At the core, the film deals with a very relevant subject of how language divides our society. How angrezi-speaking people in India are touted to be ‘premium class,’ while the Hindi-waale¸ however illustrious or wealthy, are low-brow, or plain uncool. Hindi Medium shines in two areas that most of our films often fall short of. As far as the story goes – good writing, and as far as comedy goes – great timing.
Raj (Irrfan) has a flourishing clothes store in Chandni Chowk, where he sells ‘original copies’ of acclaimed designers, while his wife Mithu (Saba) -- her name classily upgrades to Honey -- is struggling to angrezify their lifestyle so that their daughter Pia (Dishita Sehgal) gets enrolled in a high-flying English medium school. They do everything they can -- move out of their ancestral home into a plush neighbourhood, abandon their desi swag for designer wear and switch from bhangra to angrezi beats. Alas, it doesn’t cut it. Plan B. Apply in the gareeb quota, move into a poor settlement with rags and rodents, and take gareebi ki training. Here, the couple meets Shyam Prakash (Deepak Dobriyal), who ironically, teaches them a few lessons – none that need language to comprehend.
( 4 / 5 )