{"id":52710,"date":"2016-01-15T16:52:35","date_gmt":"2016-01-15T11:22:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mapsofindia.com\/my-india\/?p=52710"},"modified":"2017-03-31T12:15:28","modified_gmt":"2017-03-31T06:45:28","slug":"chalk-n-duster-movie-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mapsofindia.com\/my-india\/movies\/chalk-n-duster-movie-review","title":{"rendered":"Chalk N Duster Movie Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Chalk<\/a><\/p>\n

Release Date<\/strong>:<\/strong> 15 January 2016<\/p>\n

Starring<\/strong>:<\/strong> Juhi Chawla, Shabana Azmi, Divya Dutta, Zarina Wahab, Upasna Singh, Girish Karnad, Sameer Soni, Aarya Babbar, Richa Chadda, Jackie Shroff<\/p>\n

Directed by<\/strong>: Jayant Gilatar<\/p>\n

Produced by<\/strong>: Amin Surani<\/p>\n

Music by<\/strong>: Sandesh Shandilya<\/p>\n

Written by<\/strong>: Ranjeev Verma<\/p>\n

Cinematography:<\/strong>\u00a0Baba Azmi<\/p>\n

Duration<\/strong>: 2 hours and 11 minutes<\/p>\n

Genres:\u00a0<\/strong>Drama<\/p>\n

Censor Rating<\/strong>: U<\/p>\n

About the Movie Chalk n Duster<\/strong><\/p>\n

This week\u2019s release, ‘Chalk n Duster’ is an emotional drama that aims to spread a message about the education system that is getting more commercialized in today\u2019s time. Directed by Jayant Gilatar and produced by Amin Surani, the movie has some ace actors like Shabana Azmi, Juhi Chawla, Girish Karnad, Divya Dutta, Jackie Shroff, among others.<\/p>\n

\u201cGurur brahmaa gurur vishnuh gurur devo maheshvarah gurur saakshaat parabrahma tasmai shree gurave namah.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

The above shlok<\/em> beautifully explains how we should always bestow our supreme respect to teachers who with our parents lay the foundation of our bright future. They nurture us with the best of knowledge they have and deserve our sincere respect. Chalk n Duster is an ode to teachers who have been playing a pivotal role in grooming the future of tomorrow.<\/p>\n

The Plot<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

The story of Chalk N Duster revolves around two teachers Vidya (Shabana Azmi) and Jyoti (Juhi Chawla), who are fond of their profession, but not acknowledged and respected enough by the corrupt school’s management. It is when the shrewd and cunning principal, Kamini Gupta (Divya Dutta), games to replace all senior and highly paid teachers in the name of managerial decisions to get fame and money for the school, the story picks up. Vidya and Jyoti for the respect of their profession take up the challenge to answer the management and education system and win back the honour which every teacher deserves.<\/p>\n

Performances in the film:<\/strong><\/p>\n

While the last week’s release, Wazir, has set an example of unusual friendship of two men bonded by fate and remorse, Chalk n Duster is a story of two simple women and their delightful camaraderie.<\/p>\n

Vidya Sawant (Shabana Azmi) and Jyoti Thakur (Juhi Chawla), teachers and friends, share a strong connection. Well suited for their respective character, both the actresses have done a decent job.<\/p>\n

Juhi Chawla as a versatile science teacher was chirpy and expressive in her character, and her passion for her role in the movie twinkles in her performance.<\/p>\n

Accomplished actress as she is, Shabana Azmi was perfectly in the soul of her role. Be it her connection with Jyoti as Vidya the Maths teacher, or her bond with her husband in the movie, she simply nailed every bit of her role.<\/p>\n

Divya Dutta plays the \u2018Hitler\u2019 principal in the movie. With a crass wig, unappealing wardrobe, you only wonder how she managed to pull off her character with all wickedness and aggression. Aarya Babbar seemed to be over-performing in his character as another antagonist.<\/p>\n

While Samir Soni as Jyoti\u2019s (Juhi Chawla) husband in the film had a sketchy character to play, on the other hand,\u00a0Girish Karnad seemed to have been wasted as an actor in the film. Girish is seen as Vidya\u2019s wheelchair-bound, caring husband who is also fond of chess.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s tough to understand why Jackie Shroff’s character (though a cameo) was even required in the movie, yet another talent deserted. Also, Rishi Kapoor was seen as an over-excited quizmaster, this time quizzing the two protagonists, Vidya and Jyoti.<\/p>\n

With media doing its bit in the movie, how can we miss out on the character of news reporter\u00a0Bhairavi Thakkar played by Richa Chadda! Her entry in the film was crudely scripted and her character only seemed to have piled on in the script.<\/p>\n

The Music of Chalk n’ Duster:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Talking about the music and background score of the movie, for which Musician and singer Sandesh Shandilya, singer Sonu Nigam and lyricist Javed Akhtar have worked as a team, there is nothing impressive about it. All three songs in the movie are stuffed in the first half, none of which seems to be well timed.<\/p>\n

The song on life, \u201cAye Zindagi\u201d, seems to have not much life in it. Sonu Nigam sadly could not add his melodious charm to this number. The song \u201cDeep Shiksha\u201d also leaves you disappointed. Though you will find kids performing on the stage that reminds you of your school days, and even get to hear the melodious Alka Yagnik, but only after you have already lost interest in the song.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce you know the values of x and y, I promise you you’ll score very high\u201d –\u00a0<\/em>These are words from the the third song, which is actually a jingle on \u201cBodmas\u201d sung by veteran actress Shabana Azmi herself. It makes you wonder whether Mathematics will ever get as easy and interesting as this song narrates! (Well, Maths is actually fun if you love numbers. Don\u2019t know why and how many of us never liked this subject! \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

Details of songs in the movie:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Aye Zindagi<\/strong><\/p>\n

Singer: Sonu Nigam<\/p>\n

Lyrics: Javed Akhtar<\/p>\n

Duration: 3 min 26 secs<\/p>\n

Deep Shiksha<\/strong><\/p>\n

Singer: Alka Yagnik, Shradha Mishra, Sanchit Mishra<\/p>\n

Lyrics: Javed Akhtar<\/p>\n

Duration: 4 min 30 secs<\/p>\n

Jingle Bodmas<\/strong><\/p>\n

Singer: Shabana Azmi<\/p>\n

Lyrics: Ranjeev – Neetu<\/p>\n

Duration: 1 min 36 secs<\/p>\n

What’s good:\u00a0<\/strong>On and off, the movie Chalk n Duster takes you for a nostalgic ride where you start thinking of your school days not just as a student relishing some of the most cherished years of his or her live, but as \u2018a dear student of your remarkable teachers\u2019. The movie wishes to share a message which it surely does, though not with conviction as a Bollywood film, but rather as a simple story of teachers who give their hearts to their noble profession, while the management wants to take it just as another business. Both the actresses, Shabana Azmi and Juhi Chawla, have done justice to their roles with admirable performances.<\/p>\n

What’s bad:\u00a0<\/strong>Poor direction and camera work, undernourished music and soundtrack, lots of loose ends in the script and too much of drama are some quick ‘blots’ that anyone would spot in the movie. Even the dialogues in the movie and sloppy dubbing are a big disappointment. Some good actors like Girish Karnad, Jackie Shroff and of course, Richa Chadda have been wasted in the film.<\/p>\n

Verdict<\/strong>: Good intentions marred by lousy and over dramatic execution makes Chalk n Duster lose its marks. We leave it on you whether you want to watch it as another Bollywood drama or not, but if you want to do it for your teachers and to acknowledge their efforts, we will give a 10 on 10 with a big smile!<\/p>\n

Chalk n Duster Rating<\/strong>: 2.5\/5<\/p>\n

(P.S: Like we always wanted our teachers to be a bit lenient while checking our answer sheets, that is how I am feeling about rating this very movie. Such a good thought, a sincere subject and despite of having a plethora of talented actors in the bouquet, Chalk n Duster may not go as a shining star on the notice board of our Box Office.)<\/p>\n

Chalk n Duster Trivia!<\/strong><\/p>\n