After Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron, Hindi Medium might be the best attempt Bollywood has made at the ignored genre of satire.With a very basic storyline moulded into a beautifully exaggerated comic situation, in a good way, Hindi Medium doesn’t make you burst out with laughter. But it sure does make you chuckle quiet a lot. Raj (Irrfan Khan) and Mita (Saba Qamar) are parents to little girl Pia (Dishita Sehgal) and its time to get her admitted to a school. Mita decides their daughter Pia needs an English centric education in the best school in Delhi. After a makeover into the supposed high society people, they fail at their job. The next leg of the story takes us to a small area where they move to after realizing that only being marked as poor would get their daughter a reserved seat.

Hindi Medium is director Saket Chaudhary’s third film after Pyaar Ke Side Effects and Shaadi Ke Side Effects. He likes to produce comedy out of ordinary. His grip over the Delhi lingo and body language is evident from the very first scene when Khan tries to convince Mallika Dua, a customer at his “studio”, to buy a Manish Malhotra replica. In Irrfan, he finds the perfect person to demonstrate the ‘India Is English, English is India’ logic with a focus on the social divide. In the process, Hindi Medium exposes the absurdities of finding a “famous” school for your kid. It’s scarily close to the reality despite being dramatised. The ride becomes even more joyous when Sham Prakash (Deepak Dobriyal) enters the game. As a daily wage innocent worker whose humanity is intact despite hardships, he represents the other side of the social pyramid. One thing that may bother some of us is the toning down of the anger against the class divide. It’s a harsh reality and can be dealt with rage. Irrfan as the lover of soap opera Naagin is subtle and precise. His backstory serves the film in more than one way. It helps Qamar’s character flourish. As an understanding and deeply in love husband, Khan is a treat to watch in Hindi Medium. Qamar is equally effective and funny as a wife who keeps saying ‘stand ho jao’ and ‘lonely and depressed’. Dobriyal is the third solid pillar of Hindi Medium. His painful expressions may haunt you for days. Hindi Medium is a much-needed comment on the private school system and how it has become so important in our lives. It’s also a lesson for the concerned officials, who turn a blind eye to government schools that have millions of potential winners.

Hindi Medium tries to drive home a powerful message, but in the attempt, resorts to black-and-white archetypes. From the snooty and sophisticated South Delhi type to the I-will-literally-put-my-life-at-stake-to-help-you poor, everyone is a stock character. The first half evokes many laughs at Irrfan's failed attempts to come across as polished, but much of the humour is lost in the second half which is more sentimental in tone. The climax is one that you see coming, but the journey to the finish is worth it. If you look at performances, Hindi Medium is a winner. Irrfan, usually seen as a serious actor, shows that there is nothing he cannot do justice to. He effortlessly makes you laugh as the tailor's-assistant-turned-mega-tycoon trying to fit in with the old money crowd. Saba Qamar is Pakistan's finest export so far, and excels as the Chandni Chowk girl with social climbing aspirations. Tilottama Shome as the parents-consult-me-in-their-first-trimester admissions consultant and Deepak Dobriyal as the poor laborer with a heart of gold deserve a special mention. Hindi Medium may use over-dramatised events to make its message hit home, but in spite of its hiccups, the film is not bogged down because of the performances and the humour.

Hindi Medium comes at an apt time, and shines a light on the near-insurmountable barrier that language, the knowing of one, the not knowing of another, can be. The film opens well, and both Irrfan and Pakistani actress Saba, make you feel the anxiety and the anguish of parents in search of that very elusive holy grail: an English-medium school that will take their children to the pinnacle of success. But it dips, and becomes much less sure-footed when the family is forced to don the ‘gareebi’ garb ( to get access to the seats that private schools have to keep aside for the EWS, economically weaker section). This well-off family’s interactions with those who live in the slummy parts of the Capital, over–run by rats and stinky toilets and sarkaari schools are an uneasy, forced act: while mining sympathy, some situations turn insensitive and unconvincing. And that’s really the nub of the problem here. The flat writing which doesn’t quite know whose side to take — show up the parents desperate for English-medium schooling, or point fingers at those who are inept gatekeepers of these bastions, or both, by sentimentalizing those who live below the poverty line as `good’ and `noble’ — turns this film much less than it could have been. The characters, including the one played by the very talented Deepak Dobriyal, become stock. And the climax, consisting of a sanctimonious speech, lets the film down. Saba Qamar’s hyper mom who is happy to be a ‘chalta-phirta’ brand factory in order to get her well-shod foot in the door, gets some moments, but is made to repeat a few lines over and over again, and gets tiresome. As usual, it’s the marvelous Irrfan who keeps us watching. His is a fine, well-judged performance, which rises above the lines. At one point, we see him cracking up while watching his favourite florid TV serial: in that moment, ‘Hindi Medium’ is glorious, because the actor catches what he’s meant to do, meant to be, gloriously.

At the core, the film deals with a very relevant subject of how language divides our society. How angrezi-speaking people in India are touted to be ‘premium class,’ while the Hindi-waale¸ however illustrious or wealthy, are low-brow, or plain uncool. Hindi Medium shines in two areas that most of our films often fall short of. As far as the story goes – good writing, and as far as comedy goes – great timing. Chaudhary gets the grammar of the subject right, and spells out the emotions fluently. The dialogues (Amitosh Nagpal) are perfectly pitched and interestingly, the humour rests on the hinge, never distracting from the centrepiece. Of course, Irrfan nails it with a class act, playing a man torn between his simple, unpretentious upbringing and his new wannabe avatar. Saba, as the OTT, dominating wife is sheer delight onscreen. Dobriyal is superb and in some scenes, he leaves you teary-eyed. The second half gets over-dramatic and the plot seems quite convenient, taking ample liberties. The last chapter (climax) is stretched and predictable, but in the end, it drives home the point, exposing the inadequacies and loopholes in our education system. This class isn’t part of the usual Bollywood curriculum, and we suggest that you sign up for it. Admissions open to all.