This one is for Rahul - friend from school - present
Stanley ka dabba is a endearing movie which brings you back to the wonderful days of school. Those little noises in the back benches, weird teachers and their mannerism and a nice teacher (generally English teacher :)) that kids can have crush on, all bring you back to school as the story unfolds in front of you.
I had heard about its comparisons with Taare Zameen Par, since this one is also written by Amol Gupte. Barring the fact that its about the subject of children, there is no similarity between these two movies. Stanley Ka Dabba is more like scenes from a well written play which have a strong message about child labor woven into the film itself and the "dabba" becomes the prime plot for this message.
Stanley (played by Partho) is a lovable schoolboy who's particularly popular with his classmates and is backed by the class teacher (Divya Dutta) who sees the unique qualities that Stanley has. Partho plays the role so well that you tend to believe it his real life story, by making the character look vulnerable and resilient at the same time. But his bright and unique ideas are generally disapproved by other teachers as they stick to the book like most Indian teachers. His lighthouse project or his ability to write beautifully is ignored by teachers and only Divya Dutta encourages him and she is aptly called "Rosy miss" in the movie.
Amol Gupte plays the character of Hindi teacher who hogs food from everyone's tiffin like a glutton. With his reputation preceding him everyone starts avoiding him and when he pulls up stanley for not bringing the "dabba" everyday, Stanley friends make a fool of him everyday by hiding during lunch time. This brings the central moments in the film where Stanley is asked to stay away until he gets a tiffin, and the boy's dignified absence cause a lump in your throat. The rest of the story makes one think how we differentiate people on basis of their resources and follows it up with feeling of silent guilt that people around feel.
There are times when the movie seems stretched and the screenplay lacks a little bit. But the cast more than makes up for it with very honest performances and the fantastic portrayal of characters along with directer Amol Gupte who narrates the movie like a seasoned storyteller.
Watch it for its honesty and endearing characters, it doesn't force a message rather makes you feel one.
Rating: 7/10
Stanley ka dabba is a endearing movie which brings you back to the wonderful days of school. Those little noises in the back benches, weird teachers and their mannerism and a nice teacher (generally English teacher :)) that kids can have crush on, all bring you back to school as the story unfolds in front of you.
I had heard about its comparisons with Taare Zameen Par, since this one is also written by Amol Gupte. Barring the fact that its about the subject of children, there is no similarity between these two movies. Stanley Ka Dabba is more like scenes from a well written play which have a strong message about child labor woven into the film itself and the "dabba" becomes the prime plot for this message.
Stanley (played by Partho) is a lovable schoolboy who's particularly popular with his classmates and is backed by the class teacher (Divya Dutta) who sees the unique qualities that Stanley has. Partho plays the role so well that you tend to believe it his real life story, by making the character look vulnerable and resilient at the same time. But his bright and unique ideas are generally disapproved by other teachers as they stick to the book like most Indian teachers. His lighthouse project or his ability to write beautifully is ignored by teachers and only Divya Dutta encourages him and she is aptly called "Rosy miss" in the movie.
Amol Gupte plays the character of Hindi teacher who hogs food from everyone's tiffin like a glutton. With his reputation preceding him everyone starts avoiding him and when he pulls up stanley for not bringing the "dabba" everyday, Stanley friends make a fool of him everyday by hiding during lunch time. This brings the central moments in the film where Stanley is asked to stay away until he gets a tiffin, and the boy's dignified absence cause a lump in your throat. The rest of the story makes one think how we differentiate people on basis of their resources and follows it up with feeling of silent guilt that people around feel.
There are times when the movie seems stretched and the screenplay lacks a little bit. But the cast more than makes up for it with very honest performances and the fantastic portrayal of characters along with directer Amol Gupte who narrates the movie like a seasoned storyteller.
Watch it for its honesty and endearing characters, it doesn't force a message rather makes you feel one.
Rating: 7/10
Loved the movie. Loved the review. The movie infact refreshed all the memories of the school days -- those teachers, subjects, nice tiffin-boxes (full of surprises & some excellent food, shared with pals), classes, events, forced library sessions, bunking classes as we were 'preparing' for the quizzes (:)), and of course the friends!
ReplyDeleteOh man! I so wanna go back to school again. I think there's nothing better than the school life, atleast for me. Ahh!
Glad you liked the movie.
Rahul
have not yet seen the movie... but now i really want to....!!
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