‘Physics Wallah’: Cast & Crew
Director: Abhishek Dhandharia
Cast: Shreedhar Dubey, Radha Bhatt, Anurag Thakur, Masood Akhtar, Anjuman Saxena, Anurag Arora
Available On: Amazon MiniTV
Duration: 6 episodes, around 50 minutes each
‘Physics Wallah’: Story
A young, bright and visionary teacher's inspirational journey to creating a new-age, advanced and highly affordable, parallel education system while fighting the monopolistic, corporate giants and overcoming several internal battles. Will he be able to fight the system? Will he be able to fulfil his vision of providing affordable education to all? Will he be able to earn enough money to stay afloat and profitable? Or will he perish in the pursuit? Well, for all that you’ll have to watch the show, which is based on the real-life story of Alakh Pandey, who is more popular by the name ‘Physics Wallah’.
‘Physics Wallah’: Performances
Shreedhar Dubey is the whole and soul of ‘Physics Wallah’. He carries the entire story on his shoulders, and he has done exceptionally well. While in the very first episode you’re left questioning why he has been picked for playing the character, considering he looked much older than what a college student would look like. But in the later episodes, when he starts playing the character of a young teacher at a coaching institute, he does fit the bill perfectly. Later on, with the bearded look, he simply hits the ball out of the park. He has got the aggression, the pent-up emotions, the nuances of the colloquial language, and the depth of the dysfunctional family really well in his performance. It looks real and very believable.
Among the other cast members, only Anurag Thakur as his friend makes an impact. His one-liners and his jokes are kickass. The way he manages to be funny yet inspirational and at times borderline annoying is perfect.
‘Physics Wallah’: Script, Direction & Technical Aspects
Abhishek Dhandharia’s direction is good. However, he has to rely a lot on Shreedhar Dubey’s performance to bring to life the essence of the central character. There is not too much that Dhandharia has offered to ensure that the character stands out from the crowd, but the way he has made sure that Shreedhar Dubey’s performance stands relatable yet grabs your attention, that’s fantastic. Also, he has managed to get little nuances into the screenplay of how things happen in smaller towns. When the characters are in Kanpur or when they’re in Allahabad or anywhere else, you can very distinctly notice the difference in the colloquial feel in every scene.
The writing by Abhishek Dhandharia and Sameer Mishra is one point that stands out as a sore thumb. The story is from real life so everyone knows what’s going to happen. It’s a biopic, so invariable it ends up becoming inspirational. However, the writing could have made sure that there is a certain amount of unpredictability to the show. Sadly, that’s entirely missing. Because of this, you’re not compelled to watch the entire show in one sitting. It's very predictable, and therefore you might not binge-watch the entire series in one go.
The cinematography by Manikandan Ramamoorthy makes this story so personal and relatable. The way he has shot the lanes and bylanes of small towns in Uttar Pradesh, he makes sure that the local feel and flavour are intact in every shot. To add to that, despite having a lot of indoor scenes, there is not a single point where the scene is too dark to comprehend. It’s very well-lit throughout.
The editing by Sruthy Sukumaran and Chaitanya Devarakonda is another thing that could have been improved. Rather than having 6 episodes of 50 minutes each, it could have been cut to smaller 30-minute episodes and probably could have been extended to around 8 episodes. That way the entire presentation would have been a lot tauter.
The music by Goyell Saab is hardly impactful. There is a romantic song in the initial episodes, which is utterly forgettable and seems more like something that’s been forcefully crunched into.
‘Physics Wallah’: Can Kids Watch It?
Yes
Outlook’s Verdict
‘Physics Wallah’ would definitely remind you of Hrithik Roshan’s ‘Super 30’. Both the stories of underdog characters trying to fight against the system of Indian education have numerous similarities. Similarly, both are equally relatable and enjoyable. ‘Physics Wallah’s biggest selling point is the superb presentation of the lead character Alakh Pandey by Shreedhar Dubey. His performance wins you over. His genuineness towards the characters charms your heart. Overall, it’s a decent One Time Watch. I am going with 3.5 stars.
