Review :Nil Batte Sannata

Nil Batte Sannata ( it means good for nothing )  is the story of girl & women empowerment .It is the story of Beti Bacchao , Beti Padhao.....Save the Girl child, Educate her .

Chanda  is a maid in Agra..She has huge  expectations from   her daughter aptly named , Apeksha  (  meaning expectations ) .Chanda  works from dawn to dusk at many places to make ends meet .She is the maid  at a Doctor's home.She also does packing at a shoe factory & so on. The doting mom  gives pocket money everyday  to her ever complaining  daughter, nicknamed Appu  She is only worried about her Appu,  a happy go lucky girl.That Appu  has no aims in life, is what ails  Chanda . Chanda  has a lot of plans,  though it hits her every now & then, that her status betrays her thoughts about even sending Appu to college.And Appu is clueless in Mathematics ,a pet peeve of majority of  students.

Chanda's  empathetic employer arranges her  admission into Appu's school .The principal says, that is most unusual & agrees, that it is possible, because the Government's  intention is  Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao ,age no bar ! And  all hell breaks loose at home. Appu is furious. She doesn't want her mom in school.And for the sake of  peace, mom promises daughter that she  will leave school provided Appu scores well in Maths. And  Appu starts studying in right earnest. Exam results  show that Appu has indeed fared much better. Has Appu really transformed  ? Is Chanda  happy with Appu's new score ? Does Chanda leave school as promised because she lost the bet ? What happens next ? Why does Chanda  go to meet the collector, whom she met by accident, literally ? Who gets empowered, the mom , the daughter or both ? This & other things, form the rest of the movie ! 

Swara Bhaskar as mom & Riya Shukla as the teenage rebel breathe life into the roles of the mom daughter duo.Swara Bhaskar has won the best actress award in China for for her fine acting in this film  The film depicts  bitter sweet relationships that is  so representative of mother daughter duos   across all sections in  society.  The accusations by Appu  break Chanda   & yet, she emerges stronger.  The Principal by Pankaj Tripathi is played with fun & frolic. Ratna Pathak Shah is  the generous employer to the maid & is easily identifiable as such people are reminders that ,some people are more humane .Same  goes for the collector, played by Sanjay Suri .Appu's classmates are characterised aptly..They remind us of  many of our classmates .Kudos to young director Ashwini Iyer Tiwari for getting the best out of the actors.

The movie depicts ,  study of Maths too simplistically .And towards the second t half, it gets some what preachy. These flaws notwithstanding , the movie is full of hope & trust.It also proves that hard work pays dividends & how ! And we all have a duty / ies to dream big ! Only when we dream big, can we ever hope, of working towards achieving them ! 

The song "......Aur Ganit Mein Dabba gul "  from the movie has been riding charts across the nation.   

Delhi Chief Minister has tweeted to declare that Nil Batte Sannata is a great movie & tax free in Delhi  This shows  that Kejriwal is gung ho about PM Modi's Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao campaign . Here's wishing that  BJP ruled states follow suit, to   support the PM's initiative in this  regard. The movie is picturised aesthetically showcasing ( never mind that it is just a glimpse )  the Taj Mahal, the Yamuna & the streets of Agra offering creamy  lassi in kuladds ( clay glasses )  & the like.Uttar Pradesh gets  promoted vide the movie .So , it needs to do its bit, for the movie by promoting it .After all, self promotion is good marketing .