In Bollywood, there is a term for movies that exaggerate emotions and situations to the point that the depictions of the characters, their dialogues, their actions etc. become detached from reality and enter the realm of fantasy. Such movies are called 'filmy'. In 'filmy' movies, viewers are asked to dispel their notions of rationality and realism and are expected to simply allow themselves to be taken into a fantastical journey by the writer/director. Any questioning of why a character would be so nice (or so evil) is impertinent since the viewer is expected to know that the movie is pure fantasy.
This is one such 'filmy' movie. It is, as said by a reviewer below, a well-made and sweet movie. However, given the theme that it presents (the importance of education necessary for uplifting people from poverty), the approach taken by the director to mix fantasy with the grim reality (i.e. the hardships faced by poor parents for educating their children), the movie, it's characters and it's dialgoue felt not just out-of-place but shallow. For instance, in the real India - a maid (or a domestic servant) would never be able to afford to make chinese food at home. No 15 year old child would ever make a statement to his classmate: "Your parents are not asserting their dreams on you by asking you to study. For you are their dream." The entire movie is full of such cliched dialogue, set-ups and characters that made me feel that I was watching Cinderella (or some other fairy tale) when I should have been watching something as grim as The Game of Thrones. Thus, instead of being a hard-hitting realistic take on an important social issue, the movie is sugar coated fluff.
So, yes this is a well-made and sweet movie. It may be even worth your 100 minutes. But in the end, it's a cute teddy bear with little relation to reality. As long as you keep these expectations, thumbs up. Else, two thumbs down.
This is one such 'filmy' movie. It is, as said by a reviewer below, a well-made and sweet movie. However, given the theme that it presents (the importance of education necessary for uplifting people from poverty), the approach taken by the director to mix fantasy with the grim reality (i.e. the hardships faced by poor parents for educating their children), the movie, it's characters and it's dialgoue felt not just out-of-place but shallow. For instance, in the real India - a maid (or a domestic servant) would never be able to afford to make chinese food at home. No 15 year old child would ever make a statement to his classmate: "Your parents are not asserting their dreams on you by asking you to study. For you are their dream." The entire movie is full of such cliched dialogue, set-ups and characters that made me feel that I was watching Cinderella (or some other fairy tale) when I should have been watching something as grim as The Game of Thrones. Thus, instead of being a hard-hitting realistic take on an important social issue, the movie is sugar coated fluff.
So, yes this is a well-made and sweet movie. It may be even worth your 100 minutes. But in the end, it's a cute teddy bear with little relation to reality. As long as you keep these expectations, thumbs up. Else, two thumbs down.