Hindi Medium
Hindi Medium is a 2017 Indian Hindi-language comedy-drama film written and directed by Saket Chaudhary. It was produced by Dinesh Vijan and Bhushan Kumar under their respective banners Maddock Films and T-Series. The film features Irrfan Khan and Saba Qamar in the lead roles, with Deepak Dobriyal and Dishita Sehgal in supporting roles. Set in Delhi, the plot centres on a couple's struggle to get their daughter admitted to a prestigious English-medium school in order to rise in society.
The idea for the film was created by Chaudhary and his co-writer Zeenat Lakhani during the development of his previous film Shaadi Ke Side Effects. The film was shot in Chandni Chowk, Anand Lok, Karol Bagh, and Sangam Vihar. The film's soundtrack album was composed by the duo Sachin–Jigar, with lyrics by Priya Saraiya and Kumaar. The score was composed by Amar Mohile. Laxman Utekar was the cinematographer, and A. Sreekar Prasad edited the film.
Made on a production budget of crore, Hindi Medium released on 19 May 2017, and received a generally positive reception from the critics, with particular praise for Khan's and Qamar's performances. The film grossed at the worldwide box office, making it the 20th highest-grossing Indian film at the time. At the 63rd Filmfare Awards, it won Best Film, and Best Actor for Khan. Due to the success of the film, a spiritual successor, Angrezi Medium, went into development, and was released theatrically on 13 March 2020.
Plot
Raj Batra is a boutique owner who lives in Chandni Chowk, with his wife Mita and 5-year-old daughter, Pia. The couple want Pia to be admitted to a prestigious English-medium school in Delhi as they feel that this will enable her to become a part of the elite of society. They decide on Delhi Grammar School, ranked the best in the city, but it requires that students must stay within a 3-km radius of the school. They move to a posh villa in Delhi's upscale Vasant Vihar neighbourhood and try to become more refined in their manner. A consultant, Shikha, despite her misgivings about them, tutors them in the answers to be given in the admission interview, but their limited knowledge of English means Pia's application is rejected.Raj and Mita learn from an employee that his daughter has been admitted through the Right To Education quota, a scheme that helps children from poor families to be admitted to prestigious schools. After a scam reveals that rich parents are gaming the quota to admit their children, they move to Bharat Nagar, a slum area, for a month and pretend to be poor. They strike a friendship with Shyam and Tulsi, who are hopeful that their son Mohan gets to study in Delhi Grammar School through the RTE quota. Shyam and Tulsi teach them to live like truly poor people, and Raj joins Shyam at work. However, while Pia eventually gets admission, Mohan's application is rejected.
The Batras return to Vasant Vihar. Raj and Mita make a donation to the Bharat Nagar Government School, where Mohan studies, to renovate it and get new books. After watching their son become fluent in English, Shyam and Tulsi search for the identity of the anonymous donor to thank them. However, when he visits the donor's address in Vasant Vihar, Shyam finds out the truth about Raj pretending to be poor to enable Pia's admission and leaves to tell Delhi Grammar School's principal of Raj's deceit.
Raj and Mita rush to Delhi Grammar School to get there before Shyam. Raj asks for Pia's admission to be revoked and tells the truth, but the principal dismisses him. Raj gatecrashes the Annual Day function, gives a speech about English in India and education rights, and leaves. On their way out, the Batras tell the principal of the Bharat Nagar Government School that they plan to admit Pia to his school to study with Mohan.
Cast
Credits adapted from Bollywood Hungama:- Irrfan Khan as Raj Batra
- * Delzad Hiwale as young Raj
- Saba Qamar as Mita Batra
- * Sanjana Sanghi as young Mita
- Kiran Khoje as Sushila
- Dishita Sehgal as Pia Batra
- Amrita Singh as Principal Lodha
- Deepak Dobriyal as Shyam Prakash
- Neelu Kohli as Mita's mother
- Rajeev Gupta as Masterji, Raj's father
- Sumit Gulati as Chotu
- Mallika Dua as Dolly
- Kulbir Kaur as Dolly's mother
- Charu Shankar as Maya
- Tillotama Shome as consultant
- Rajesh Sharma as MLA
- Taran Bajaj as tout
- Ankur Jain as news reader
- Swati Das as Tulsi
- Neha Dhupia as Aarti
- Sanjay Suri as Kabir
Production
Pre-production work began after the release of Shaadi Ke Side Effects. Chaudhary began working on the story at that time, and he chose Delhi as the film's key location. The production crew consisted primarily of people Chaudhary had worked with on Pyaar Ke Side Effects and Shaadi Ke Side Effects, with the exception of production designer Mustafa Stationwala—they are editor A. Sreekar Prasad; dialogue writer Amitosh Nagpal; and cinematographer Laxman Utekar. The score was composed by Amar Mohile.
On 29 May 2016, News18 reported the casting of Saba Qamar in the film, which marked her Bollywood debut. Khan had recommended the casting of Qamar to the makers of the film. He said, "When I saw her YouTube videos, I recommended her to the director and producer and they really liked her". Speaking about her role, Qamar said, "I play a person who didn't get an opportunity to fulfil her dreams so she comes up with a scheme about giving the daughter a life that she didn't have".
Khan commented that he had accepted the role as it tackled the realistic subject of the challenges of obtaining a good education in India.
Qamar arrived in Mumbai from Pakistan in July 2016, and the film's principal photography began in the same month. The film was shot in Chandni Chowk, Anand Lok, Karol Bagh, and Sangam Vihar. The shooting was completed in October 2016. A song sequence was also filmed in Georgia. Qamar commented that she enjoyed working with Khan, and felt safe while shooting in Delhi. In the same interview with Pakistani newspaper Dawn, she commented that her experience wasn't affected by the nationalist far-right political party Maharashtra Navnirman Sena's hostility towards Pakistan at the time.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack consists of four compositions — two original: "Hoor" and "Ek Jindari", and two recreated: "Suit Suit" and "Oh Ho Ho Ho". Sachin–Jigar has composed the original songs. "Suit Suit", the first song, is written and sung by Guru Randhawa and Arjun and composed by Randhawa and Rajat Nagpal. The second track "Hoor" was composed by Sachin–Jigar and sung by Atif Aslam with lyrics by Priya Saraiya. The track "Oh Ho Ho Ho", was composed by Sukhbir and Abhijit Vaghani, sung by Sukhbir, rapped by Ikka Singh and written by Kumaar. The fourth, "Ek Jindari" was written by Kumaar and composed by Sachin–Jigar. It was sung by Taniskaa Sanghvi. The album rights of the film were acquired by T-Series, and it was released on 21 April 2017.Critical response
Joginder Tuteja of Bollywood Hungama, rated the album a 3 out of 5 stars. He said that "the music of Hindi Medium turns out to be better than expected", and praised the inclusion of recreations of "Suit Suit" and "Oh Ho Ho Ho" as they were previously popular Punjabi songs. V. Lakshmi of The Times of India in a positive review of the album said that, "by the time the album ends, the listeners are left humming the tunes!". Suanshu Khurana of The Indian Express highlighted the song "Hoor" as the best song on the album.Release
The film was released worldwide on 19 May 2017. Hindi Medium was declared 'tax-free' in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi.In February 2018, following the success of Dangal and Secret Superstar in China, it was announced that Hindi Medium was to be released in China. Hindi Medium released in China on 4 April 2018 to coincide with the Qingming Festival. The film's Chinese title is 起跑线, which means The Starting Line.
Controversy
The makers of the Bengali film Ramdhanu, directed by the duo Nandita Roy and Shiboprosad Mukherjee, had launched a copyright case against Hindi Medium, claiming that the storyline was similar to their film. In response to this, Chaudhary said,"We have researched our script over a year and it is based on original material. I would request everyone involved to not rush to a judgement without ascertaining the facts. And the facts can easily be confirmed by watching Hindi Medium on May 12."Roy and Mukherjee later withdrew their case.
Critical reception
Hindi Medium received a generally positive reception from critics, with particular praise for Khan's and Qamar's performances.Rohit Bhatnagar of Deccan Chronicle called the film a "masterpiece" and praised Khan's and Qamar's acting. Rachit Gupta of Filmfare rated the film 4.5 out of 5 stars and said that it was a "refreshingly funny and brilliantly insightful film on parenting and education." Madhureeta Mukherjee of The Times of India highlighted the script, and the comedic elements of the film as its strengths. Rohit Vats of Hindustan Times giving 3.5 stars out of 5 stars, commented that "Khan asks the viewers to take a stand against faulty Indian education system". Samrudhi Ghosh of India Today gave 3 out of 5 stars, praising Khan's and Qamar's performances, said "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". Smrity Sharma of India.com rated the film 2.5 out of 5 stars, and wrote: "Decent story, humour, a few heart tugging moments and effortless performances by Irrfan Khan, Saba Qamar and Deepak Dobriyal make the movie watchable." Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express giving 2 out of 5 stars, praised Khan's acting however felt that the writing was "flat", and that some of the supporting characters were "more caricature than real".
Hindi Medium received a generally positive reception from critics outside of India. A reviewer for Time Out gave it 4 stars: "With all its merits, though, the film stumbles near the end with its overly sentimental conclusion." The reviewer concluded that "the film is one of the best Bollywood films". James Marsh of South China Morning Post rated it 3.5 stars out of 5 stars, calling it "a classical comedy of manners full of humour and playful performances". Sadaf Siddique of Dawn observed: "Chaudhary gets full marks for novelty, he fails to adequately flesh his ideas out".
Box office
The film emerged as a sleeper hit at the box office. Its worldwide gross was by July 2017. Within three days of its April 2018 release in China, Hindi Medium crossed at the Chinese box office, crossing the mark worldwide, becoming Khan's highest-grossing Hindi film, surpassing his 2013 release The Lunchbox. By 16 April 2018, Hindi Medium had crossed the mark worldwide, becoming one of the top 20 highest-grossing Indian films at the time.Domestic
Hindi Medium collected on its opening day. It released on the same day as the much bigger budget film, Half Girlfriend, which earned on the first day. Gradually, the film turned to be more successful than the former. After one week, the film grossed at the box office. The film grossed during its lifetime run in Indian theatres. It was one of 2017's top ten most commercially successful Hindi films in India.Overseas
The film grossed overseas in 2017. Following its April 2018 release in China, the film crossed overseas, becoming the seventh Indian film to cross the mark at the overseas box office. It also surpassed the overseas gross of 2018's highest-grossing Indian film Padmaavat.China
On its opening day in China, on 4 April 2018, the film grossed. Hindi Medium surpassed Dangal and Bajrangi Bhaijaan to have the second highest opening day for an Indian film in China, behind only Secret Superstar. The film's opening three-day gross was.The film's success is attributed to strong word-of-mouth, helped by a 9.1 rating at the Chinese ticketing website Maoyan, as well as Khan's recognition among Chinese audiences from international films such as Jurassic World, The Amazing Spider-Man, and Life of Pi. The film grossed during its lifetime run at the Chinese box office. This made it the fourth highest-grossing Indian film in China, until it was surpassed by the 2019 release of Andhadhun in China.
Awards
At the 63rd Filmfare Awards, the film garnered six nominations, winning for Best Film and Best Actor for Khan. Chaudhary won Best Director and Khan won for Best Actor at the 19th IIFA Awards. It received six nominations at the Zee Cine Awards.| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipients | Result | |
| Filmfare Awards | 20 January 2018 | Best Film | Hindi Medium | ||
| Filmfare Awards | 20 January 2018 | Best Actor | Irrfan Khan | ||
| Filmfare Awards | 20 January 2018 | Best Actor | Irrfan Khan | ||
| Filmfare Awards | 20 January 2018 | Best Actress | Saba Qamar | ||
| Filmfare Awards | 20 January 2018 | Best Director | Saket Chaudhary | ||
| Filmfare Awards | 20 January 2018 | Best Supporting Actor | Deepak Dobriyal | ||
| International Indian Film Academy Awards | 22–24 June 2018 | Best Film | Hindi Medium | ||
| International Indian Film Academy Awards | 22–24 June 2018 | Best Director | Saket Chaudhary | ||
| International Indian Film Academy Awards | 22–24 June 2018 | Best Actor | Irrfan Khan | ||
| International Indian Film Academy Awards | 22–24 June 2018 | Best Supporting Actor | Deepak Dobriyal | ||
| Mirchi Music Awards | 28 January 2018 | Music Composer of The Year | Sachin–Jigar for "Hoor" | ||
| Screen Awards | 2 December 2017 | Best Actor | Irrfan Khan | ||
| Zee Cine Awards | 30 December 2017 | Best Film | Hindi Medium | ||
| Zee Cine Awards | 30 December 2017 | Best Film | Hindi Medium | ||
| Zee Cine Awards | 30 December 2017 | Best Director | Saket Chaudhary | ||
| Zee Cine Awards | 30 December 2017 | Best Actor – Male | Irrfan Khan | ||
| Zee Cine Awards | 30 December 2017 | Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Male | Deepak Dobriyal | ||
| Zee Cine Awards | 30 December 2017 | Best Screenplay | Saket Chaudhary, Zeenat Lakhani |
Sequel
After the success of Hindi Medium, a sequel to the film was planned. Regarding the success of the film, producer Vijan told Mid Day, "The response we have got is phenomenal. The entire unit of Hindi Medium, including Irrfan and Saba, who look cool as a couple on-screen, should be repeated in a film. There is definitely scope for a sequel. We would certainly explore it." On 24 January 2018, Vijan confirmed the sequel to Times Now. He said, "We have just finished typing the second part", with "Just finishing touches are being put", however, "I think you will have to wait for an official announcement for that."On 30 March 2019, it was announced that Kareena Kapoor has been added to the cast of the sequel to play the role of a police officer and filming will start from April. On 5 April, the sequel's title was announced as Angrezi Medium and filming began in Udaipur. This was completed in July. On 17 February 2020, the film's release date was changed to 13 March 2020 from the earlier release date of 20 March.