The trailer of the upcoming series 'Shiksha Mandal' was unveiled on Monday. It shows how a section of students has been forced into playing a part in a corrupted education system with no hope of standing up to the authorities.
The MX Player series, which seems inspired by the Vyapam Scam that rocked Madhya Pradesh not long ago, offers a glimpse of what's touted as India's biggest education scam.
The premise highlights exam scams fuelled by politicians in collaboration with educational institutions and how this further leads to mysterious disappearances and deaths of students.
Calling attention to these practices with its dangers, the trailer of 'Shiksha Mandal' promises to showcase the complications and unsolicited operations that have been a part of the fraudulent high-level exams.
Commenting on the occasion of trailer release, actor Gulshan Devaiah said in a statement: "Any scam related to education lands a heavy blow on aspiring candidates struggling hard to clear exams and is enough to break their morale.
"As an actor, I have tried to experiment with my roles, scripts and content I work on. 'Shiksha Mandal' is one such project. I'm glad that it came my way.
"Education is an important sector that is instrumental in empowering our today and shaping our tomorrow; thus, having been a teacher myself, being a part of this story and playing the part of a teacher made perfect sense to me.
"Teaching is the most noble of all professions and I truly believe in that ideal. As a team, we have given our best to make a show that's relevant, resonant and impactful to its viewers."
The series is inspired by true events and reveals corruption, fraud, cheating and criminal conspiracy that affect vulnerable students in India.
Directed by Syed Ahmad Afzal, the series stars Gauahar Khan, Gulshan Devaiah, Pavan Raj Malhotra, Rajendra Sethi and Iram Badar Khan in pivotal roles.
Commenting on the series, Afzal said: "While Shiksha Mandal is a story inspired by true events, we've tried to ensure that the narrative is as gripping as it is realistic.
"It has an added advantage for us that we have talented actors like Gauahar, Gulshan, and Pavan sir, who have shown faith in the script and me! Our association with MX Player is strengthened with this show, and we hope to create such hard-hitting stories together."
Pavan Raj Malhotra, who plays a powerful man in the series said: "I like to take up roles that make an impact on the audience, be it with laughter or a stirring thought.
"With 'Shiksha Mandal', we are deconstructing what goes in the corrupted educational circuit and the impact on the common people involved. And that is the kind of story I would like to be a part of."
All episodes of 'Shiksha Mandal' will be available to stream on OTT platform MX Player from September 15.
