Teacher’s Day 2020: Five films that show inspirational student-teacher bonds

Teacher’s Day, celebrated on 5th May, will be a bit different in so many countries this year. With the coronavirus pandemic affecting so many nations and schools, it gives so many of us the time to reflect on the important roles teachers play in each of our lives. This is not just when we are children but also during workplace settings, within families and also in everyday life. Teachers aren’t only defined by specific qualificatons.

BizAsiaLive.com looks at five movies where children and teacher relationships proved to be inspirational.

‘Taare Zameen Par’ (2007)
This Aamir Khan and Darsheel Safary starrer was one film which opened so many eyes. Safary played a dyslexic child, Ishaan, whose strengths weren’t in normal academic learning and it is Khan’s character as the teacher, Ram, who shows people that he is strong in other areas, such as art. This was definitely a bond which depicted how a teacher can change a child’s life if he or she makes time to understand the other aspects of learning which could work better for them.

‘Hichki’ (2018)
Rani Mukerji as Naina Mathur, a teacher who has Tourettes, took up the role of teaching a class who were known to be unruly. The film is based on the book ‘Front of the Class’, and shows the story of how the teacher brings every one of the children on her side and also believes in their potential. The children also end up giving their best and are happy to have someone who believes in them.

‘Super 30’ (2019)
Inspired by mathematician Anand Kumar’s life, ‘Super 30’, saw Hrithik Roshan step into the role of a teacher. He sought to teach those who otherwise wouldn’t have been able to afford education otherwise. Using the limited resources available to him, he sets out to get 30 children up to scratch to take exams with others in their age groups who are learning in real educational establishments. He teaches not only about maths but also manages to get them thinking in real-life situations about physics and other sciences.

‘Paathshala’ (2010)
This Shahid Kapoor and Nana Patekar starrer was a film which got mixed reviews but it did depict an inspirational relationship between teacher and students. Kapoor played the English teacher who got the other teachers on side to go against what he thought was bad management. Eventually the demonstrations by the students due to the commercialisation of the school causes the management to re-think how they handled things.

‘Chak De India!’ (2007)
Although in a sports setting, ‘Chak De India!’, showed the bond between a coach of the hockey team and the team itself. The story shows the relationship from the beginning, including the shortcomings and differences in understanding and how Shah Rukh Khan as the coach has to flatten egos, and bring the team together to aim towards success. The way he motivates and steers them is inspirational.

BizAsiaLive.com would like to wish all of life’s teachers a very Happy Teacher’s Day.