Review: “Nil Bettay Sannata”

Review on movie “Nil Bettay Sannata” (Zero divided by zero = zero).
William Pervez

There are very few movies that grab you and don't let go till the end. The Indian movie “Nil Bettay Sannata” is one of them. A beautiful story, excellent screenplay and direction, helmed by Ashwini Iyer Tiwari, who is basically from advertising world. This was the first attempt of his directorial skills, after which he directed about six films, including the famous film, Bareilly Ki Barfi, Panga, Unkahi Kaniyan, etc.
Those who have read the novel 'Mother' of Maxim Gorky, should also watch this film about what a mother could do for her children. The lead role in the film is that of a mother who has a fifteen-year-old daughter, and her dream is that her daughter does not become a domestic worker (Kamwali Mai) like her. The subtle idea of the film is in one of its dialogues, in which the mistress of other tells her that there are two things in life; one is good luck and the other is hard work. Chanda replies that how poor could have the good fortune, so Mistress says in reply that the rest is hard work. So, hard work is the only choice left for the poor.
The film addresses the mental fallacy of the lower class, under which they think that no matter how hard they work, they have to do the work of the lower grade. A part of our Christian community also believes in the same fallacy that no matter how much a child is educated, he will get a job as a sanitary worker. The film, challenging this fallacy, shows a hope for the lower class that hard work and dedication can change a lot.
A strong aspect of the film is that every human being must have a dream for his life, and anything you dream is possible to become true. There is a dialogue in the film that the poor is the one who has no dream. That is, you must see a dream for your future, make it the goal of life, and then turned it possible through hard working. 
The film is written by four writers Niraj Singh, Pranjal Chaudhry, Nitish Tiwari, including the director himself. The screenplay of the film is so strong that you get connected to the film. The scenes are so lively, emotional and heartfelt that they touch your heart. The acting of mother and daughter in the film is worth watching. Internationally, this film is highly acclaimed and received 8.2 rating on IMDb and earned 4.7 audience rating. This film was released worldwide with title of "The New Classmate" in 2015.
The story of the film, Apeksha "Appu" Shivlal Sahay (Shukla) is a bad-hearted student who manages to reach matriculation despite her disinterest in further studies. She struggles in maths with her friends Sweety (Neha Prajapati) and Pinto (Prashant Tiwari). His single mother Chanda (Swara Bhaskar), a high school dropout, works four different menial jobs, including working as a maid for Dr. Dewan (Supriya Pathak).
Chanda is worried about her daughter's lax attitude towards her education. She wants her daughter to study as much as possible and reach the Public Service Commission Civil Service Exam. But his daughter is a victim of this intellectual fallacy that no matter how much a poor man's daughter studies, she has to become a maid. She is a little better in other subjects, but she repeatedly fails in Math’s, which she is not particularly worried about, but Chanda. She approaches a coaching center for daughter's math, but it is too expensive to afford. Eventually, she enrolls in her daughter's school and starts learning Math’s so that she can teach her daughter by herself. With great difficulty, she gets admission in her daughter's school and attends her daughter's class every day. She learns math from an intelligent student of same class and gradually becomes the best student of math.
This is a film about the struggle behind making a mother's dream come true. It is related to see what kind of difficulties and emotional moments he has to go through to turn his dream into reality. Eventually, the mother's dream comes true and her daughter not only goes to college, but also starts preparing for the Public Service Commission Civil Service Exam.
A few years later, Appu attends her Union Public Service Commission Civil Service Exam interview and clears her exams successfully. When asked what motivated her to apply for the IAS, she replies that it was her mother, who now teaches mathematics to students for free. Appu also says that She also passed the exam because she didn't want to be a MAID.
Sharing the link of the movie, those who are interested, must watch!
Nil Battey Sannata - BiliBili