As I have grown in an Indian society, I have witnessed a typical mindset to become an engineer, doctor or lawyer while pursuing education. If you are lucky, you come across a teacher / mentor who guides you what you want to do in life and not follow the herd. Hichki sets the right tone with well-intentioned message. Does it do justice to the script ? Let us find out ...
Hichki tells the story of Naina Mathur (Rani Mukherjee), a school teacher who is suffering from Tourette's syndrome. After getting rejected from multiple schools due to the disorder, she finally lands a job in a school where she takes up the challenge to educate bunch of students, who are considered misfits by the school management.
The subject of Tourette's syndrome in itself is a bold subject and it takes guts to make a film out of it. Though his first film (We Are Family) was disappointing, Siddarth Malhotra turns this unusual subject into an interesting one. He definitely has been inspired from films like Taare Zameen Par, Freedom Writers, Dead Poet's Society and Dangerous Minds where a teacher inspires students to follow their dream. Siddarth Malhotra also successfully conveys the distorted relationship between Naina and her father, who is ashamed of her daughter's disorder. I firmly believe if you are suffering from a weakness, you automatically become strong by heart as if you have to overcome that weakness. Same situation was perfectly shown where Naina keeps smiling and does not give up despite the odds not being in her favor.
While first half does have few moments, second half falls flat and writing takes a backseat. Also, the characters could have been better defined. Music is another disappoint and should have tuneful tracks. Nevertheless, the movie boast off some grand performance. Rani Mukherjee proves that she is here to stay. The "epitome of talent" returns to screen after 4 years and she sparkles the screen with outstanding performance. Watch for her when she tries to control her emotions at the corner of the school. I have been an admirer of Neeraj Kabi's acting and surely I was not disappointed at all. The actor who gave memorable performances in Detective Byomkesh and Talwar, contributes immensely in Hichki.
Overall, Hichki is a good attempt to show that you can achieve success if you are with right people and at right time. Good 3/5