Pareeksha – The Final Test is a 2019 Indian Hindi-language drama film directed by Prakash Jha. The film stars Adil Hussain, Priyanka Bose, Sanjay Suri, Shourya Deep and Shubham Jha in the lead roles. The film takes on the education system in India and revolves around the story of an ordinary rickshaw driver in Ranchi, Jharkhand, who aspires and dreams of providing a maximum possible quality education to his son by making arrangements for him to study at a private English medium school.[1][2]

Pareeksha
Poster
Directed byPrakash Jha
Written byPrakash Jha
Produced byPrakash Jha
Starring
CinematographySachin K. Krishn
Edited bySantosh Mandal
Music byAdvait Nemlekar
Production
company
Prakash Jha Productions
Distributed byZEE5
Release dates
  • November 2019 (2019-11) (IFFI)
  • 6 August 2020 (2020-08-06) (India)
Running time
102 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageHindi

The film is based on the real-life story of IPS officer Abhayanand, who teaches and coaches kids in a village in Bihar affected by the Naxal to help them pass in the IIT-JEE exams.[3][4] Initially intended for theatrical release, the film was premiered through ZEE5 on 6 August 2020.[5][6][7][8]

Cast edit

Release edit

The film was premiered at the 50th International Film Festival of India in the Indian Panorama section in 2019.[9] In June 2020, the film was scheduled for its premiere screening at the London Indian Film Festival but was postponed due to technical issues.[10]

It was supposed to have its theatrical release but was called off due to the COVID-19 pandemic in India. In June 2020, Zee5 digital platform announced that the film was released on 6 August 2020 via the platform.[11] This also marked Prakash Jha's maiden collaboration with a digital OTT platform.[12]

Reception edit

British filmmaker Peter Webber praised the storyline of the film stating that the film resembles something similar to the evergreen 1948 Italian film Bicycle Thieves.[13] Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV rated the film 3.5 out of 5 stars stating that the film was well intentioned and praised the clinical performance of Adil Hussain.[14]

References edit

  1. ^ India Today Web Desk New (25 April 2019). "Prakash Jha ready to take on Indian education system with Pareeksha - Movies News". India Today. Archived from the original on 14 July 2020. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  2. ^ "Prakash Jha's next film, Pareeksha, based on case studies". mid-day. 25 April 2019. Archived from the original on 14 July 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  3. ^ "Prakash Jha's next film Pareeksha is an inspiration from real life story - Times of India". The Times of India. 19 November 2019. Archived from the original on 16 March 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  4. ^ Correspondent, Our. "Prakash Jha takes inspiration from former Bihar DGP for Pareeksha". Cinestaan. Archived from the original on 14 July 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  5. ^ "Prakash Jha's Pareeksha — The Final Test, starring Adil Hussain, to premiere on ZEE5 on 6 August". Firstpost. 12 July 2020. Archived from the original on 13 July 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  6. ^ "Pareeksha - The Final Test Movie Review: A predictable take on the plight of have-nots in our society", The Times of India, archived from the original on 22 August 2020, retrieved 22 August 2020
  7. ^ "Pareeksha movie review: Adil Hussain, Shubham excel in a telling comment on India's class divide, education". Hindustan Times. 6 August 2020. Archived from the original on 22 August 2020. Retrieved 22 August 2020.
  8. ^ Rosario, Kennith (7 August 2020). "'Pareeksha' movie review: Classism in Indian education". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 18 August 2020. Retrieved 22 August 2020.
  9. ^ "Prakash Jha's Pareeksha -The Final Test to premiere on ZEE5 on August 6". Cinema Express. Archived from the original on 14 July 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  10. ^ Tanna, Amrita (27 June 2020). "'Pareeksha' premiere at London Indian Film Festival postponed". BizAsia | Media, Entertainment, Showbiz, Brit, Events and Music. Archived from the original on 18 July 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  11. ^ "Prakash Jha's Film Pareeksha, Starring Adil Hussain And Sanjay Suri, To Release On OTT Platform". NDTV.com. Archived from the original on 14 July 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  12. ^ "ZEE5 collaborates with filmmaker Prakash Jha for his first OTT release". Zee News. 25 June 2020. Archived from the original on 18 July 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  13. ^ "British director Peter Webber heaps praise on Prakash Jha's Pareeksha". The Indian Express. 1 July 2020. Archived from the original on 14 July 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  14. ^ Chatterjee, Saibal (7 August 2020). "Pareeksha Movie Review: Prakash Jha's Film Passes The Test With Flying Colours". NDTV.com. Archived from the original on 16 August 2020. Retrieved 26 January 2021.

External links edit