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Cast: Kay Kay Menon, Archana Puran Singh, Naveen Kasturia, Deven Bhojani, Abhimanyu Singh, Prasanna Bisht
Creator: Biswapati Sarkar & Sameer Saxena
Director: Himank Gaur
Streaming On: Prime Video
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 7 episodes of 35 minutes each
‘Abhi padhne do, exam mein fail honge, tab inke paas jaayenge inka manobal badhaane. Ghayal kutte ki patti karoge to wo hamesha wafadaar rahega,’ says Deven Bhojani’s character Goldy, an MLA in a fictional town Tinki Toli. The dialogue looks very relevant amidst today’s political unrest created by students demanding their Right To Education! Adarsh Baal Vidyalaya is a satire on the Indian Education system that comments on the hardships of educational rights for the unprivileged class of society!
When TVF decides to step inside an educational institution, we usually expect the gold standard of storytelling. I mean, look at their history – right from Kota Factory to Aspirants or the recently released biographical drama on Alakh Pandey – Hello Bachchon! All these shows tried to point out the flaws in the education system and bring stories that make sense! ABV is a leaf from the same branch!
The creators Biswapati Sarkar and Sameer Saxena keep the blueprint untouched – struggling students, crumbling infrastructure, absurd bureaucracy, and moral dilemmas of the teachers. All of this comes together to tell the story of a semi-funded, under-resourced school in North India.
Adarsh Baal Vidyalaya Review: What’s It About:
At the center of Adarsh Baal Vidyalaya is Principal Janardan Shastri (Kay Kay Menon), who is a suspicious man! In this seven-episode series, you will keep doubting his intentions, and he will keep coming clean! This old-school disciplinarian tries to hold the school together despite shrinking budgets and absurd rules. Fighting him is the sharp-witted Urmila Ji, played by Archana Puran Singh. She is the representative of the trustee Goldy Ji, the main antagonist of the series!
Adarsh Baal Vidyalaya suffers from various issues in the education system, and a group of teachers is aligned to resolve these issues. This group includes Naveen Kasturua, the counselor, Mukul Sir, Abhimanyu Singh, the strict teacher, and Hansraj Meena, who believes that students need a beating or two to be disciplined. There is Prasanna Bisht, the exact opposite of Meena Sir, and the students’ favorite Kanchan Ma’am, who believes that students should not be tamed but embraced! Ajitesh Gupta’s Shiney Sir and Annapurna Sinha’s Sharma Ma’am complete the staff room!
Together, this group tries to prepare the students for the upcoming board exams, as it has a hidden reward for the Principal as well – a foreign trip! Are the teachers able to prepare the board batch with extra classes? How do they get the financial support? Does the batch excel in the exams? Did the foreign trip finally happen? All of this forms the storyline of this seven-episode web series directed by Himank Gaur.
Adarsh Baal Vidyalaya Review: What Works:
TVF follows a satirical look at how the Indian education system treats schools and students. It also highlights the underpaid salary structure of the teachers, who have to double up as a part-time Mehndi artist in rich Gurgaon gatherings to fund the foreign education of their daughters! The issues it picks up are genuine – pressure from the local MLA to portray his story as a hero. There is a very sly but subtle dig at Baal Narendra, with Tinki Toli’s hero, MLA Goldy’s comic books, to be served as an additional course book! The digs get sharper and more relevant!
There are moments that genuinely touch you! For instance, looking for a role model and then presenting the story of a North Eastern Man who owns a Chinese Restaurant in the area! Not a huge achievement, but huge for him! He wants his son to be a doctor, but the son wants to be a Chef! The counselor makes sure that he helps the child! The teacher’s group of Adarsh Baal Vidyalaya has my heart. They try to move mountains, making sure that these kids are prepared for exams and life, both!
Adarsh Baal Vidyalaya Review: Star Performance:
Adarsh Baal Vidyalaya still works due to a great ensemble! Kay Kay Menon, as the head of the institution, with his suspiciously sly act, wins big time! He brings a grounded, dignified sadness mixed with dry wit that holds the entire show together. He plays a tired man watching the values he spent a lifetime building crumble amidst politics and personal angst!
Another absolute delight is Archana Puran Singh. Away from her television laughter-judge avatar, she steps into a meatier, subtle, dramatic role and delivers with remarkable brilliance. Can we please offer her stuff that makes such sense rather than make her sit in a show and constantly laugh for no reason! The dynamic between her management representative and Kay Kay’s pleading for funds in every episode makes for some of the best-written scenes of ABV!
The ensemble comprising Prasanna Bisht, Naveen Kasturia, Abhimanyu Singh, Annapurna Sinha, and Ajtesh rules with their presence. None of them has a character that ends up being a filler. All of them hold the screenplay very tightly! The kids Kabir Sajjid, Akshara Padwal, and Aswanath Kumar are equally good! The final act by Deven Bhojani is impressive as he flaunts his range as an actor! And witnessing him break the great image of Gattu Bhai and Dushyant is so satisfactory and wondrous!
