Pareeksha: The Final Test (Movie Review)

Movies should generally be thought of as a recreational tool that uplift your mood. It feels wonderfully relaxing to sit back and be transported to another world for a couple of hours. But there're some terrific movies that carry a thoughtful message for some sort of social reform. One such movie is 'Pareeksha: The Final Test' that I was eagerly waiting for after watching its teaser trailer a few days ago.

Now that I've watched the movie being streamed on ZEE5 with my family, I thought of sharing my opinion on how I liked/disliked it- 

Image Source: ZEE5.com
 

Cast:
The film boasts of a stellar cast, Adil Hussain as rickshaw-puller Buchi, Priyanka Bose as Buchi's wife Radhika, Shubham Jha as their genius son Bulbul and Sanjay Suri as generous SP Kailash Anand.
The taut script uses all its characters to depict different kinds of people that make our society.

Storyline:
Pareeksha revolves around the life of a rickshaw puller Buchi, who is determined to get his only son admitted to a private school, assuming English education to be the sole escape from poverty for his family. The crisp melodrama articulates how the mother works overtime in utensils factory and the father resorts to petty thefts in order to meet school’s exorbitant demands. The story also exposes the people who have commercialised education and play with emotions of poor.

My Review:
The film opens with a harmonious setting with soft audio-video in the background giving us a peek into contemporary Jharkhand.
With polished actor Adil Hussain as lead, you might think that other actors will be overshadowed, but I could especially relate to compelling moments of film with Priyanka being an emotionally stronger parent in the family.
Sanjay Suri, as expected, won accolades for convincingly portraying a man in uniform graced with the spirit of a change agent who supports the young learner.

Image Source: ZEE5.com

The movie touches upon various social issues while breaking the stereotypes around education system and the politics involved in this periphery. The well-told storyline worked so well to persuade me that I was literally transported inside it. All thanks to sharp-toothed script from writer/director Prakash Jha that it was almost impossible to dislike the objective stance that the movie delivers. For many, it might be a perfect cinematic salve to soothe their wounds with a range of intense emotions. 

 
With hard hitting facts, the movie rightly showcases how vulnerable the parents can be, especially the ones who don't give up on their dreams and reiterate to themselves- "Mushkilein Kitni bhi ho, hum bhi apne #SapneSachKarenge". I must say this attempt by Prakash Jha will certainly evoke your empathy and sentimentality for the marginalised section of our society.

Overall, this thought provoking movie highlights the universal message that the access to education is not a privilege bestowed by anyone, it is a legal right of everyone.
Do watch Pareeksha and other popular family movies on ZEE5 with your family!