On the occasion of Teacher's Day, Siddhant Chaturvedi visited Mithibai College in Mumbai, from where he graduated in 2013. Ten years ago, he wouldn’t have imagined where he is today – a Bollywood actor enjoying fame and the love of the audience. As he walked through the corridors of his alma mater to meet his favourite teacher, he kept stopping along the way to pose for selfies with the students, with many shouting in the background, “MC Sher is here…Gully Boy, Gully Boy!”

Finally, Siddhant stopped at the auditorium and introduced us to his drama teacher, Pravin Murlidhar Jadhav, who he credits for nurturing the artiste in him. “Every time I am spoken about as an actor, it makes me feel nostalgic about my college and remember the guidance and encouragement that Pravin sir gave me. My college stage gave me my first experience as an actor. I am still in touch with the members of the drama group of my batch,” shares Siddhant, who studied BCom in that college and also did the drama course there.

While the actor has been seen in films like Bunty Aur Babli 2, Gehraiyaan and Phone Bhoot, his teacher confesses that he loved Siddhant’s performance the most in his debut film, Gully Boy, in which he played MC Sher.

Professor Jadhav says, “Nothing can beat his performance in the film. I could have never imagined him rapping on screen. He was so good that we invited him as a judge for the rapping event at our college festival, Kshitij. Even though he’s extremely busy now, whenever we reach out to him, he is there for us.”

As Siddhant leaves the college premises, he gets emotional and says, “I have always stayed in touch with my teachers. In life, wherever you are and whatever you do, your guru will always be your guru, and you will always look back on the lessons taught by them.”

‘Siddhant was a very quiet boy in college’
Talking about the kind of student Siddhant was, his teacher says, “His entire gang came across as this wild bunch, but Siddhant was a very quiet boy. However, when this group came on stage and performed, they would give their best and win. They are the best team we have had till date, as they have won laurels for our college and made us proud.”

And the actor shares, "I was a shy guy in school. I was always the second bencher. I was studious. Teachers liked me as I was well-behaved. I would do my share of masti, but I was that guy who never got caught, somehow. Often, my classmates used to get caught because of me, while I easily escaped."

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When I am spoken about as an actor, it makes me nostalgic about my college and remember the guidance and encouragement that Pravin sir gave me. My college stage gave me my first experience as an actor. I am still in touch with the members of the drama group of my batch
— Siddhant

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This meeting is an emotional moment because as teachers what matters to us is the love and respect we get from our students. Our students remembering us even after so many years is our ultimate reward
— Pravin Murlidhar Jadhav, Siddhant’s teacher

Actor Rituparna Sengupta says that late Pranab Mukherjee, ex-President of India was an astute and knowledgeable man, and it is a great loss to the world that a great statesman like him is gone
Nikita Deb (HINDUSTAN TIMES; September 5, 2020)

The death of India’s former President Pranab Mukherjee came as a shock to the entire country. After serving as the Union Finance Minister of India from 2009 to 2012, he became the 13th President of the country in 2012 and served until 2017. On Teacher's Day today, actor Rituparna Sengupta remembers the “great statesman”. “Pranab Mukherjee sir was beyond a politician. Who didn’t regard him? He was one of the most sought after personalities. He was very astute, knowledgeable and learned. He was an avid reader and very rooted in his culture; he knew a lot about literature. Whenever he would have discussions, he would always quote great writers and philosophers. He was an articulate man who would give such inspiring speeches and there are so many qualities that we can imbibe from him. His life was like a drawing board of life lessons, which we can all learn so much from,” says Sengupta.

The actor adds that she had met Mukherjee on a number of occasions and each meeting with him was a pleasant experience. “I met him during a few events such as book launches and newspaper summits. He was always very amicable and would notice every little detail around him. Even though he had a strong personality, he was very lovable,” she says.

The actor who has been acting in films for over two decades now, says that screening her film Muktodhara (2012) for the former President was a rare honour for her, and she feels extremely privileged to have got the opportunity to do so. “In 2013, we had got an invitation to screen Muktodhara for Mukherjee sir and Mrs Mukherjee. We had gone to the Rashtrapati Bhavan with our small cast and crew and had screened the movie for him. It was such a pleasant surprise that the President had taken out three hours out of his busy schedule to watch our film with utmost attention. He loved the movie and praised all our work in it. In fact, Mrs Mukherjee was very fond of me and whenever I would visit Delhi, I would meet her,” says the 48-year-old actor.

Adding that he was one of the most loved Presidents of all time, Sengupta emphasises on the fact that his death is a great loss to the nation. She says, “He was a very successful finance minister and president. He knew the importance of knowledge and education. The entire nation can learn so much from him. He was an asset, and all my condolences are with his family. We are all deeply saddened by his demise, but he has left us with a lot of knowledge and his insights that we are definitely privileged to be left with. There is a lot to learn from the teachings that he imparted through his contributions to this society.”

Juhi Chakraborty (HINDUSTAN TIMES; September 5, 2020)

Teachers play a key role in society and actor Kritika Kamra understood it very early as her mother, Kumkum Kamra, is an educationist.

“My mum is a nutritionist by qualification but we lived in a very small place in Ashoknagar district, Madhya Pradesh, and there wasn’t much scope for it. My mum started teaching in the only primary English-medium school there, where my brother and I studied,” shares the actor.

Kritika says it was rather good to have a teacher at home as her mother would always be around to help her and her brother with studies.

“There was a lot of emphasis on education in my house. She would also take private tuitions after school and there was that environment all the time,” she adds.

However, there was something that made her a bit uneasy at school. “I would make sure that I never cross paths with her at school at all because she was my mother and was teaching in the same school,” the actor says.

Her mother is now the principal of the school and the actor says that throughout her growing up years and even till now she has seen how much her mother is respected and remembered fondly by all her students as well as her former students.

“In a small place like ours, shiksha daan is the biggest daan. She works pro bono. She does not take money. The whole structure of the school is such that it is affordable and the idea is to give access to education to people from different strata of the society. Even now her students, some of them are doing very well in life, have high regards for her. She has a special place in their hearts which, while growing up, I have always looked up to,” she adds.

Rishabh Suri (HINDUSTAN TIMES; September 5, 2020)

Actor Boman Irani’s journey so far has a lot to teach us — for instance, where you are today doesn’t mean you have to be stuck there tomorrow too. It was at the age of 44, when he made his acting debut with Darna Mana Hai (2003), and went on to deliver memorable performances in Khosla Ka Ghosla and Lage Raho Munnabhai (both 2006).

He’s also played two of Bollywood’s most memorable teachers in recent years — Dean Asthana (Munnabhai MBBS; 2003) and Viru Sahastrabudhhe (3 Idiots, 2009). On Teacher’s Day today, we ask him about his life’s most influential teacher and he says, “I find one every day. It could be a kid. When I go abroad and sit in taxis, I get wisdom from taxi drivers. They’re dying to talk, they meet so many people every day, are listening to radio all the time so they know politics as well, and about human behaviour.”

In fact, the 60-year-old’s early life experiences, as a wafer shop owner, involved meeting many people. “I began going there since I was a kid, and would sit in the shop from 1979-94. I learned a lot from my customers, I’d see a character here and there. Teachers in real life can come from any quarters. It could be the guy you meet in the lift, who’d give you a perspective on the world you never imagined! My mother has been a wonderful teacher. It doesn’t have to be a famous guy,” he says.

And he agrees that his character, of a principal, in 3 Idiots is perhaps everything a teacher should not be! “I had to be everything Rancho (Aamir Khan’s character) was not. The theme of the film was ‘Chase excellence success will follow’, I had to play the opposite, chase marks and numbers, and look at the other guy as competition. He did not go for excellence. Had he gone for that, he would have been another Rancho,” Irani adds.

Hrithik Roshan talks about the importance of educators
Chaya Unnikrishnan (DNA; September 5, 2019)

As a kid, Hrithik Roshan was fond of Science but it’s his turn as a mathematics teacher in Super 30 that has got him both acclaim and box-office success. On Teacher’s Day today, the actor tells us how his perspective towards educators has changed post the film, and his favourite teacher.

Which subjects did you like in school?
As a kid, I was not academically inclined, but I have always been a curious learner. So, to an extent, I enjoyed studying Science. In fact, I still do. I like getting into the depth of things and if a subject interests me, I enjoy doing research on it through books, videos and articles.

Who was your favourite teacher?
I don’t remember having a favourite teacher in school, but my speech therapist Dr Oza (he helped the actor overcome his stammering), comes to my mind. He was the first person who understood my weaknesses and helped me work on it.

How important are teachers in moulding a person?
I’ve said this before — teachers are the true nation-builders. They are the ones who are responsible in shaping the future of society with the thoughts they seed in kids’ minds, the lessons they teach them at such an early stage. That is where change actually begins.

After playing a guru, has it made any difference in your perspective of a teacher?
Absolutely! While portraying Anand Kumar and working on Super 30, I understood more and more about the importance of a teacher. A good guru has the power to transform lives for the better. The value they add to a person’s life is unimaginable. And the testimony to this is hundreds of years old. Even kings would bow down to their teachers.

You penned a note for teachers on social media. Did you try to reach out to any of your teachers?
I haven’t particularly been in touch with any of my teachers from school or university as there was no one-on-one equation with them. However, over the years, there have been people who have taught me a lot in life and I still am in constant touch with them.