Vital Roles of Teachers in Films

Raj Aryan's role in Mohabbatein played by Shah Rukh Khan was one which broke all traditional teaching methods and started a new era for the roles of teachers as a whole. The movie saw SRK play the friendly professor with whom all students could connect to, but primarily was a tribute to the profession of teaching where ideas and ideologies of two generation of teachers clashed. Arranging parties for his students and taking their side against the Principal (Amitabh Bachchan), he taught his students to live life to it's fullest. The unique classroom set out in the open and the encouragement that is rarely ever seen by on-screen teachers proved Raj Aryan to be one of a kind. And we can't deny that the violin-sweater combo became a necessary fashion craze!

This man knew it all when he was assigned to a deaf and blind girl played by Rani Mukherjee in Black. The role of Debraj Sahai played by Amitabh Bachchan was not an easy feat. He was eccentric, an alcoholic and his harsh treatment left us in two minds to accept him or not. It was not until later that it emerges that he was the best thing to happen to the then wild child who bloomed into a sophisticated woman. The most important thing - he was not a teacher, he was a mentor. He was an inspirational character and to see the chemistry between a teacher and a student to such an extent is something that happens only once in a lifetime.

Turning the classroom into a playground and teaching in his unique style was the role Ram Shankar Nikumbh portrayed by Aamir Khan in Taare Zameen Par. Exuding compassion, warmth and sensitivity towards one and all and believing in having fun whilst learning was his motto. Not one to force the same hand of teaching to all his pupils, he quickly recognized the difficulties a particular student was having, who turned out to be dyslexic, played by Darsheel Safary. Such roles have always existed in Bollywood but this movie tore through and made it's own place at umber 1 for a weeks after it's release.

The role of Viru Sahastrabuddhi played by Boman Irani in 3 Idiots was criticized for not being a teacher but a machine who tried to shove the ideology that textbooks and impeccable grades are what makes a person successful. However, his egoistic nature and beliefs are challenged and then changed by a student, Rancho aka Phunsukh Wangdu. Rancho subtly gets his point across that real education goes beyond a classroom and that human emotions are key factor to anyone's success as much as perfect grades are. This results in a change to the education system from rode-learning to actually understanding the content in the books, a feat he manages when setting up his own learning institute. 

What may not be considered an important role by many and are more commoditized rather than portrayed in a sensitive manner, female teachers have a long way to go before they create a lasting impact, However, Chandini Chopra's character from Main Hoon Na stood out not just because of her immaculate dress sense (who wouldn't want their Chemistry teacher to look like her?) but because of the lovely portrayal by Sushmita Sen. She exuded sensuality, had enough brain cells to excel in Chemistry and took interest in her demoralized students, as demonstrated when giving a new and fresh look to Sanjana played by Amrita Rao.

Other roles of teachers from recent times that have stood out in Bollywood movies are: Boman Irani in Munnabhai M.B.B.S, Shahid Kapoor in Paathshala, Saif Ali Khan and Amitabh Bachchan in in Aarakshan, Divya Dutta in Stanley Ka Dabba, Naseeruddin Shah in Iqbal, Rishi Kapoor in Student of the Year amongst many more. We appreciate all!

On this note, BollyCurry bids adieu, but do let us know about your favourite teachers role and why you think it's outstanding.