Hichki Movie Review: Rani Mukerji Delivers a Hiccup-Free, Class Act in This Heartwarming, Inspiring Tale

For some very strange reasons, Rani Mukerji only arrives on the big screen once in four years as if she is the Bollywood equivalent of February 29. Which is kinda not fair for her fans, who just can't seem enough of this wonderful actress. So there after playing the no-nonsense cop in 2014 film Mardaani, Rani Mukerji arrives with another author-backed role in Hichki, that is produced by Yash Raj Films. Hichki is helmed by Siddharth P Malhotra, who previously directed Rani's cousin Kajol along with Kareena Kapoor Khan in We Are Family. Here's our review of the heartwarming Hichki,

Though she suffers from Tourette's Syndrome that makes her have these unpleasant vocal tics, Naina Mathur (Rani Mukerji) never allowed it to come in the way of her teaching ambitions. After facing rejections from 18 schools and sitting at home for five years, Naina finally gets the chance to be a teacher in the school she completed her schooling in - St Noker's. However, the class she is appointed to teach, Class F, is a division other teachers don't even want to touch. Having just 14 students, they are from the slums and looked with derision by the rest of the school, especially by senior teacher and trustee Wadia (Neeraj Kabi).  At first, the class is quite hostile to their new teacher and finds ways to mock her speech defect and play pranks on her. But soon enough, Naina wins them over slowly and shows the rest of the school that there are no bad students, just bad teachers.

Now we can't talk about Hichki without discussing the main reason why the movie is in news - Rani Mukerji. So let's start talking about her first. In what could be her finest performance in years, Rani Mukerji delivers a class act that will win you over right from the first scene where she educates a panel of board members about her condition. Her hiccups never feel artificial, and it's strength of her performance that her grunts that looked amusing in the initial scenes, feels so part of her body language that the audience accept her tics without even cracking a smile. There is a scene in the movie where she smoothly transitions from anxiety to anguish to being cheery all in the matter of a few minutes. That's bravo! Consider this a request from an ardent fans, Ms Mukerji, but please don't wait for another four years to do your next.

Talking about the movie, Hichki is inspired by the life of Brad Cohen, a teacher who suffered from Tourette's Syndrome. His inspiring life was made into a 2008 movie called Front of the Class, that was based on the book written by him. Now I have neither seen this movie nor read the book, but from what I have read about it online, both focuses on Cohen's life, with teaching being a part of it. Hichki is not like that. While it does touch upon the personal life of Naina and shows flashes of her childhood, most of the focus is on her interactions with the class she is teaching and the hurdles she faces from Mr Wadia. Which works in the favour of the movie, and also doesn't!

Let's talk about what works. Now who doesn't love the tale of underdogs winning against all odds and emerging a victor in the climax. Why do we love movies like Chak De India (another YRF product)? Precisely for this reason. In Hichki, both the teacher and the students are seen as underdogs and looked upon as failures and hence, you will be coaxed to cheer for them when they change the tide. Right from Naina's disastrous but memorable first class, you have these moments that will warm your hearts. Later, when a girl from the Class F rectifies the science project of the scholarly Class A, you would want to whistle and cheer on. As a teacher, Naina is someone that you wish you had when you were student who brings the fun into the learning.

The final scene that gives a really meaningful conclusion to a supporting character's till-then two-dimensional character is wonderful.

It also helps that Malhotra and the casting director Shanoo Sharma have selected the right talent as the kids of Class F, led by the wonderful Harsh Mayar of I am Kalam fame. These kids, along with Rani, are the reasons why you root for Hichki's Class F!

But Hichki is not without hiccups! Though the movie is based on the 2008 movie, the basic concept of a teacher arriving and changing a bunch of rowdy students for the good is a concept we have seen in umpteen movies. The movie that Hichki's premise most reminded me of, was the 2011 Malayalam movie, Manikyakallu, where a teacher (Prithviraj Sukumaran) arrives out of nowhere and inspire an entire tenth division of no-gooders and losers to turn victors.  There is also the obvious comparison with Aamir Khan's directorial debut Taare Zameen Par. And that's where flaws began to emerge.

Hichki might have little touching moments, but it lacks a strong scene that keeps it memorable forever. Like, the one in TZP where Aamir educates an father on how little gestures of love can help in encouraging their kids. Predictability is the movie's Achilles Heel, something we can deduce from the trailer. Save for that little twist in the final scene, the rest of the movie plays in quite a predictable pattern with no surprises and shocks. We do wish that Malhotra bring in a derivative way of storytelling, instead of sticking to the feel-good format. It would have helped Hichki stand apart from the rest of the movies that bore similar premise.

And because the movie has its heart set in Class F, Naina's personal life and her family are pushed too much into the backseat. This feels unfair because her family consists of the lovable duo Sachin-Supriya Pilgaonkar who play her separated parents, while the talented Hussain Dalal plays her brother. I also didn't the way how the movie uses its South Mumbai glasses to view the lives of the slum-dwellers, leaving the kids with very sketchy backgrounds.

All said and done, Hichki is still endearing and makes for a breezy watch. There are no unwarranted songs and there is less lag in the proceedings. Some of the dialogues (Anckur Chaudhry) are wonderfully written, especially the one where a character tells it's the students who have the more difficult job of learning than the teachers who can get away with bad teaching.

Yay!

- An excellent Rani Mukerji

- Heartwarming, inspiring tale, especially how it deals with Tourette's Syndrome

- The kids are fine

- An engaging pace

- A feel-good climax

Nay!

- Predictability

- Inevitable comparisons to movies with similar premise

- Secondary characters aren't explored much

- An tried-n-tired approach in story-telling

- Very sketchy take on the kids' slum background

Final Thoughts

Hichki is a warm tale with a premise that will inspire the underdog in you, as well as having some insightful dialogues on how we see learning as a process. The kids are wonderful, and Rani Mukerji delivers a fine performance, not making a mockery out of Tourette's Syndrome. Despite the several 'Hichki's' in the narrative, Rani's comeback movie makes for an breezy weekend watch!

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 23, 2018 01:26 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).