Review of Aarakshan (2011) by Ajayesh S — 15 Aug 2011

This movie is full of garbage, and the film-maker actually buys his own bullshit. It is a highly biased look at Reservation and the mandal issue without actually passing judgment or voicing an opinion on it.

The crux of the issue for many is simple and this is a personal opinion and not open to debate - "Do two wrongs make a right, and that's exactly what reservation appears to be - creating a wrong to make a historical wrong right, when nobody from the past exists".

Also another logical issue - Should a person just clearing exams through his career be practicing medicine (on anyone) or should such a person be performing maintenance on aircraft (of any kind). The way to tackle inequalities (and make no mistake, there are many in this country, is to give free and equal education to all, and then let competition/merit thrive, irrespective of origin) is spoken of by the main protagonist, Amitabh in one of the scenes but in trying to pacify the masses, Prakash Jha let that thread die.

Rseservation (in all its forms) is just a political tool used by politicians (without merit) to protect their constituency (and will remain so). In a warped way, this has actually helped so-called upper castes, by feeding them on a steady diet of uber-competition and creating a breed of over-achievers who have to get ahead and stay ahead in life to get what they want.