special feature presents a list of 8 films which we feel should have done better at the box office:

Chalk N Duster
This was a sweet, simple film that beautifully tells the problems that plagues our education system. Yes, it had some filmy, unconvincing moments but the essence of the film was lovely and easy to decipher. Moreover, it had a solo release on January 15, 2016. Ghayal Once Again was to release on the same day but got pushed. Yet, Chalk N Duster failed to cash in on it.

Ghayal Once Again
At times, the films don’t fail, it’s the budget that does. This applies well to Ghayal Once Again that had a huge cost to recover (reportedly, Rs 50 crore). Again, this was not a fitting sequel to the iconic Ghayal but it had some really enjoyable moments. The single screen viewers went into frenzy in certain sequences.

Aligarh
Manoj Bajpayee gave one of his greatest performances of his career in Aligarh, based on the life of a controversial homosexual professor in Aligarh Muslim University. The slow-moving film sadly dealt with a not-so-exciting subject which is the reason why its collections were disastrous

Fan
Fan was full of loopholes. However, the action scenes were a treat. In fact, Fan was one of the best action films to have come out of Bollywood. To see a Shah Rukh Khan entertainer not even crossing 100 crore was a huge disappointment

Nil Battey Sannata
This was one of the surprises of the year. The film did pick up after a very, very bad first day but it was just not enough. It was even tax exempted in Uttar Pradesh and Delhi but again, it was not a typical entertainer and hence, viewers gave it a miss.

Phobia
Phobia was a well-made thriller and even had a dash of horror, which added to the impact in certain scenes. Radhika Apte does a brilliant job. How it made less than 4 crores at the box office, despite great reports, is baffling

Waiting
Waiting obviously didn’t seem like a film that would be a hit at the box office. It seemed like a nice, genuine effort but it exceeds expectations. It turned out to be quite a touching film. While the response from audiences was very positive, it didn’t translate into healthy box office numbers.

A Flying Jatt
This film goes wrong at a lot of places. But for the average Indian who craves entertainment and escapism from films, A Flying Jatt was a film to watch out for. Moreover, it was a superhero film and hence, the kids too should have come out in large numbers. Sadly, that didn’t happen especially when viewers have seen better superhero films, in terms of execution, content and effects, from Hollywood. Interestingly, the film does extremely well on television which shows that audiences gave the film a thumbs up, but only when it was out of theatres, sadly.

Meena Iyer (BOMBAY TIMES; January 21, 2016)

The end of 2015 saw the DILWALE vs BAJIRAO MASTANI and the problem of shortage of screens came up or better put shortage of collecting screens. The two films together manage to go to around 5700 screens between them but many of the single screens that the films had to go were poor collecting ones.  The clash clearly highlighted the problem with shortage of screens in the Hindi film market.

But then we cut to this week where the problem is the opposite and it seems that there are too many screens. DILWALE is almost out, BAJIRAO MASTANI is now at low occupancy, WAZIR has flopped which has meant that a film like CHALK N DUSTER is playing on 4-5-6 screens at some multiplexes, a multiplex in Delhi even has it on 10 shows daily which is insane.

This is not because its believed the film will give the collections but because there is no choice. CHALK N DUSTER is the sort of film that should really be only screened on select multiplexes on a show or two and then see whether it can find an audience and go from there.

This is a one of the reasons that growth of screens has come down from a few years back, simply because there are far more weeks like this week than the Xmas clash week. The need of the hour for the business to grow is software for the theatres, if the software is good the growth of screens will come which will lead to growth of business but when weak films like CHALK N DUSTER get this sort of screen time because of no choice its hard to see the big growth in screens which will allow two films to release simultaneously and get desired results.

We all remember our school days fondly. But sadly, we don’t remember to keep in touch with our teachers. A college professor had once admitted to us (while we were still in college) how she hates that students move out and never bother to keep in touch. Moreover, the students learn from the teachers and go out and earn big bucks. And sadly the guru, especially the ones teaching in schools, never gets their due in terms of pay and sometimes even in terms of respect. Chalk N Duster talks about these issues and much more in a very entertaining manner. With no major release this Friday, Chalk N Duster deserves to be watched at least once for its concept and message.

The story of the movie: Jyoti Thakur (Juhi Chawla) is a vivacious teacher employed in Kantabai Mehta School, Mumbai. She is great friends with Vidya Sawant (Shabana Azmi), an aged Mathematics teacher in the same school. All is going fine until one day Kamini Gupta (Divya Dutta) becomes the principal. She has ambitious plans for the school and wants to make it top-class. However, her means of achieving the goal are unfair but she doesn’t care. The teachers silently suffer until one day things reach a boiling point. That’s when they decide to retaliate but the fight is not going to be easy.

To be honest, Chalk N Duster doesn’t really make an impact from the beginning. The film is a bit over the top at places and from the start to finish, it is riddled with poor production values and bad VFX. The manner in which Kamini unleashes her power and torture in the initial scenes seem unconvincing. What is shown is a reality but somewhere it fails to look convincing. Also Juhi’s mimicry act doesn’t really stand out especially her imitation of Vidya mam. However, the characters are well sketched and most importantly, it tells a very nice, relatable story that everyone can identify with. And that’s a big USP of the film. The film really gets engaging during the recess (read: intermission point). From the second half, the film goes on to another level. The scene where Jyoti gives an interview is very, very touching. Same goes for the scene in the hospital. The writers and director make the maximum impact out here. But the best is yet to come and that happens in the climax. Again, the climax is a bit over the top and even convenient. But its fun and something like this haven’t been seen in any film as far as I remember. It definitely makes for a great watch and even involves the audience nicely. Watch out the film to know exactly what I am trying to imply!

Chalk N Duster rests on the powerpacked performances of Juhi Chawla and Shabana Azmi. Juhi Chawla fails to raise laughs in the mimicking scenes but otherwise, she packs a punch. Her styling is very nice. She rocks the show in the interview sequence. A performance to watch out for! Shabana Azmi as expected does even better. She looks every inch a Maharashtrian teacher – it’s amazing how well she gets into the skin of her character. Hats off! Divya Dutta ensures she maintains a strong position even in the presence of Juhi and Shabana. One instantly forgets the adorable Divya from Veer-Zaara and Bhaag Milkha Bhaag and one can’t help but hate Gupta mam for her villainous acts! Richa Chadha (Bhairavi Thakkar) has a whistle worthy entry and although she has a small role, she makes sure it stands out! Zarina Wahab (Indu Shastri) is lovely. Samir Soni (Sunil Thakur) is strictly okay. Girish Karnad (Vidya’s husband) is superb in a small role. Jackie Shroff makes his presence felt. Aarya Babbar (Anmol Parekh) is quite over the top. Upasana Singh (Manjeet) is fine. Rishi Kapoor has an outstanding role in the film and dominates a significant portion of the film. Others do a fine job.

Sandesh Shandilya’s music is okay. Songs don’t add much to the film. Background score however is good. Veteran cinematographer Baba Azmi does a decent job. Ranjeev-Neetu’s story is too good. Dialogues could have been better and more realistic in some places. But in key scenes, it’s very sharp. Screenplay is a bit rough at places but makes a deep impact in the second half. Jayant Gilatar’s direction is simple and he manages to keep viewers engaged. At places, it gives a déjà vu of Paathshaala which is not good news! But he gets back on track soon enough and despite the unconvincing and convenient portions at places, he manages to strike the right chord. A big thank you to him for giving us this great film!

Some of the best scenes:
1. Vidya mam agrees to teach a Virar lad for free
2. Teachers find out that the chair is missing
3. The intermission point
4. Jyoti gives an interview (outstanding)
5. Students give their support to Vidya
6. The climax

On the whole, Chalk N Duster is a lovely film that makes interesting comments about our education system and the state of the teachers especially in government schools. But it’s all done in an entertaining manner. It’s a film that everyone will be able to relate to and will definitely lead to discussions among viewers long after the film is over. It could have been much better and convincing. But it is made with noble intentions and is engaging and hence no complaints as such. Go for it and here’s hoping this film gets tax free status!

My rating - *** out of 5!

GHAYAL ONCE AGAIN POSTPONED…ONE FRIDAY GOES WASTE!

It was last Tuesday (January 5) that the makers of Ghayal Once Again decided to postpone the release of their film from January 15 to February 5. The exact reason is not known but it led to a very peculiar situation. In an industry where filmmakers fight for Fridays and end up clashing their films with each other, there’s no major release scheduled for tomorrow. Only one film hits screens from tomorrow – Chalk N Duster, starring Juhi Chawla, Shabana Azmi and Divya Dutta.

What’s also interesting to note that the next 2 Fridays will see major clashes. While Airlift will clash with Kyaa Kool Hain Hum 3 on January 22, Mastizaade and Saala Khadoos will release together on January 29. Out of these 4 films, at least one of them could have shifted their date to January 15. If the makers of Ghayal Once Again had postponed their film even a day or two earlier, this could have been possible. Moreover, Wazir has failed too. So the film releasing today would have got sufficient screens.

Our industry really has to catch up when it comes to planning. Until that happens, clashes will keep on happening, films will keep getting postponed. In short our industry will keep getting Ghayal Once Again

Their new movie may not spark off social change in the country’s education system, but Shabana Azmi and Juhi Chawla hope it will at least make you spare a thought for your teacher
Aastha Atray Banan (MID-DAY; January 10, 2016)

Actresses Shabana Azmi and Juhi Chawla laugh and exchange notes about what’s been happening as they pose for photos at a suburban five- star, a week before the release of their film, Chalk n Duster. The two play teachers, considered outdated and old fashioned, and thrown out by an evil headmistress (played by Divya Dutta), hired to modernise the school. “It’s not really an issue-based film, but one about two teachers trying to regain their dignity and status. It’s a human story,” says Azmi, who plays the older and wiser Vidya, while Juhi plays Jyoti, the younger, impulsive one.

The film is directed by debutant director Jayant Gilatar, and written by husband and wife duo Ranjeev Verma and Neetu Verma. “I read the script at one go. It was surprising and moving, and, above all, uplifting.
That’s why I said yes,” says Chawla flashing her brilliant smile, “This story speaks of an issue, like education, in an entertaining way. It was speaking of what happens behind the scenes at schools, and how it’s becoming more businesslike. It gripped my attention completely.”

For Azmi, apprehension turned into a yes when she met Juhi. “I saw her enthusiasm and involvement. She was willing to take ownership of the movie, and that attracted my attention,” says Azmi, sipping on a glass of hot water.

They both did realise that the job of a teacher wasn’t easy. And preparing for their roles took some consideration. “I had never seen the teacher other than as a person who tells you what to do and gives you homework, but she has her own world, her own problems,” says Juhi, “I had no clue how to prepare.
I thought I’d meet the writer, who is also a teacher, but that didn’t happen. Eventually, I just went to drop my kids at school and would sit in the car and watch their teachers and read their body language.”

For Azmi it was easier, as she based the character on her sister-in-law Sulbha Arya, also a theatre and film actress who has appeared in movies like Kal Ho Na Ho, and who was once a teacher. “I have watched her marking papers and carrying books, and working. So, for me, I had a ready made example.” It’s a small movie with a small budget, but that made no difference to the two acclaimed actresses.

All they want is that everyone comes to the halls. “It’s made simply, and the takeaway is the reaffirmation of the human, in an elevating, feel good way. It will kindle that warmth in you towards the teacher who made you the person you are today, but you were too young to give credit to then. At no point am I even thinking of competing with the big films, we are just hoping that we get some word-of-mouth traction,” says Azmi.

It’s a relevant film as well, and could shed light on what a good teacher “ should” be like. “I come from a family which feels that art should serve a social purpose, but not every movie is binding to it. I believe art has the possibility of creating a climate of sensitivity where change can occur,” says Azmi.

“Seeing a movie about Gandhi doesn’t mean you behave like Gandhi. But aapki mitti thodi geeli hoti hai. And there is sensitivity, and that is the maximum a work of art can do.” Juhi agrees, “If you leave someone with an idea, it definitely grows in them. You can’t force a thought on someone, but gently suggest it to them. but That’s what this film will do."

BOMBAY TIMES (January 10, 2016)

Award-winning Marathi director Jayant Gilatar talks about choosing a realistic theme and the thrill of helming a film that stars seasoned Bollywood actors
Letty Mariam Abraham (MID-DAY; January 7, 2016)

What prompted you to make a movie on the poor state of education in the city?
We have all gone to schools and our first teachers have had such a deep impact that we begin to look up to them as mothers. After our parents, it is a teacher who nurtures us. But with time, we tend to forget them and all that they have done for us. Many of us don’t even know where our teacher are or how they are doing. Teaching is one profession which creates every other profession. They are responsible for building us and our careers, but it’s sad and shameful that lakhs of teachers in our country are living in utterly difficult circumstances. Every how teachers are struggling for their rights. It is thus my attempt to put their issues on the canvas through my movie.

How difficult was it to rope in Juhi Chawla and Shabana Azmi for their roles?
It was difficult to rope in both of them for this film. But after hearing the script, both Shabanaji and Juhiji wanted to see my work so I sent them DVDs of my films. Shabanaji saw The White Land, which is based on the plight of the salt workers in India. Javed saab has written the songs for it and she loved it. Juhiji saw We Are Adult and praised it. After that, they came on board.

Is Chalk N Duster inspired by a real life incident?
The film is inspired by some articles my writer Ranjeev and I had read in the papers after which the writers, direction team and I started working on the script. As we were researching and writing, contacting real teachers, meeting them, we got to know several incidents which encouraged us further to make this movie and tell their story to the world. It took us almost 18 months to finish the script and the shoot of this film.

Was conforming to the whims of the actors difficult?
Not at all. Every individual has an opinion but after a few initial kinks, all members of my cast played their part wonderfully and added depth and life to the characters and the cinema.

Upala KBR (DNA; December 14, 2015)


Subhash tells us the problem started after the shooting of the film began. “Jayant Gilata brought the subject of Chalk N Duster to me and it touched my heart. I went to Juhiji with the script and she loved it, but she wanted to change the director. It took me six months to convince her to sit with the writers and change the script. Finally, she said yes to the director and Juhiji and Shabanaji sat for a joint narration after which the film started. At that time I was the producer and Amin Surani was the co-producer and financier.”

It was after the film went over budget that things began to sour for Subhash. “We were to make it at a budget of Rs 5.50-5.75 crore. There was a misunderstanding between Amin and me after which I saw that my name was coming as co-producer and Amin’s as producer on the clapboard. When I tried to talk to Juhiji she shut me out completely. The director was to complete the film in 38 days, but it got extended to 55 days so the budget naturally rose. I kept Juhiji’s manager as EP on the sets and he instigated her against me. Not once did she ask me what happened. I am very hurt with Juhiji’s behavior. Chalk N Duster was my baby. I spent one-and-a-half years nurturing and watching it grow. When it got completed they snatched it from my hands.”

Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; October 23, 2015)

Renuka Vyavahare (BOMBAY TIMES; June 26, 2015)

Asira Tarannum (MID-DAY; May 11, 2015)

If sources are to be believed, Juhi Chawla recently rubbed co-star Shabana Azmi the wrong way by spending 'too much time' in the make-up room. The duo is shooting for make-up artist Subhash Singh's debut film Chalk n Duster at Madh Island.

A source says, "Juhi turns up on the sets on time, but takes too much time to get ready, keeping her fellow actor waiting for 30-45 minutes for their scenes together. Shabana was patient for the first three days after which she got upset and decided to speak to Juhi about it."

A unit hand confirms the story, but says that there was no argument between the two actresses. "They just had a discussion over time management," the insider suggests.

Shabana, on the other hand, denies the buzz, saying, "That's absolute nonsense. Who makes up these stories? Juhi and I share a very good equation and I am doing the film because Juhi is so passionately involved in every aspect of Chalk n Duster that she inspires all of us to push ourselves."

MUMBAI MIRROR (April 14, 2015)

BOMBAY TIMES (April 12, 2015)

Roshmilla Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; November 14, 2014)

Shah Rukh has just celebrated a Happy New Year and now his friend and business partner Juhi Chawla is getting ready to bring in a Happy Anniversary.

The actress, who was last seen as a scheming politician in Gulaab Gang early this year, will now be playing the main protagonist in writer-director Dinky Mendes's film of that name.

"I read the script just two days ago. It's amazing and I'm tentatively on," says Juhi, who turned 47 yesterday with a quiet day at home with the family.

While she is reluctant to discuss this project, she's more forthcoming on the other film she has given her nod to--Jayant Gilatar's Chalk n Duster, co-starring Shabana Azmi and Anupam Kher.

Juhi came on board a few days ago, even though the makers had sent the script to her through her make-up man Subhash Sinch one-and-a-half months ago.

"I was too busy at the time to look at the script or even the final draft. It was only recently, on a flight from Delhi, that I started reading it and then couldn't put it down," recalls the actress, quickly adding that despite the angrezi title, it's a Hindi film about teachers, the system and the business of education.

'Chirpy' Chawla as she was once known, admits that it's another 'positive' role. "My character is a strong, multi-talented woman ready for any challenge," she beams, as she packs for a quick trip to Hyderabad to be a part of a Young Person's Forum.

Meanwhile, her cricket lessons continue thanks to Kolkata Knight Riders. "I hope the boys do well this season," she says, crossing her fingers.

And so do her music lessons. "If someone asked me to give playback, I'd do it in a shot. I'd shake and shiver but I'd do it," she says. "May be this year I'll do something, musically--independent of films."

Ask for details of her musical career, for now the soon-to-be songstress' lips are sealed.

Garima Sharma (BOMBAY TIMES; October 23, 2014)