Super 30

The story of Anand Kumar, a mathematician in Patna who coaches poor students for free, selecting thirty a year and preparing them for India's hardest engineering entrance exam. The film turns that into a straightforward battle over class. Hrithik Roshan altered his accent and appearance for the part, an attempt to escape his own star image that became its own talking point. The context around the release was busier than the plot: Roshan distanced himself from director Vikas Bahl over harassment allegations and Bahl's credit was only restored after an internal inquiry, while a group of students went to court claiming Kumar's success figures were inflated. It still cleared two hundred crore worldwide. Who it is for: viewers who like true education stories and narratives of climbing out. Who it is not for: anyone wondering how much of it holds up, since the film never engages the disputes.