Hindi Medium Reviews by Critics

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Hindi Medium Review by Bollywood Hungama

Rating: ★★★★☆

When HINDI MEDIUM’s promos were released, the film managed to build huge expectations around it because of its strong storyline. The film, in reality, is an extension of what the trailers had shown. The film’s screenplay (Zeenat Lakhani, Saket Chaudhary) has been structured in a way that traces the parents’ trials and tribulations and the impact it has on their relationship as well as on their family. HINDI MEDIUM also successfully delves in various aspects of the Indian education system like the benefits of public school versus private school, the English–Hindi divide, the importance of English and the entire ‘experience’ of the admission process in a school. Though the film may seem to be based on a serious subject, the screenplay is laced with dollops of humor and light scenes. The biggest USP of the movie is its script, which induces an instant liking to it due to the relatability with the subject. What also works in favor of the film is the fact that the film’s makers have not attempted to become preachy at all anywhere in the film as they have kept all the characters as well as the situations as realistic as possible. The film’s dialogues (Amitosh Nagpal) are extremely effective, especially the one liners.

Hindi Medium Review by Madhureeta Mukherjee on The Times Of India

Rating: ★★★★☆

At the core, the film deals with a very relevant subject of how language divides our society. How angrezi-speaking people in India are touted to be ‘premium class,’ while the Hindi-waale¸ however illustrious or wealthy, are low-brow, or plain uncool. Hindi Medium shines in two areas that most of our films often fall short of. As far as the story goes – good writing, and as far as comedy goes – great timing.

Hindi Medium Review by Rohit Vats on Hindustan Times

Rating: ★★★½☆

Irrfan as the lover of soap opera Naagin is subtle and precise. His backstory serves the film in more than one way. It helps Qamar’s character flourish. As an understanding and deeply in love husband, Khan is a treat to watch in Hindi Medium. Qamar is equally effective and funny as a wife who keeps saying ‘stand ho jao’ and ‘lonely and depressed’. Dobriyal is the third solid pillar of Hindi Medium. His painful expressions may haunt you for days

Hindi Medium Review by Rohit Bhatnagar on Deccan Chronicle

Rating: ★★★★★

Saket has definitely arrived in 2017 and should be given his due as a director. This film is a big slap on those who brutally panned him for making ‘Shaadi Ke Side Effects,’ which also was a box office disaster. Way back in 2006, PKSE was a good attempt for his debut and the film was declared a sleeper hit. The plot and screenplay by Zeenat Lakhani and Saket Chaudhary is interesting. Also, the length of the film is 133 minutes which is apt for the film and A. Sreekar Prasad should be rewarded for this. The writers remain successful in telling a story so beautifully that one would want to see more of it. It is a rare occasion where a critic finds it difficult to find a flaw in the movie. How nicely the narrow streets of old Delhi are shot. The only flaw if one could spot is during the climax when a bunch of government school kids perform in English school, there school dress changes to white from blue. But again, when the film is a masterpiece, then such blunders can easily ignored.

Review by Shubhra Gupta on Indian Express

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Saba Qamar’s hyper mom who is happy to be a `chalta-phirta’ brand factory in order to get her well-shod foot in the door, gets some moments, but is made to repeat a few lines over and over again, and gets tiresome. As usual, it’s the marvelous Irrfan who keeps us watching. His is a fine, well-judged performance, which rises above the lines. At one point, we see him cracking up while watching his favourite florid TV serial : in that moment, ‘Hindi Medium’ is glorious, because the actor catches what he’s meant to do, meant to be, gloriously..

Review by Sreeju Sudhakaran on Bollywood Life

Rating: ★★★½☆

Hindi Medium may not be the best in the genre of satire, that honour still lies with the always splendid Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron. But it is a very engaging piece of cinema, that will make us laugh, cry and even question our own role in how things like basic education are getting screwed up in our society. The direction is competent, and the performances from Irrfan, Saba and Deepak are first-rate. But above all, it’s the core message that the movie did right – Good education is not the privilege of the elite few, but the right of everyone.

Review by Mayank Shekhar on Mid-Day India

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Irrfan plays the dad, with the same casual swag that’s become so much a part of his onscreen persona that he could have simply phoned in his performance, and we would’ve been floored nonetheless. Saba Qamar, fine Pakistani import, plays his wife, and she’s stunningly natural (please shut your eyes, if you have issues with Pak artistes; yeah, I’m talking to you, troll). Saket Chaudhary, the film’s director, had earlier made Pyaar Ke Side Effects, and its sequel, Shaadi Ke Side Effects. Somewhere in line with both his films, this one is also about negotiating love, marriage, and kids, in urban India. Except given the seriousness of the subject, he takes the more tried-and-tested Rajkumari Hirani formula of a story that’s part humour, part farce, but keeps you engaged, and nudges you to think. Most of it works. Some of it doesn’t. While being crowd-friendly, the film lapses into simplicities, such as that of seeing only virtue in the poor, while the rich usually comprise pretentious a-holes.

Review by Sreehari Nair on Rediff

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Hindi Medium works because it somehow manages to stretch itself beyond its scrubby elements, easy half-baked jokes, lessons about consumerism and our love for English, into a simple story about a boy who would do anything to see his girl smile. There’s an oasis of sanity there.

Review by Jaidev Hemmady on Movietalkies

Rating: ★★★☆☆

However, on the flip side, the second half gets slightly melodramatic, clichéd and predictable, not to mention simplistic. The director’s indirect hint that ‘all poor people are noble and all rich people are shallow’ is a bit too black and white for our tastes. Also, the songs of the film are quite a3verage and do not offer much. But the film does have its heart in the right place and so it is easy to forgive such flaws. In conclusion, Hindi Medium is a thoroughly enjoyable watch, especially if you enjoy satire.

Review by Kunal Guha on Mumbai Mirror

Rating: ★★★½☆

Irrfan Khan sinks into the skin of Delhi’s nouveau riche who aspire to subscribe to a lifestyle they can afford but can’t blend in with. Even as a bemused parent, who can barely keep up with the training and grooming required to gain admission in schools today, he’s an absolute delight. As his wife, Saba Qamar contributes equally in the empty banter that surrounds the situations the couple collectively endures. Despite his character’s world-weary outlook, Deepak Dobriyal puts his back into a few scenes that contribute to the mood the film hopes to evoke. Amrita Singh channels a fierce and stern school principal and deserves a mention for her brief role.

Review by Manisha Lakhe on Nowrunning

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

By the time the lessons are learnt and the hearts transformed, you as audience is exhausted. The last lesson of how poor kids deserve a good school too is tiresome. Sabah Qamar is beautiful and unlike TV actors who have not really made a mark on the big screen, she actually shines. Irrfan Khan starts out as a fun guy but tends to ham, ham and ham some more. Deepak Dobriyal is as good as ever. Tillotama Shome hammers home the role of a supercilious prep school head and you shudder because such people exist and terrify new parents as they get desperate to get their kids admitted to good schools. This movie could have been great had it not tried to teach the lesson so hard. But Irrfan Khan and Saba Qamar in ‘branded’ clothes and blingy accessories will make you smile.

Review by IANS on Zeenews

Rating: ★★★★½

‘Hindi Medium’ director Saket Chowdhary does not allow proceedings to get preachy screechy or downright hysterical. Most issue-based films can’t help lecturing down on the audience. Saket eases you into the life of a terribly endearing couple — lovable with all their whims excesses and fancies — played by Irrfan Khan and Saba Qamar. Together, Irrfan and Saba make the couple’s journey through the amazing contradiction and anomalies of the schooling system look not only credible and real but also very engaging. The writing is sharp-witted and the verbal exchanges are topped with an extra layer of spice just to drive in the point.

Review by Samrudhi Ghosh on India Today

Rating: ★★★☆☆

If you look at performances, Hindi Medium is a winner. Irrfan, usually seen as a serious actor, shows that there is nothing he cannot do justice to. He effortlessly makes you laugh as the tailor’s-assistant-turned-mega-tycoon trying to fit in with the old money crowd. Saba Qamar is Pakistan’s finest export so far, and excels as the Chandni Chowk girl with social climbing aspirations. Tilottama Shome as the parents-consult-me-in-their-first-trimester admissions consultant and Deepak Dobriyal as the poor laborer with a heart of gold deserve a special mention. 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.

Review by Saibal Chatterjee on NDTVMovies

Rating: ★★½☆☆

The urgent issue that it addresses and the actors that it deploys to highlight it surely deserved a more complex and layered treatment. If Hindi Medium remains watchable all the same, it is only because it is difficult not to marvel at the spark that Irrfan adds to the film. He receives rock-solid support not just from Saba Qamar – far and away the most poised of all the Pakistani actresses who’ve been in Hindi films in recent years – but also the first-rate Deepak Dobriyal and the magnificently measured Tillotama Shome. The combined force of the acting talent on show isn’t enough, however, to rid the film of its qualitative variability.

Review by Vishal Verma on Glamsham

Rating: ★★★½☆

The genius of Irrfan Khan as an actor doesn’t beg for such heroisms in a film like HINDI MEDIUM that is first starred by its theme/concept. As Raj, Irrfan is in complete command and in top form. The actor effortlessly sways as a lovable and obedient husband and it’s a treat to watch him getting into the skin of the character and dissolving completely to the core. Stand out. Brilliant. Saba Qamar is attractive and times her emotion very well. She shares an endearing chemistry with Irrfan and moments between her and Irrfan are fun. Deepak Dobriyal deserves special mention for his role as the caring poor neighbor. Deepak is sheer brilliance and he stands equal with the caliber of Irrfan in those emotional scenes and it’s not a small achievement at all. The talented actor showcases his immense potential in this film and wins hearts. Dishita Sehgal as Pia is cute. Tillotama Shome coming with Irrfan Khan again after the brilliant QISSA: THE TALE OF A LONELY GHOST is a class apart. Outstanding.

Review by Lokesh Dharmani on Masala

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

So between a poorly directed Hindi Medium and Arjun Kapoor’s broken English in Half Girlfriend, you really don’t have much of a choice. I feel you buddy.

Review by Rajeev Masand on News18

Rating: ★★½☆☆

Despite its shortcomings, the film is never unwatchable and benefits enormously from a winning performance by Irrfan Khan who makes his every moment on screen count. From his hilarious wooing of a mother-daughter pair of potential customers at his shop in the film’s first half to his earnest amends on discovering his conscience late into the final act, he has you eating out of his palm. For Irrfan alone, Hindi Medium may be worth a watch.

Hindi Medium Review by Indiaglitz

Rating: ★★★½☆

The film slow down in second half and dilutes the fun element in the film. The finale track is cluttered and unconvincing. The sudden change of heart of Saba in the finale along with Irrfan’s decision failed to connect with the flow of the film. Also, the movie tends to become repetitive and a bit preachy towards the finale. The second half of the film demanded many more such scenes along with an ending which could touch your heart. Out here the efforts seem like half-hearted.

Review by Jeet on Wogma

Rating: ★★★☆☆

In the department of performances, Irrfan Khan is effortless although it seems he has been typecast–you have seen him in similar acts before. But I guess, very few actors possess the prowess to look the part as well as remain distanced enough to convey satire. That quality makes him a perfect choice for this role. Saba Qamar’s lisp takes some getting used to, but she soon slides into her character and snap-fits into it. She handles a variety of demanding scenes well, most of which appear in the ‘poverty’ act. Deepak Dobriyal brings authenticity to his part of optimistic lower-middle-class man, Tillotama Shome surprises with her elite act, and Swati Das deserves a bouquet of roses for her short but noticeable performance. Amrita Singh is a superb choice for her cameo but oddly the writers have made her look more feeble than powerful.

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