Sometimes reality is more surreal than fiction; sometimes misery has more hope than happiness; sometimes poverty has more ambition than success. Only sometimes dreams come alive and one such dream is Vikas Bahl’s Super 30 starring Hrithik Roshan, Pankaj Tripathi, Mrunal Thakur, Virendra Saxena and Amit Sadh. Based on the real life story of Anand Kumar. This is a story written in impecunious soil of a town in Bihar that has now inked its existence at global echelon. It all started a decade back when Anand Kumar brilliantly played by Hrithik Roshan, a Mathematician, dreamt of bringing students from underprivileged society closer to their aspirations. Even the most optimistic people would have shunned the thought but Anand Kumar kept his belief that success does not differentiate between rich or poor. The talent just needs to be shown the right path and success will eventually follow. So inclined was Anand Kumar towards Mathematics that in early 90s he initiated a Mathematics Society named ‘Ramanujam School of Mathematics’. During the course of time he realised that several commendable and exceptionally brilliant students failed at IIT JEE. The reasons for their failure could be attributed to poverty and lack of devotion which stood in the way of these students. We know that IIT JEE is the most stringent competitive exam in India mandatory for entry to world renowned Indian Institute of Technology. It requires years of preparation and dedication to crack this exam. Anand Kumar realised that though these students from impoverished families had the talent but they lacked devotion to clear IIT JEE. This thought led him to form a group of 30 students from socially backward families and structured his first batch of Super 30 in 2002. These students were provided exemplary training essential to crack JEE along with lodging facilities for the whole year. Their hard work and perseverance bore fruit when eighteen out of the thirty students cracked IIT JEE. Super 30 achieved what it aimed at and so did the students. And also the film. It bridged the gap between English and Hindi. Now the whole country knew about this special batch that Anand Kumar ran from a modest town. Vikas Bahl tells such a good story that it is hard to resist. Super 30 captures many aspects of the Anand Kumar’s story from the man of humble origins struggling to gain acceptance for his brilliant mind and fighting all odds. Mathematics play a key role in the story but in a way that is entirely accessible, allowing the viewer to comprehend the advances that Anand Kumar made for his students for teaching. Hrithik Roshan delivers his life’s best performance, Pankaj Tripathi is as usual mind-blowing and the other characters are very nicely written and performed. How you respond to this man’s moving story may depend on whether you find Hrithik Roshan’s performance so overwhelmingly winning that you buy the idea that poverty is a function of bad luck, and success the result of heroic toil and dreams. The cinematography and music are perfectly paced and the movie is beautifully crafted. The multiplexes are full of films that promise little more than a forgettable good time. “Super 30” is just as entertaining, but far more substantial. It is a Must Watch and goes in my list for the Oscars this year!
Ratings: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5 Stars)
Dr. Nitya Prakash for Bombay Weekly

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