202. Hichki; movie review

HICHKI
Cert PG
148 mins
BBFC advice: Contains mild bad language

I really enjoy Indian cinema but it is often a faff to get to see it because either its films are not showing near my home or it is rarely available on demand.
Hoorah then that Siddharth Malhotra's Hichki has appeared on itunes so soon after cinema release.
And within ten short minutes, Mrs W and I were wiping away tears of emotion, prompting hopes that this could have been one of the very best of Bollywood movies.
However, Hichki falls short because resolutions to its central issues are far too easy and, dare I say, cheesy.
Rani Mukerji plays Naina Mathur, a woman whose Tourette's Syndrome manifests itself with loud hiccups and involuntary rubs of her chin.
Therefore, her dream of being a teacher is repeatedly thwarted at the interview stage when her condition becomes obvious.
However, she finally convinces one panel that, despite her affliction, she will be able to control a class at her old school.
She doesn't realise that she has been assigned to a group of students who nobody else will teach because their behaviour is so bad.
This means that, predictably, they try to make her life a misery upon first meeting, even laying bets over whether she will last the first day.
But Naina is made of sterner stuff and is as much a match for them, a naysaying senior teacher (Neeraj Kabi) and her belligerent father (Sachin).
Mukerji is superb as the undaunted teacher who battles adversity with gusto, only occasionally allowing it to prise past her defences.
Meanwhile, her pupils bring empathy and frustration in almost equal measure.
The film is not just about Naina's battles - every child in the class has their own and their journey could have ben more fascinating.
But, while we enjoyed Hichki, we were disappointed that it fell into cliched outcomes which actually made us groan at a couple of points because they defied credibility.

Reasons to watch: Heart-rending performance by Rani Mukerji
Reasons to avoid: Far too cheesy at times

Laughs: None
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 7/10

Director quote - Siddharth Malhotra: " For five years, I was looking for heroes in my mind. At that point I was like, ‘Where did the heroine (angle) come from?’ But I went back and thought about it, looked at the script and finally made the changes. Today we are celebrating the success."

The big question - Would it really be possible to teach an unruly class with Tourette's?

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