Shahid Kapoor may seems young to play a teacher but director Milind Ukey says people will get to see a rare and sensitive side of the actor in the upcoming film ‘Paathshaala’, which deals with the Indian education system.
Shahid’s role is different from the quintessential hero of his previous films. The 27-year-old actor is playing a music teacher in the movie.
“Shahid is a very intelligent and versatile actor. In ’Paathshaala’ we will see a rare, very sensitive side of the actor. He is going to surprise everyone. He is very believable as a teacher,” Ukey said in an interview.
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The director is also confident that since the movie deals with a very important issue, Shahid’s presence will help it reach out to a wider audience.
“The film has a very important message and taking a new face would have limited its appeal. But Shahid’s presence will ensure that the movie reaches out to a wider audience. He fell in love with the script and immediately said yes,” Ukey said.
The film also stars Nana Patekar, Ayesha Takia, Sushant Singh and child actors Swini Khara, Dwij Yadav, Master Ali Haji, Avika Gor.
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“Nana and Shahid represent two points of views in the movie. Nana is very ambitious and he is ready to go to any extent to make his school the best,” said Ukey.
Presented by Eros International & Produced by choreographer-director Ahmad Khan’s Paperdoll Entertainment, ’Paathshaala’ will hit theatres on April 16.
The director, however, is not happy with the film being compared to Aamir Khan’s directorial debut ‘Taare Zameen Par’, which tells a story of a dyslexic student.
“We conceived the idea of ‘Paathshaala’ even before `TZP’ The impression is wrong. Aamir’s film dealt with a single child’s problem but my film is about the entire education system and how it is affecting children at large. It is dealing with larger issues,” he said.
Ukey spent some two years to research the subject before meeting Ahmed Khan. The director has also collected a number of news clippings, which will feature in the movie.
“Today’s school are like five star hotels. It is no longer about education but commerce has become very important.
We need a different approach to the whole education system. We need to bring a change and my film is just a small step in that direction,” he added.
An FTII product, Ukey has previous worked with Sanjay Leela Bhansali as an Associate director for ‘Khamoshi’ and ’Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam’. He debuted as a director with multiple award-winning Marathi film ‘Devaki’. He has also directed animation film ‘Hanuman’.