‘Rough Book’ is an off beat recipe with commercial ingredients but will surely make you recall films like ‘Paathshaala’, ‘Faltu’ and ‘Aarakshan’.

Even as you lose your heart to Rough Book’s intention, you can’t buy the amateurish story. The dialogues are dated, the story is predictable (despite a momentary surprise towards the end) and the climax is sloppily done. The performances are charming (be it Amaan Khan, Joy Sengupta, Kaizaad Kotwal or Suhasini Mulay) but the film is forgettable.

A physics teacher shows up to teach ‘section D’ at a posh junior college and helps them ‘clear their fundas’. Beautifully shot, the writing makes for a frustrating viewing. It makes a weak and very obvious point about the education system but fails in delivering the message.

Watch the movie if you miss your school days and want to see a feel good school life story. But this time, besides the school life, be ready to get a glimpse of what is corroding the education system of the country from within.

This film also challenges Google’s inability in answering all questions of life. The questions put forth to illustrate this point include, “How do you increase the sales of a cooking oil manufacturer?, and “Why did Beyonce apologise to a NASA scientist.” Yes, this was covered in a physics class. To evade legal proceedings from the internet giant, a suitable disclaimer that praises the world’s most popular internet search engine, is tucked into the end credits. This one, is only to caution audiences.

Rough Book maybe a well-intentioned film that tries to talk about education’s descent into business in the country. But it is impossible to take it seriously.

The message is muddled and the pace glacial even at 90 minutes. Most of the acting is strictly functional, with Chatterjee making an unlikely inspirational teacher of the wonders of physics, and the production values are better suited for television than the big screen.

Rough Book fails to be an affecting and timely film. Its lack of relevance lies in its first-bencher, textbook interpretation of India’s most legal epidemic.