Super 30

Against all odds, India’s renowned mathematician, Anand Kumar follows his true calling and gives shape to ‘Super 30’ – a coaching class in Patna, designed for 30 deserving, underprivileged students who are aspiring to get admission into coveted institutions like IIT. But will his students make the cut?

Inspired by maths whiz Anand Kumar, who has seen an astounding success rate for IIT admissions year after year with his batch of ‘Super 30’ kids, the film charts his motivating journey as a fictional account. A life dotted with controversies and hardships, Anand (Hrithik Roshan) literally rises from the rubble to mould his dreams. The story doesn’t touch upon the certain controversies surrounding Anand Kumar which have been reported in the media, focusing on his struggles and glory instead.

Son of a postman, a young Anand clinches an admission at the Cambridge University owing to his brilliance in mathematics. But when he has to let go of this opportunity of a lifetime solely because he is unable to afford the fees, life hits him hard and breaks his spirit. But that doesn’t last for too long, since he gets picked by Lallanji (Aditya Srivastava) to become a maths teacher for affluent students at an IIT coaching centre, run by him. But soon, his true calling and passion catches up with him and he realizes that he must use his skills to give lesser privileged, bright students a fair chance at life. Of course, along the way, he faces opposition and obstacles one after another, but never loses sight of what he sets out to do.

'Super 30' drives home the message that education is truly the privilege of those who have the access and economic resources. Unfortunately, for many it remains a distant dream, but if given the same opportunities they have it in them to shine equally bright. There are many moments in the movie that will move you – after starting his Super 30 classes, Anand has to literally scrape through – with often the students barely having anything to eat. But their real hunger is for better education and a better life.

'Super 30' has several heartfelt, inspiring moments that touch a chord. When Anand says at one point, “Aapatti se aavishkar ka janm hota hain”, you do believe him, especially after having seen how driven his batch of students are, leaving behind their impoverished lives and literally daring to dream big.

But in the second half, the film’s lengthy run-time begins to weigh on the narrative. And some of the plot points come across as far-fetched and overly dramatic, with the background score dominating some scenes unnecessarily. The cinematography (Anay Goswami) of the film however stands out and some of the dialogues hit home.

Hrithik Roshan pulls off a solid performance essaying Anand Kumar, capturing his character’s sincerity and determination very well. While his physicality many not be entirely convincing, his performance more than makes up for it. Nandish Singh is earnest and well-cast as Anand’s brother. Mrunal Thakur is effective in her limited screen time. Pankaj Tripathi as the unscrupulous politician is brilliant and Aditya Srivastava matches the villainy of his character to the hilt. Overall, the performances elevate the film.

While the narrative does have its flaws, 'Super 30' is a human drama and the story of a teacher who triumphs over the many challenges that life throws at him, to set an example for the world to see. Just for that it’s worth a watch.