All India Rank Movie Review It Breaks All Conventions with A Narrative Never Seen Before

In his breakthrough directorial debut, All India Rank, writer, and lyricist Varun Grover takes you back in time to the years following India’s economic freedom to present an engaging and dreamy slice-of-life, coming-of-age story of a hesitant IIT aspirant.

With its quiet, strongly anti-formulaic, and scattered methods, All India Rank differentiates itself from the web series Kota Factory and Aspirants, as well as the film 12th Fail. It avoids typical techniques and avoids a simple climax by distributing creative animated interludes.

All India Rank chooses to keep the protagonist’s fate up to the audience to decide whether or not he qualifies for the examination while following the young boy’s annual journey as he studies (against his advice) for the upcoming IIT-JEE test.

Plot

Vivek (Bodhisattva Sharma) is in a class of hopefuls when he hears something. However, we do not know for definite whether he believes it. At the beginning of the film, he is taken out of Lucknow to Kota so he can prepare for the IIT entrance exams. He’s an arrogant, awkward 17-year-old with a Walkman and an insulated thermos. “I have no aspirations,” he confesses an innocent teenager’s confession, unimaginable — then and currently — in aspiring middle India.

We follow over to his parents, who are saving money so that their child can study comfortably. His father, a low-level government employee, discusses the benefits of the best engineering degree: work, respect, and convenient living. There is a fourth benefit that he is unwilling to immediately point out: social standing.

The story is just as it is about a child wrestling with the complicated calculations of life and education, added to by his fiercely passionate father – his mom is not only more accepting, but she is well-prepared to let the boy choose his direction in life.

All India Rank is a nostalgic depiction of an exciting decade in which India changed quicker than it ever had since independence.

Vivek comes across as genuine but lost, as children his age should be. He gets comfortable with two of his roommates and falls for clever, dedicated Sarika (Samta Sudiksha).

In one scene, the entire group rides down to a riverbank to shoot the wind. Grover sets the setting with the sounds of nature and the group’s minor questions about themselves.

The turn of the century is still a long way off. Vivek isn’t the type of guy who likes speaking for himself. His racing emotions pull his focus away from the challenge at hand, and a couple of dismissive coaching center employees introduce him to attractions he had previously avoided. However, his father’s severe words do not leave him free.

 

All India Rank refuses to employ the framework of ceremonies of transition films to depict Vivek’s quest for discovery. It breaks loose from the traditional genre tone.

Instead of aligning with the audience’s expectations, it provides an immersive understanding of the influence the so-called “success” industry might have upon the minds of young people.

Performances

 

Bodhisattva Sharma excels in his performance of the character Vivek. He has understood his assignment incredibly well and delivers accordingly. He beautifully manages to capture the plight of many, a problem still relevant to this day, the cut-throat competition of IIT-JEE.

What stands out especially are the moments when he is too scared to speak or express himself in front of his father, his eyes and body language convey his helplessness and fear.

Samta Sudiksha has also done her job incredibly well with the role of Sarika. Samta Sudiksha portrays the determination and perseverance of Sarika amazingly. She is clever, intelligent, and extremely observant of her surroundings.

 

The parents of Vivek, played by Shashi Bhushan and Geeta Aggarwal have also done a terrific job with their roles. Their roles are completely contrasted in nature which is why they complement each other well, Bhushan portrays the angst of the father while Chadda reverses it with her compassion. Vivek’s mother’s personality is quite distinct from his father’s. She and Sarika are both calming forces for Vivek. However, the complexities of numbers and the unresolved issues of the educational system far exceed the boy’s moments of personal pleasure.

Writing and Direction

Varun Grover, an Indian Institute of Technology (BHU) graduate, created this script about ten years ago; he’s worked before as a lyricist, stand-up comedian, and writer for the contract. In All India Rank, Varun Grover draws on personal substance, but the film also reveals his keen interest in historical study (there is a humorous mention of the fact that the initial IIT campus was originally a British jail).

Educational institutions and academic stress have been well-known in Hindi cinema over the past ten years, particularly in detailed web series such as Kota Factory and Laakhon Mein Ek. As a result, the All India Rank experiences a little tiredness due to repetition. Many of the concepts and perspectives appear to carry over from previous releases.

Varun Grover’s expertise as a writer can be seen in his controlled style, which avoids showy theatrics in favor of a strict and considered narrative. The film neither praises nor mocks the IIT ambition, accomplishing a careful balance that speaks to the middle-class fears shared by many potential candidates.

 

Technical Aspects

The sound design of Vinit D’Souza, paired with songs and background score by Mayukh-Mainak, and Varun Grover’s verses, quietly plays on the establishing indicators of India’s pre-consumerist popular culture and celebrates an essentially relaxed time which was about to shift significantly for the youngster at the core of the film as well as the nation in its entirety as it marked the 50th year of independence.

Prachi Deshpande, the production designer, uses a variety of props and material elements to bring the decade of 1990 to life. You note Gabriela Sabatini posters in the hostel, glasses of Maza, video game stations, PCO booths, and the then-PM H.D. Deve Gowda’s mention on the wall and are immediately taken back to earlier times.

Concluding Thoughts

All India Rank is full of beautifully striking details that set it beyond the sum of all of its parts, turning it into a sensitive, universal tribute to a time of change. One should see it as it can take you somewhere rarely seen in Hindi films: a place where ideas, feelings, and barely expressed issues take priority over storyline and explanation.

 

 

Another of the film’s merits is that it manages to grab attention without controlling its audience. Rather than hammering audiences with a victorious story, All India Rank softly understands the flaws and frustrations that come with chasing the goal of success.

For those looking for a theatrical experience that goes over genre stereotypes, All India Rank provides an exciting story that makes an unforgettable impact. If you have any experience with its subject issue or aren’t, going to the theatre to see Grover’s directing debut is undoubtedly worth it.