You are here:

Hindi Medium

Name: Hindi Medium
Director: Saket Chaudhary
Released: 2017
Duration: 132 min

Representation Score

4.2/10

Fair

2017

Director

Saket Chaudhary

Runtime

132 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

New Showbiz Analysis

Hindi Medium serves as a biting critique of post-colonial linguistic hierarchies and systemic gatekeeping. By focusing on the struggle to enter elite schools, the film highlights how English proficiency can act as a tool for class stratification rather than true meritocracy. The film's strength lies in its subversion of social norms. It presents the protagonists' use of deception not as a moral failing, but as a legitimate tool to navigate a biased and superficial system. While the film excels at deconstructing class-based exclusion, it remains limited by its narrow focus on a traditional nuclear family and a lack of diverse identity representation.

Watch this, not that →

Category Breakdown

Does Hindi Medium have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The film does not include any LGBTQ+ characters or narratives. The story revolves around a nuclear family unit focused on achieving social mobility.

How does Hindi Medium portray gender?

Good

Raj and Tai work together as an equal partnership, sharing control to navigate social upheaval. The mother is a proactive participant rather than a submissive figure, although the conflict centers on traditional parental roles.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Hindi Medium?

Fair

The narrative uses language differences as a stand-in for class-based exclusion. It critiques the English-speaking elite as an exclusionary group, though it does not blend multiple ethnicities or cultures.

How does Hindi Medium represent religion and culture?

Excellent

The film sharply criticizes capitalist-driven educational institutions. It portrays the protagonists' deception as a necessary rebellion against a corrupt social order that prioritizes wealth over merit.

Does Hindi Medium include disability representation?

Minimal

There is no significant depiction of visible or invisible disabilities within the character arcs or narrative overview.

Present on Screen

Provides a sophisticated critique of how linguistic capital and English proficiency drive class stratification in India.
Shows a modern, equal marriage where both parents share control and strategic decision-making.
Effectively deconstructs the English-speaking elite as an exclusionary, caste-like social group.

Limited or Absent

Lacks any representation of LGBTQ+ identities or non-straight relationships.
Does not feature characters with visible or invisible disabilities.
The narrative focus remains strictly within a traditional family structure, limiting broader social diversity.

Official Synopsis

Mita and Raj Batra, an affluent couple from Delhi’s Chandni Chowk, are grappling with getting their daughter admission into an English medium school. But there is one big problem. Their zubaan is Hindi, and the elitist snobs won’t let the Hindi speaking hoi-polloi fit in.

How are these scores produced? →