All India Rank (2023) Movie Script
"i..."
the imaginary number.
The square root of minus one.
A number that was once
considered impossible.
Later it was found
that not only was it possible,
but it was also the most
basic concept in the universe.
In 1997, I realized the difference
between possible
and impossible in my life.
Pi.
The ratio of every circle's
circumference and diameter.
There's a pi hidden in every circle.
Like magic.
Another magical number, "e."
Euler's number.
Anything that grows
at a natural rate,
like bacteria, is
dictated by "e."
And by joining these two irrational
numbers with an imaginary one,
we arrive at the most beautiful
equation in mathematics.
As I left home,
my eyes were full of tears,
and my mind was full of Euler's Identity.
GOMTI BARRAGE
Avadh Express from
Baroni to Bandra Terminus...
Are your shoes stuffed with glue?
Walk faster.
We're headed to Surat, and you?
We're going to Bundela Madam's coaching.
Really?
Many of her students made it to
the Indian Institute of Technology
this year, right?
Damned kids from everywhere
want to be in her coaching.
You need to sit for an exam
to get into the coaching classes.
She works with only the crme de la crme.
These days,
everyone wants a piece of the IIT dream!
It's the panacea smoothie for success!
Job.
Dignity.
Luxury.
A student from IIT...
looks civilized,
even in boxers and slippers.
Sir...
Sir, please.
- Just a couple of drags.
- The boy is watching.
Oh, sorry.
Papa secretly craved cigarettes.
But he also believed
that smoking is the clear sign
of a life spinning out of control.
He would hide cigarettes,
even from himself.
And to ration his lust,
he'd smoke only on the national holidays.
That is three times a year.
"Control" was always
a hot topic in our home.
Mom was obsessed with sweets.
- Go away!
- She hogged so much
that it spiked her cholesterol.
Now, I was the last hope
to wrest the control back.
And to achieve that,
I was being sent away from home.
Give it to me.
Where to?
Science City, near the canteen.
- Thirty rupees.
- I didn't ask for the fare to hell.
I'll give you twenty.
Okay, 25 rupees, come!
Vicky's room?
- Who is he?
- I don't know.
Vicky?
Singh uncle.
Your dad must have called you.
Damn, chewing gum.
Close the door.
We'll freshen up and leave.
Write the exam sincerely.
Don't flunk on purpose in the hopes
that I'll take you back to Lucknow.
This city is the Haridwar of coaching.
I'll find a temple that will take you.
I could have enrolled
in Lucknow University.
University is the shadow of a black mamba.
It is filled with bullies.
Kids with character go to IIT.
Go on.
Hello.
Yes, my boy.
How's your health?
I'm back at the phone booth.
Did you clear the coaching admission?
Yes, Mom, I got in.
I knew it.
You are the best.
Did you meet Vicky?
Yes. We left the luggage in his room.
It's a trash can.
He has turned the room into a landfill.
I'm not surprised.
Their house here stinks like a gutter.
Where is your dad?
He's here.
We will finalize a room
in a couple of days.
Then he'll come back home.
Take a toffee instead of change.
This is worth less than the change.
Are the rooms expensive?
Yes.
Thousand rupees a month.
Papa says I should live alone
and not in a shared accommodation.
Son, don't worry.
We will manage.
Your dad is using his savings.
Mom.
Yes, my boy?
Mom, I don't want to stay here.
Son, I know.
But how to convince your father?
It sucks here.
Everything feels sad and empty.
Even the house feels empty without you.
Mom, I will study well in Lucknow.
I promise you.
Vivek.
This place is yucktastic!
Vivek, you'll get used to it.
Okay, four minutes are almost done.
Do you want to continue?
No.
Eat the laddus I gave you, okay?
I'll make them last through the year.
But you don't eat sweets.
The doctor has warned you.
I won't. I won't. Okay?
We used to live in jungles once
Now we eat gourmet food
We walked the steppes once
- And now send dogs into space
- How long is the guarantee for?
It's good quality plastic. Unbreakable.
There must be some promise of durability.
One year? Two years?
Sir, I told you. It's good quality.
It won't break
even if you slam it on the ground.
It won't break even if I slam it?
Yes.
What is this?
Are you insane?
I'll take it.
We fought many wars
And killed many brave ones
For one theory of Newton's
We ignored many poets
This world...
This world might be
"What the Duck" in motion
But I'll kill to belong here
Dancing till my last breath
I'll kill to belong here
That's my right!
That's my right!
Keep the books upright.
Don't worry about your mom.
She'll be fine.
If you want The Shawshank Redemption,
you'll have to crawl through the gutter.
That's the only way.
- When faced with enemies
- Understood?
We'll use dy/dx on them
We'll lock them up
In the logic gates of computing
We're on a bloody quest for knowledge
No reason will work with us
Call us nerdy or geeky
Just don't call us mediocre!
Speed is incredible and brakes are missing
We have no idea
How to stop
How do you feel? Are you fine?
Our country is the best.
This was the 50th year
of India's Independence.
But my freedom was being snatched away.
In the 90s, they liberalized the markets
and screwed the joy of us Gen-Xers.
Life was stress-free
for my father's generation.
Get born in a village.
Go to study in the nearest town.
And get a job in the nearest city.
But now, it is a world
of satellite TV dreams.
Dreams only IIT could fulfill.
On the lines of MIT in America,
the first Indian Institute
of Technology came up in 1956
at a British Era Detention Camp
near Kharagpur.
A jail turned into a college campus!
By the 1990s, the IIT dream boomed,
and coaching classes popped up
where a million
students enrolled,
competing for the
2500 seats of IIT.
Like the World Wars saw
teenagers getting enlisted,
we were getting enlisted
in this war of our own.
But be it a soldier or a student,
the brain was still
of a 17-year-old hormonal kid,
floating in the river of fantasies,
wanting to smash
into the walls of ecstasy.
I'm Rinku and he's Chandan.
Are you guys new here?
Are we new?
Guess our good skin hides our actual age.
We've been prepping for IIfor three years now.
Would you have an extra candle?
Yes, sure. But show us your room first.
This one, right?
Yes.
Room number 14. Excellent.
Investigation...
This is an investigation
Did you bring anything to eat from home?
What rank are you aiming for?
- I haven't thought about it.
- You must have.
No.
Did you get any cookies?
Oh, laddus!
Give them back, please!
- I have only 52.
- I'll give it back.
First, tell me this,
what All India Rank
are you hoping to get?
I haven't thought about it.
You have not?
Okay, pick up the guitar.
You promised to give me a candle
but took away my laddus.
Mom gave them for the entire year.
Careful!
It's very expensive.
I asked my father for money for books
and bought the guitar with that money.
I mean, you must have some dream.
No. I have no dreams.
This is my papa's dream.
Why do fathers inject their
own dreams into their kids' eyes?
Come to our room.
Do one thing.
Look behind the box.
I kept it there yesterday.
Yes.
Here. Found it.
Have fun.
See.
Thanks to your laddus and the candle,
you got to see this beautiful room.
We've got everything,
from salivation to salvation.
What do you want?
My laddus.
Are you a "good kid"?
How about some beer?
What?
We were just like you
when we first came here.
Hey! Listen!
ENTER FOR THE SAKE OF KNOWLEDGE
That row is reserved for girls.
Excited?
Yes.
- Good morning, ma'am.
- Good morning. Good morning.
Sit, sit down.
Thank you.
Did everyone have breakfast?
Yes, ma'am.
What did you eat?
- Upma.
- Poha.
Poha... And?
Didn't anybody eat paratha with butter?
No? Okay.
Remember this moment.
Because I'll ask you again in a month.
You'll be so immersed in studies
that half of you
will have skipped your breakfast,
and the other half
will not remember what they ate.
Pay attention, sir.
Come on.
- Let's begin.
- Papa says, "My son
Will be rich and famous one day!"
But who knows really
Where my destiny lies
Papa says, "My son
Will be rich and famous one day!"
Nice words, right?
Everybody knows this song?
Yes, ma'am!
What's the connection
between this song and this book?
Can somebody tell me?
Give it a try.
At least, take a guess.
Anybody?
Yes. Speak up.
Ma'am, it's from the movie
Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak.
In the climax, the hero stabs himself.
Had he read this physics book,
he would've known that
to stab oneself,
the knife's initial velocity,
as well as acceleration,
should be very high.
It's beyond human limits.
It's not possible, ma'am.
It's not. That's very funny.
But it's the wrong answer.
Sit down. Anybody else?
Nobody?
The director of Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak
is Mansoor Khan.
A graduate of IIT Bombay!
The writer of the best book of physics
"Concepts Of Physics,"
is H.C. Verma sir.
A doctorate from IIT Kanpur.
Moral of the story?
Once you get into an IIT,
whichever field you choose,
success will...
Kiss your feet!
See how he blushed
at the mention of a kiss!
GUPTA CANTEEN
My greetings to all new students.
Consider this canteen your home.
Homemade bread. Homemade lentil soup.
Fresh veggies.
The lentil soup has as much water as
the atmosphere has nitrogen.
As much salt as oxygen.
And lentils, only as much as argon.
Homemade lentil soup, my ass!
Lectures, university politics,
everything has started.
But tell me,
have you made any friends?
Who will make friends with me?
Even you're my friend by accident.
Listen! Before anyone finds out
how boring you are,
trap some naive kids!
Are you contesting the university polls?
Totally planning to.
It would've been great
if you were here as well.
I know, man.
But Papa wants me to be an IITian.
Then become one. It's not a sin.
Your papa will also say you didn't
fart for a century,
but when you did,
it launched a spaceship!
I really don't know.
Everybody around me is so excited
that I feel like a moth in
a classroom full of butterflies.
I'm very confused. Maybe--
Once you settle down,
things will feel much easier.
Let me finish.
We are eating peanuts instead of cookies...
so we can pay for your coaching classes.
So don't tell me this
moth-butterfly bullshit story.
Give it to me.
- Bye.
- Hello--
It would make me furious.
Why must IIT be the only choice?
The 1990s was the time when it took
five years to get a telephone connection.
Four months for a cooking cylinder.
Eight hours to pay the electricity bill.
It took eight hours to pay the government!
Papa believed that admission into IIwould make our middle-class
anxieties vanish.
Papa got this coaching idea from Monu.
And Monu got this idea from a slap.
He lived in a violent house.
If the slippers were lying upside down,
his father would slap him.
If water spilled on the fan's motor,
his father would slap him.
If the bathroom bulb was left
switched on, his father would slap him.
But then, one day, Monu had had enough.
He slapped Raghu uncle back.
He did it all right,
but a sense of shame
overtook him soon enough.
He decided he couldn't live here anymore.
The coaching class far away
became the perfect reason to leave.
KOTA JUNCTION
But I didn't have
any reason for coming here.
Reason?
My reason is love.
Do you have a girlfriend?
Yes.
Absolutely.
Nice. What's her name?
Nandita.
She's preparing to be a doctor
back home in Lucknow.
Have you guys kissed?
Yes.
On the cheeks.
You dumbo!
And on the forehead?
On the cheeks!
Your turn.
Do you have one?
Girlfriend.
Of course.
Ishaan, call for you.
That's her calling.
Vivek!
You were lying!
You don't have a girlfriend.
Kota didn't always have coaching classes.
There was only the
Chambal River and factories.
Then, the factories started shutting shop,
and people left the city.
But some folks stayed back.
Because they didn't
care for the outside world.
Bundela Madam started
tuitions with just five kids.
Five turned into fifty,
and fifty into five hundred.
Natural rate of growth, "e."
Then came a time
when she would take classes
throughout the day.
Ultimately, she had so many students that
she had to rent an old college
to start her own coaching classes.
"Madam Bundela IIT Coaching."
Despite all her hard work,
she'd regularly get thickheads
who'd doze off mid-lecture.
Good morning.
What did you dream of?
- Yes, ma'am?
- Okay, tell me.
In which movie does
Dev Anand steal energy?
In which movie does
Dev Anand steal "energy"?
The "Joule" Thief.
Go back to sleep now.
Rafiq Shadani wrote
a poem that fits R.K. Singh.
A bumbling idiot, a naive hop
Goes to a helmet shop
"Show me the cheapest helmet"
A head prop
DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS
The shopkeeper shows
The cheapest costing two dollars
"Show me something cheaper"
Our chunky man hollers
The shopkeeper irritated
Gives him a cent and a wink
"Get your head shaved with the cent
And paint it black with the ink!"
Look, he's here.
He has sent his son to Kota,
imitating Raghu's strategy.
Father dies in darkness,
son lives in a power station.
Oh, God...
Mr. Singh.
You'll have to come on Sunday.
The telephone lines are dug up.
How can the testing happen without you?
Sir, why is it always me?
- Tell me something.
- Yes?
You're running a phone booth
with three connections.
Hasn't the government
done enough favors for you?
Ask Raghu to come.
I have already worked extra shifts.
Raghu is a big shot now.
His son has cracked the IIT, got that?
Offer the sweets to my boss.
Come.
- Touch his feet.
- Bless you.
Now, share it with Singh uncle.
Go ahead.
- Here, Uncle.
- Congratulations, son.
Thank you, Uncle.
How is Vivek doing at the coaching?
Good. Very good.
He's topping the class.
I was hoping to come home on my birthday.
On your birthday... sure!
Why are you calling him home
right before his first mock IIT?
Your papa is already pissed
but come home for two days if you can.
How is your health?
- The sugar level has gone up a bit--
- Give me the phone!
Your papa wants to talk.
How are your studies going?
Fine.
"Fine" won't do.
I've told everybody in the office
you'll be a topper.
I want your photo in the newspapers.
I'm studying to my limits.
You can't just stop at your limits.
You have to study to the human limits.
Got it?
You want to add something?
I miss you, my boy.
HUMAN LIMITS
Come on, not again!
Everyone, step out!
Rinku, get the guitar.
Come on!
Vivek! Ishaan! Step out, guys!
Books have all the rosy things
Books have all the cozy things
Nights are never dark in books
Books have all the rosy things
Everyone's just, no one's sly in the books
Come on!
Everyone's just, no one's sly in the books
And the fish, they fly in the books
Fair and lovely
All crisp new pages
With birds free from cages
All candy-colored souls
With good fitness goals
All crisp new pages
With birds free from cages
All candy-colored souls
With good fitness goals
Crispy pages
Birds and cages
Candy souls
Fitness goals
Everyone's good in Algebra
Books have all the rosy things
Do you really attend
the 6:00 a.m. class?
Yes.
Princess Diana is dead.
How?
Somebody might've got her bumped off.
She was beautiful, after all.
The world's a harsh place
for beautiful people.
Ride carefully.
You are also beautiful.
This world...
Is a drunkard returning home
This world...
It's a forest full of sheep
A forest with a small well
The sheep are wired to jump into the well
The well is wired to drown them
The sheep are wired to jump into the well
The well is wired to drown them
"Women love their 'dash' unconditionally."
Two rupees.
What happened?
- Is everything okay?
- Yes.
What's your name?
Shawn.
What do you do?
- What?
- What do you do?
- Competition.
- Is that so?
My Vivek is doing that as well.
Okay.
I don't have change.
- No problem, you can pay next time.
- Fine.
"Women love their
'children' unconditionally."
It's a bit complicated.
Look, here goes...
"Fifty Years of Independence."
"Independence" is a big word.
It won't fit.
Shall we write "Aazaadi"?
Aazaadi.
Won't it become an Urdu word?
Our freedom army was
called "Aazaad Hind Fauj."
And then the national flag?
Of course.
- You won't mess it up, right?
- Yes.
- I'm leaving.
- Hold on. Hold on.
Take some pudding.
- Here.
- You know I don't like pudding.
You didn't let Vivek come home.
Now, I shouldn't make
his favorite pudding either.
Happy birthday to Vivek.
Same to you, Papa-ji.
Here.
Happy birthday.
You must have all seen
stars in the night sky.
They appear to be sparkling
because their light is reaching us.
But why don't we see
the path of their light?
Has anybody thought about it?
Yes?
Varun, wake up.
- Ma'am.
- Yes.
Ma'am, for us to see
the light of the stars,
it's important to have
a scattering medium.
There is a vacuum in space,
so we cannot see the path of light.
Can you prove it?
Ma'am, I'll have to come there.
Yes, come.
Whoever is sleeping, wake up.
There's light here,
but the path is invisible.
Now, we can see the path
because the dust has
created a scattering medium.
Your name?
Ma'am, Sarika Kumari.
What's your favorite subject?
Physics.
I can see that.
Well done!
- Thank you.
- Well done.
- One orange juice, please.
- It'll take five minutes.
Stop, stop.
- We're taking your cycle.
- No, why?
Just for a bit.
You can take our moped to the hostel.
I don't know how to ride it.
Wait here then.
We'll buy you a juice.
- We'll be back.
- I have to go study.
You sit, we'll be back.
Ride faster.
You made the bet, not me.
Oh, come on!
You lost the race again!
Pineapple juice, please.
And one orange juice.
Dear Lord, you're still here.
You cycled really fast.
I'm Vivek.
I'm Sarika.
I know.
You're in class A3.
- Are you in A3 as well?
- Yes.
Have this.
You worked really hard to defeat us.
Want the juice?
I just had it.
"His way of talking was very seductive."
Hi, babe.
Can you hear me?
How do I sound?
I don't know who I am.
Just tell me,
can I...
Can I kiss you?
"My eyes were glued to his face--"
- Hello.
- Hello.
Yes. I'm calling
from the ration card office.
- Yes?
- Is there any lady at home?
- Yes.
- Give the phone to her.
There's someone
from the ration card office.
-Hello?
- Hey, sexy lady.
Excuse me?
What are you doing?
Who is this?
Why do you want to know my name?
But I want to have sex with you.
What nonsense! Give me your name!
Okay, take my name.
- Shawn Michaels. Fine?
- What?
Are you out of your mind?
Listen.
Something happened today.
Are you asking me or telling me?
This radio show...
I'm telling you.
A boy comes to the phone booth
and talks dirty on the phone.
He dials random numbers.
Did he misbehave
with you as well?
No way.
But...
when I stopped him, he said,
"Stay out of it.
Take the money and zip your mouth."
Let it go.
We can't go to war with every pervert.
What was he talking about?
He says this word a lot.
This word and its synonyms.
We, the citizens of India
We are born equals
Caste, color, creed, and language
Might be different
We, the citizens of India
We are born equals
And here comes the grand cake
of 50 years of Independence.
Our engineer R.K. Singh
has personally got the cake made.
Our beautiful national flag.
With saffron at the top, denoting power,
white, a symbol of peace, in the middle,
and green at the bottom,
denoting prosperity.
The most beautiful flag in the world.
Our tricolor.
We bow down to that flag.
Union Telecom Minister,
Mr. Kewat Prasad will cut the cake.
Sir...
the flag is printed upside down.
R.K. Singh.
Come onto the stage.
You're needed here.
Mr. R.K. Singh, you cannot hide.
Immediately report to the stage.
He can't get away with this blunder.
Respected Papa.
Dear Papa.
"Respected Papa,
I hate it here."
The first mock IIT was around the corner.
And I had no plans.
Except for making
new timetables every day.
There is no choice
No choice
So much to say
But no voice
There is no choice
No choice
So much to say
But no voice
There is no choice
No choice
So much to say
But no voice
Classrooms make all the kings
Playgrounds are ugly things
Proverbs like these, mah boy
- Are fermented into cheap liquor
- Want a drink?
The brain is a walnut
But you eat almonds
And that's why you walk
Around like a confused nut
- Good morning, sir.
- Yes. Good morning.
- Your cycle has fallen down!
- Sorry, sir. I'm getting late.
Repeat after me
There is no choice
No choice
So much to say
But no voice
There is no choice
No choice
There is so much to say
But no voice
The future is helluva dark
The future is helluva dark
You stumble and you bend
Alarm clock is your only friend
Rest is the only enemy
Common in every loser
The giant career-killer
So, tell me, sir!
What do you wanna be when you grow up?
That's the only question
All books try to answer
You pick this one or that
You burn this one or that
The chorus remains
There is no choice
No choice
So much to say
But no voice
There is no choice
No choice
So much to say
But no voice
There is no choice
No choice
So much to say
But no voice
There is no choice
No choice
So much to say
But no voice
So this is your first mock IIT.
Focus on your temperament.
Mind full of ice, and a heart full of...
Fire!
Go on.
I felt odd in a classroom like this,
where every kid was a topper.
I was the only topper in my school.
Every year, it was the same old stage,
same old crowd,
same old mic,
same old pencil box.
It became boring.
Except for one time.
In the tenth grade, something weird
happened on the day of the result.
A paratrooper accidentally
landed in our school.
The parachute was so huge
it could have engulfed the entire school.
The IIT dream was
as massive as that parachute.
It was engulfing us all.
Rank 5026.
Batch downgraded from A3 to B2.
How did you manage such a low rank?
I don't know.
Aren't you studying?
I don't know.
Or were you sick?
I don't know.
Stop repeating
"I don't know" all the time.
I am not asking you for
the secrets of the Bermuda Triangle.
You're facing an inquiry in the office,
the phone booth is closing,
and you're venting at your son.
Let me speak.
What about the phone booth?
Son, the cake was upside down,
and our life got upturned.
Look, Vivek...
Son, look,
only you can make it better now.
Work harder for the next round.
Neither did Papa understand my condition,
nor did I understand his.
HUMAN LIMITS
Chasing human capability,
I was losing my humanity.
Everything seemed like
it was falling apart...
and half of this damned year
was still remaining.
You haven't seen me yet,
that's why you're acting pricey.
If you see me, you'll go nuts...
- Who--
- What are you doing here?
You were told to stop
this vulgar display, right?
You were told, right?
What's your name?
Shawn... Shawn Michael.
Shawn Michael, right?
What's your real name?
- Mohit.
- Mohit.
This boy here,
calls random women from the phone booth
and talks dirty to them.
Whispers the word "sex!"
Sex?
HONC.
Hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, carbon.
Hydrogen makes one bond.
Oxygen makes two bonds.
Nitrogen makes three bonds.
- And carbon makes...?
- Four bonds.
Bravo. All of you are in top form today.
If you can learn this much,
then 70 percent organic chemistry
will be in your pocket.
- Understood?
- Yes, sir.
- Shall we proceed?
- Yes, sir.
Okay.
Come on.
Look, Vivek's joining us!
Pedal faster.
Come on.
See you guys at the dam.
- Come on.
- I don't know the way.
I know it.
How many are in your family?
Mom, Dad, a younger sister, and me.
And in yours?
Mom, Dad, and just me.
So, you're the only kid!
That sucks.
Why?
Since you're the only kid,
you'll have to fulfill
all your parents' dreams.
But there's a solution.
Only if you want to know.
Sure.
Ask your mom and dad...
to make another baby!
What?
- Were you always this liberated?
- No. Not really.
I was old-fashioned as a kid.
Your friend Rinku...
Well, our friend.
I used to call him "brother" in school.
Now, it seems funny in hindsight.
Funny? Why?
Well, because he's not my brother.
Just a friend.
Just a "friend"?
Yes, why?
No, I assumed...
What did you assume?
Nothing.
People love assuming.
Uncles expect all girls
to behave like sisters.
And boys expect us
to behave like girlfriends.
Like friendships don't exist.
Well, you're right.
So, how many friends
do you have in Lucknow?
I mean girls.
Girls?
Well, there were...
There are some.
Radhika, Shilpa...
Hema, Jaya, Sushma, Nirma...
I came to Kota with high hopes.
When I failed the first time,
I thought it was okay.
Everyone, including me, assumed that...
it takes time to settle down here.
I went to a Hindi-language school,
so Mathematics, Chemistry, Physics...
aren't easy for me in English.
In the second year,
when I couldn't crack it,
I lied to my family and said
I had jaundice.
And in the third year?
In the third year...
no one even cared to ask.
That's the biggest problem.
When a typical student arrives in Kota,
they are sure of cracking the top rank.
The cocky topper from school!
They walk with the swag
of Mohammad Azharuddin,
with an upright shirt collar!
When I came to Kota,
even I thought I would
beat everyone's ass down.
But then I saw the madness
in the eyes of other kids,
and my brain applied the "limit" function.
As Bundela Madam says,
"What is Calculus?"
"Calculus is the language of change."
The language of change.
When I applied this
calculus to my expectations,
my heart groaned,
"Dear God, just don't let me flunk!
Any rank will do."
Anyway, chuck it.
We're always talking bullshit.
Sarika will have some cool stuff.
Have you guys seen the seashells?
They have these beautiful
patterns carved on them.
Do you know how these patterns are made?
Due to the tides in the ocean.
Meaning...
the pattern found on the seashells
in the deepest parts of the ocean,
depends on the distance
between the Earth and the moon.
People have tried to calculate
the moon's distance from the Earth
by measuring these patterns.
Isn't that magical?
So, my hope is...
whether I make it to IIT or not,
I stay connected with Physics
and the world around us.
Vivek, what's your dream?
My dream?
I don't know.
You know,
I never had any friends.
I never went out with friends
and chilled like this.
We are not friends,
we are parasites.
He's pouring his heart out,
and you're pulling his leg.
At least you should shut up
about matters of heart,
mistaking a girl's friendship for love.
You know shit about the heart.
Yes, but love and friendship
are the same thing.
A friendless nerd spouting
wisdom after getting drunk?
You guys are my friends now,
so how can I be friendless?
You are too sentimental, bro.
At least I can feel.
Come here, bring your glass.
Everything is pointless.
Just have fun.
Chuck IIT.
Chuck IIT.
Chuck IIT.
Chuck...
Chuck...
Chuck... Chuck IIT.
Don't count too much.
Pick it up.
Hit.
ENTER FOR THE SAKE OF KNOWLEDGE
DEPART FOR THE SAKE OF SERVICE
Cut all three connections
of this phone booth.
I didn't expect this crowd at 4:00 a.m.
It happens every day.
Vivek.
Vivek.
That's Vicky. That's Chandan.
Everyone knows Chandan and Rinku.
Darn, the lecture notes
on Calculus haven't arrived yet.
- I'll send them soon.
- What?
They should reach me
in three to four days.
What notes?
Chandan wanted notes for Maths.
It was just a one-day thing.
Who cares about studying?
Anyone wants a smoke?
- Do you have one?
- Yes, come.
- See you.
- Come on.
- Shawn?
- Hello, Aunty!
Here you go.
I washed the sugar off it.
It'll calm you down.
What if he had thrown real acid?
I would've died.
Impossible! I wouldn't let it happen.
Are you Shaktimaan?
Maybe I am.
Let's be sure.
Shaktimaan!
Shaktimaan!
Shaktimaan!
What is it now?
Did you ever think that he'd
never be with us again?
From coaching to college,
then a job,
then marriage,
and then his own family.
You sent my son away for good.
That's life, Manju Rani.
This is life...
We all set out of our small towns.
I came from Faizabad, you from Ambala.
We left those places far behind.
Vivek.
This is the train that goes
to Lucknow once a week.
And you come here just to watch it depart?
Whenever I miss home,
I come here to watch the trains.
When this year ends,
you'll miss Kota.
This yucktastic place?
What is "yucktastic"?
Yucktastic...
Jinxed.
Cheap.
Pathetic.
Your Lucknow train is leaving.
Jump on it!
Going to Lucknow wasn't that easy.
But I did go to Sarika's hostel that day.
MARIE CURIE GIRLS HOSTEL
TALWANDI, KOTA
Come in.
It was a whole new world!
Raghu sir!
You said the inquiry
commission members are here.
C'mon, Mr. Singh, don't kill the buzz!
You are my love!
Where is the--
- My heart yearns to meet you!
- Where is the big boss?
This is Mr. Krishnan.
He is here from New Delhi
to investigate the cake scandal.
You take two month's leave.
Leave without pay.
Why?
I mean, why should I take leave?
Who's asking you?
Please go.
What's so difficult to understand here?
Is it a small thing?
I've already been sitting
jobless for three months.
You guys are eating cashews
and telling me to go on a two-month leave.
The decision is made.
Accept it or not.
It really doesn't matter.
When my son aces the IIT exam,
your face will be worth watching.
Your son flunked high school,
that's why your back is on fire.
All the best.
- Shaurya, do well.
- Yes, sir.
- Here you go, 933, great.
- All the best.
- Good morning. Best of luck.
- Thank you, sir.
Vivek, do well.
By the time the second Mock IIT arrived,
everything was in flux.
Chandan was drifting away,
Rinku became distant...
and Sarika got closer.
Your roll number, Vivek?
It's here.
You did better than last time.
Chandan, what's your rank?
Your rank is 2802?
Wow!
You lied about not studying.
Yes, I did.
Rinku...
What's your roll number, Rinku?
I don't want to know the rank.
- What's wrong?
- I said I don't care.
Why are you taking out
Chandan's anger on me?
I am not.
Go and take Vivek to your hostel.
Feed him cookies and gossip
about Rinku being a failure.
Go on.
Why were you studying secretly?
Why didn't you tell Rinku?
Because I prefer Shah Rukh Khan in Darr
over Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa.
Put some more salt.
Enough.
And you used to preach "Chuck IIT."
Then why did you listen to me?
Are you a dumbhead?
We would start at 7:00 a.m.
and walk five kilometers to school.
Have you seen Rinku?
And if we were late, we had to plead...
Reddy, where is Rinku?
Nine, eight,
seven, six,
five, four,
three, two, one!
Wake up, O traveler!
Good morning, Mr. Gupta.
The year has changed,
time to change this sweater!
Wake up, buddy!
Let's go to class, Mr. Vivek.
4500... 4600... 4700...
Our savings are almost over.
Just assume...
Assume Vivek doesn't get in.
And we are forced to send
him to a private college?
Papa was like the gambler
who knew he would lose.
But he'd keep betting more money.
Do you need money for the emergency light?
Or anything else?
I can't help you if you say nothing.
No matter what he'd say,
all I would hear was...
IIT, IIT, IIT...
IIT, IIT, IIT...
IIT, IIT, IIT, IIT...
IIT, IIT, IIT, IIT, IIT...
IIT, IIT, IIT, IIT, IIT, IIT.
Listen.
Has Rinku moved to this hostel?
I don't know.
Chandan wasn't fair.
You can come visit
whenever you feel like it.
Your books.
Has the phone booth reopened?
No, the inquiry is still going on.
It'll take a few months more.
But hopefully, your dad will
get his job back next month.
Hello, Aunty!
What was that?
What happened, Mummy?
Hello?
Mummy, what happened?
Is everything okay?
What happened?
Nothing, just a car crash
out on the street.
Four minutes are almost over,
should we hang up?
No, but...
Okay.
I told you not to.
One kilo of sweets in anxiety!
Have some rice.
Come on.
Your damned rice!
What happened?
What does it look like to you?
You roll in the direction people push you.
Are you a man or marble?
You accepted the boss's verdict.
That boy is ruining my life,
and you cannot think beyond this rice.
The only person you can control is Vivek.
Think about it.
The canteen?
Uncle is here.
RAVI KUMAR
FOR THE POST OF GENERAL SECRETARY
How long for the snacks?
Pintu, hurry up.
So, what are you studying?
Uncle, B.Sc. from the University.
The same, shadow of the black mamba!
- Uncle, the legendary sweet samosa!
- Yeah, okay.
Amazing.
Uncle, but I'm disappointed.
You suffered so much.
You should have asked for help earlier.
Doesn't matter. We'll deal with him.
Well, Ravi, I don't want
any kind of violence.
That's why I didn't come earlier.
Uncle, even we don't like violence.
He must be some stupid boy,
unloved as a kid.
Mohit... ball.
Sorry, Uncle.
Endless sorry!
Please hit me if you like.
Kill me.
Hit me.
Why did you bully us every day?
Sucked the lives out of us.
Shall we take him to the cops?
- Police station...
- Yes.
No, Papa will kill me.
He'll shoot me dead.
Please, not the cops!
Mohit!
We're waiting!
Yes, coming!
Uncle, I'll swallow rat poison.
Please, no police station.
Sorry.
I want to meet your parents.
Uncle, no, not my parents!
I'll never do it again.
Promise.
"Must work very hard for a year."
Did you write this?
No.
It was there before I arrived.
Don't get scared.
I like you.
Didn't we come here to study?
Then study.
I just said what I felt.
No, it's not a dream
Pinch yourself hard or scream
No, it's not a dream
You felt a splash of new sunbeam
And you walked a long walk
Of tears and raindrops
You've smelled the days of love
To feel--
What now?
You were joking, right?
Do you boys grow fungus in your brains?
Sorry.
I like you too.
Uncle, please.
You shouldn't have thrown acid.
How could you stoop so low?
Uncle, it wasn't acid.
It was mineral water.
I am Ravi. Mohit's friend.
Hello, Ravi.
And you?
I'm R.K. Singh.
Divisional Engineer in Telecom,
and I also run a phone booth nearby.
Okay.
Are you an IIT graduate?
Yes.
- Are you from IIT as well?
- I saw these certificates and noticed...
Those degrees are mine,
but not the certificates.
Those are Mohit's.
Even he's studying at IIT.
Those are Mohit's.
Even he's studying at IIT.
So, the last mock IIT exam
is on the 15th of this month.
After that, it's straight
to the actual exam!
So, starting now,
forget about food, water,
family, and friends.
Just focus on your studies.
- Got it?
- Yes, ma'am.
Do you guys remember
the Zen story about the two monks?
No, ma'am.
Did you forget?
Once upon a time,
two Lamas were walking through a jungle.
Suddenly, a wild bear jumped
in front of them.
The bear started chasing them.
Lamas in front,
and the bear not far behind.
Soon, the Lamas ran out of breath.
Dire straits.
One Lama said to the other,
"Listen, brother, this is pointless.
The bear is much faster than us.
We cannot outrun it."
The other Lama replied,
"I am not even aiming to outrun the bear."
I've told you the eighth and ninth ranks.
Are you two happy?
The tenth position in your batch goes to
Sarika Kumari.
And in the sixth position
is Chandan Rai...
- Chandan Rai.
- Chandan, bravo!
The bell is still good.
- Four hundred?
- Yes.
Chandan.
Yeah.
Sarika called you
and Rinku in the evening
to say goodbyes.
Fine, I'll be there.
Have you seen Rinku?
No, I knocked many times,
but he didn't open the door.
Rinku. It's me, Vivek!
Rinku, open the door!
Open the door!
Should I call someone?
I'll push it open.
Rinku...
Hey!
Rinku.
Get up.
Pick him up.
Lift him!
Pick him up.
- Pick him up.
- Be careful.
Lay him down on the bed.
Come.
Keep your eyes open.
Move aside!
Rinku, keep your eyes open.
Keep your eyes open.
- Careful.
- You'll be okay.
Where does my heart fly?
What oceans does it want to soak?
Wait a while
Write to me, okay?
What's the hurry?
Why didn't you tell me you were unwell?
Son, don't worry.
I'm fine now.
The water supply is erratic,
but I've filled two buckets of water.
Freshen up.
The throat's parched
But the water's salty
Food is ready.
You cooked it?
Yes.
It won't be amazing,
but won't be too bad either.
Did you forget, this tap's knob is below.
Wait a while
What's the hurry?
Mom was sick.
Dad was unemployed.
And I was entangled in my own doubts.
After learning and forgetting everything
I gained only this much
The heart listens only to its own beats
Wait a while
Foam would remind me of Rinku.
Mom would remind me of sadness.
Papa would remind me of failure.
HUMAN LIMITS
But books would remind me of Sarika.
The ice in the fridge would
remind me of Bundela Madam.
Mind full of ice,
and the heart full of fire.
It's one o'clock. Get some sleep.
You have to wake up at six in the morning.
Vivek.
IIT is not some magic potion.
Life is so vast.
It has many colors.
Happiness, sorrow, friends...
all of these are bigger than IIT.
You...
Don't worry.
That's all I had to say.
Get your bag ready.
Give him the water bottle!
Vivek, wait.
Admit card. Keep it safe.
Don't forget the chilled water.
Keep a calm head.
- Vivek!
- On his way!
- Here, keep everything properly.
- Come on already.
Curd. Son, curd!
- No time for good-omen curd.
- Good luck.
God bless... Do well.
Go on.
Now it's Vivek's turn.
What do I say?
Anything you want,
we all shared our dreams.
e^i + 1 = 0
Do you know why this is called
the most elegant equation in mathematics?
Because in this,
an imaginary number
and two universal constants
find a synergy.
Euler said that this equation is proof
that the universe is not random.
It has order...
and control.
The magical thing that we're all chasing.
Rinku, by immersing himself
in his guitar.
Chandan, by throwing his weight around.
And Sarika,
for you, focus and control
are the same thing.
I thought I should
find my control as well.
Difficulty^Imaginary Difficulty + 1 = 0
But I wonder if the variables of
my life would fit into any equation.
Whether I'll ever find control?
I don't know.
Maybe no one does.
the imaginary number.
The square root of minus one.
A number that was once
considered impossible.
Later it was found
that not only was it possible,
but it was also the most
basic concept in the universe.
In 1997, I realized the difference
between possible
and impossible in my life.
Pi.
The ratio of every circle's
circumference and diameter.
There's a pi hidden in every circle.
Like magic.
Another magical number, "e."
Euler's number.
Anything that grows
at a natural rate,
like bacteria, is
dictated by "e."
And by joining these two irrational
numbers with an imaginary one,
we arrive at the most beautiful
equation in mathematics.
As I left home,
my eyes were full of tears,
and my mind was full of Euler's Identity.
GOMTI BARRAGE
Avadh Express from
Baroni to Bandra Terminus...
Are your shoes stuffed with glue?
Walk faster.
We're headed to Surat, and you?
We're going to Bundela Madam's coaching.
Really?
Many of her students made it to
the Indian Institute of Technology
this year, right?
Damned kids from everywhere
want to be in her coaching.
You need to sit for an exam
to get into the coaching classes.
She works with only the crme de la crme.
These days,
everyone wants a piece of the IIT dream!
It's the panacea smoothie for success!
Job.
Dignity.
Luxury.
A student from IIT...
looks civilized,
even in boxers and slippers.
Sir...
Sir, please.
- Just a couple of drags.
- The boy is watching.
Oh, sorry.
Papa secretly craved cigarettes.
But he also believed
that smoking is the clear sign
of a life spinning out of control.
He would hide cigarettes,
even from himself.
And to ration his lust,
he'd smoke only on the national holidays.
That is three times a year.
"Control" was always
a hot topic in our home.
Mom was obsessed with sweets.
- Go away!
- She hogged so much
that it spiked her cholesterol.
Now, I was the last hope
to wrest the control back.
And to achieve that,
I was being sent away from home.
Give it to me.
Where to?
Science City, near the canteen.
- Thirty rupees.
- I didn't ask for the fare to hell.
I'll give you twenty.
Okay, 25 rupees, come!
Vicky's room?
- Who is he?
- I don't know.
Vicky?
Singh uncle.
Your dad must have called you.
Damn, chewing gum.
Close the door.
We'll freshen up and leave.
Write the exam sincerely.
Don't flunk on purpose in the hopes
that I'll take you back to Lucknow.
This city is the Haridwar of coaching.
I'll find a temple that will take you.
I could have enrolled
in Lucknow University.
University is the shadow of a black mamba.
It is filled with bullies.
Kids with character go to IIT.
Go on.
Hello.
Yes, my boy.
How's your health?
I'm back at the phone booth.
Did you clear the coaching admission?
Yes, Mom, I got in.
I knew it.
You are the best.
Did you meet Vicky?
Yes. We left the luggage in his room.
It's a trash can.
He has turned the room into a landfill.
I'm not surprised.
Their house here stinks like a gutter.
Where is your dad?
He's here.
We will finalize a room
in a couple of days.
Then he'll come back home.
Take a toffee instead of change.
This is worth less than the change.
Are the rooms expensive?
Yes.
Thousand rupees a month.
Papa says I should live alone
and not in a shared accommodation.
Son, don't worry.
We will manage.
Your dad is using his savings.
Mom.
Yes, my boy?
Mom, I don't want to stay here.
Son, I know.
But how to convince your father?
It sucks here.
Everything feels sad and empty.
Even the house feels empty without you.
Mom, I will study well in Lucknow.
I promise you.
Vivek.
This place is yucktastic!
Vivek, you'll get used to it.
Okay, four minutes are almost done.
Do you want to continue?
No.
Eat the laddus I gave you, okay?
I'll make them last through the year.
But you don't eat sweets.
The doctor has warned you.
I won't. I won't. Okay?
We used to live in jungles once
Now we eat gourmet food
We walked the steppes once
- And now send dogs into space
- How long is the guarantee for?
It's good quality plastic. Unbreakable.
There must be some promise of durability.
One year? Two years?
Sir, I told you. It's good quality.
It won't break
even if you slam it on the ground.
It won't break even if I slam it?
Yes.
What is this?
Are you insane?
I'll take it.
We fought many wars
And killed many brave ones
For one theory of Newton's
We ignored many poets
This world...
This world might be
"What the Duck" in motion
But I'll kill to belong here
Dancing till my last breath
I'll kill to belong here
That's my right!
That's my right!
Keep the books upright.
Don't worry about your mom.
She'll be fine.
If you want The Shawshank Redemption,
you'll have to crawl through the gutter.
That's the only way.
- When faced with enemies
- Understood?
We'll use dy/dx on them
We'll lock them up
In the logic gates of computing
We're on a bloody quest for knowledge
No reason will work with us
Call us nerdy or geeky
Just don't call us mediocre!
Speed is incredible and brakes are missing
We have no idea
How to stop
How do you feel? Are you fine?
Our country is the best.
This was the 50th year
of India's Independence.
But my freedom was being snatched away.
In the 90s, they liberalized the markets
and screwed the joy of us Gen-Xers.
Life was stress-free
for my father's generation.
Get born in a village.
Go to study in the nearest town.
And get a job in the nearest city.
But now, it is a world
of satellite TV dreams.
Dreams only IIT could fulfill.
On the lines of MIT in America,
the first Indian Institute
of Technology came up in 1956
at a British Era Detention Camp
near Kharagpur.
A jail turned into a college campus!
By the 1990s, the IIT dream boomed,
and coaching classes popped up
where a million
students enrolled,
competing for the
2500 seats of IIT.
Like the World Wars saw
teenagers getting enlisted,
we were getting enlisted
in this war of our own.
But be it a soldier or a student,
the brain was still
of a 17-year-old hormonal kid,
floating in the river of fantasies,
wanting to smash
into the walls of ecstasy.
I'm Rinku and he's Chandan.
Are you guys new here?
Are we new?
Guess our good skin hides our actual age.
We've been prepping for IIfor three years now.
Would you have an extra candle?
Yes, sure. But show us your room first.
This one, right?
Yes.
Room number 14. Excellent.
Investigation...
This is an investigation
Did you bring anything to eat from home?
What rank are you aiming for?
- I haven't thought about it.
- You must have.
No.
Did you get any cookies?
Oh, laddus!
Give them back, please!
- I have only 52.
- I'll give it back.
First, tell me this,
what All India Rank
are you hoping to get?
I haven't thought about it.
You have not?
Okay, pick up the guitar.
You promised to give me a candle
but took away my laddus.
Mom gave them for the entire year.
Careful!
It's very expensive.
I asked my father for money for books
and bought the guitar with that money.
I mean, you must have some dream.
No. I have no dreams.
This is my papa's dream.
Why do fathers inject their
own dreams into their kids' eyes?
Come to our room.
Do one thing.
Look behind the box.
I kept it there yesterday.
Yes.
Here. Found it.
Have fun.
See.
Thanks to your laddus and the candle,
you got to see this beautiful room.
We've got everything,
from salivation to salvation.
What do you want?
My laddus.
Are you a "good kid"?
How about some beer?
What?
We were just like you
when we first came here.
Hey! Listen!
ENTER FOR THE SAKE OF KNOWLEDGE
That row is reserved for girls.
Excited?
Yes.
- Good morning, ma'am.
- Good morning. Good morning.
Sit, sit down.
Thank you.
Did everyone have breakfast?
Yes, ma'am.
What did you eat?
- Upma.
- Poha.
Poha... And?
Didn't anybody eat paratha with butter?
No? Okay.
Remember this moment.
Because I'll ask you again in a month.
You'll be so immersed in studies
that half of you
will have skipped your breakfast,
and the other half
will not remember what they ate.
Pay attention, sir.
Come on.
- Let's begin.
- Papa says, "My son
Will be rich and famous one day!"
But who knows really
Where my destiny lies
Papa says, "My son
Will be rich and famous one day!"
Nice words, right?
Everybody knows this song?
Yes, ma'am!
What's the connection
between this song and this book?
Can somebody tell me?
Give it a try.
At least, take a guess.
Anybody?
Yes. Speak up.
Ma'am, it's from the movie
Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak.
In the climax, the hero stabs himself.
Had he read this physics book,
he would've known that
to stab oneself,
the knife's initial velocity,
as well as acceleration,
should be very high.
It's beyond human limits.
It's not possible, ma'am.
It's not. That's very funny.
But it's the wrong answer.
Sit down. Anybody else?
Nobody?
The director of Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak
is Mansoor Khan.
A graduate of IIT Bombay!
The writer of the best book of physics
"Concepts Of Physics,"
is H.C. Verma sir.
A doctorate from IIT Kanpur.
Moral of the story?
Once you get into an IIT,
whichever field you choose,
success will...
Kiss your feet!
See how he blushed
at the mention of a kiss!
GUPTA CANTEEN
My greetings to all new students.
Consider this canteen your home.
Homemade bread. Homemade lentil soup.
Fresh veggies.
The lentil soup has as much water as
the atmosphere has nitrogen.
As much salt as oxygen.
And lentils, only as much as argon.
Homemade lentil soup, my ass!
Lectures, university politics,
everything has started.
But tell me,
have you made any friends?
Who will make friends with me?
Even you're my friend by accident.
Listen! Before anyone finds out
how boring you are,
trap some naive kids!
Are you contesting the university polls?
Totally planning to.
It would've been great
if you were here as well.
I know, man.
But Papa wants me to be an IITian.
Then become one. It's not a sin.
Your papa will also say you didn't
fart for a century,
but when you did,
it launched a spaceship!
I really don't know.
Everybody around me is so excited
that I feel like a moth in
a classroom full of butterflies.
I'm very confused. Maybe--
Once you settle down,
things will feel much easier.
Let me finish.
We are eating peanuts instead of cookies...
so we can pay for your coaching classes.
So don't tell me this
moth-butterfly bullshit story.
Give it to me.
- Bye.
- Hello--
It would make me furious.
Why must IIT be the only choice?
The 1990s was the time when it took
five years to get a telephone connection.
Four months for a cooking cylinder.
Eight hours to pay the electricity bill.
It took eight hours to pay the government!
Papa believed that admission into IIwould make our middle-class
anxieties vanish.
Papa got this coaching idea from Monu.
And Monu got this idea from a slap.
He lived in a violent house.
If the slippers were lying upside down,
his father would slap him.
If water spilled on the fan's motor,
his father would slap him.
If the bathroom bulb was left
switched on, his father would slap him.
But then, one day, Monu had had enough.
He slapped Raghu uncle back.
He did it all right,
but a sense of shame
overtook him soon enough.
He decided he couldn't live here anymore.
The coaching class far away
became the perfect reason to leave.
KOTA JUNCTION
But I didn't have
any reason for coming here.
Reason?
My reason is love.
Do you have a girlfriend?
Yes.
Absolutely.
Nice. What's her name?
Nandita.
She's preparing to be a doctor
back home in Lucknow.
Have you guys kissed?
Yes.
On the cheeks.
You dumbo!
And on the forehead?
On the cheeks!
Your turn.
Do you have one?
Girlfriend.
Of course.
Ishaan, call for you.
That's her calling.
Vivek!
You were lying!
You don't have a girlfriend.
Kota didn't always have coaching classes.
There was only the
Chambal River and factories.
Then, the factories started shutting shop,
and people left the city.
But some folks stayed back.
Because they didn't
care for the outside world.
Bundela Madam started
tuitions with just five kids.
Five turned into fifty,
and fifty into five hundred.
Natural rate of growth, "e."
Then came a time
when she would take classes
throughout the day.
Ultimately, she had so many students that
she had to rent an old college
to start her own coaching classes.
"Madam Bundela IIT Coaching."
Despite all her hard work,
she'd regularly get thickheads
who'd doze off mid-lecture.
Good morning.
What did you dream of?
- Yes, ma'am?
- Okay, tell me.
In which movie does
Dev Anand steal energy?
In which movie does
Dev Anand steal "energy"?
The "Joule" Thief.
Go back to sleep now.
Rafiq Shadani wrote
a poem that fits R.K. Singh.
A bumbling idiot, a naive hop
Goes to a helmet shop
"Show me the cheapest helmet"
A head prop
DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS
The shopkeeper shows
The cheapest costing two dollars
"Show me something cheaper"
Our chunky man hollers
The shopkeeper irritated
Gives him a cent and a wink
"Get your head shaved with the cent
And paint it black with the ink!"
Look, he's here.
He has sent his son to Kota,
imitating Raghu's strategy.
Father dies in darkness,
son lives in a power station.
Oh, God...
Mr. Singh.
You'll have to come on Sunday.
The telephone lines are dug up.
How can the testing happen without you?
Sir, why is it always me?
- Tell me something.
- Yes?
You're running a phone booth
with three connections.
Hasn't the government
done enough favors for you?
Ask Raghu to come.
I have already worked extra shifts.
Raghu is a big shot now.
His son has cracked the IIT, got that?
Offer the sweets to my boss.
Come.
- Touch his feet.
- Bless you.
Now, share it with Singh uncle.
Go ahead.
- Here, Uncle.
- Congratulations, son.
Thank you, Uncle.
How is Vivek doing at the coaching?
Good. Very good.
He's topping the class.
I was hoping to come home on my birthday.
On your birthday... sure!
Why are you calling him home
right before his first mock IIT?
Your papa is already pissed
but come home for two days if you can.
How is your health?
- The sugar level has gone up a bit--
- Give me the phone!
Your papa wants to talk.
How are your studies going?
Fine.
"Fine" won't do.
I've told everybody in the office
you'll be a topper.
I want your photo in the newspapers.
I'm studying to my limits.
You can't just stop at your limits.
You have to study to the human limits.
Got it?
You want to add something?
I miss you, my boy.
HUMAN LIMITS
Come on, not again!
Everyone, step out!
Rinku, get the guitar.
Come on!
Vivek! Ishaan! Step out, guys!
Books have all the rosy things
Books have all the cozy things
Nights are never dark in books
Books have all the rosy things
Everyone's just, no one's sly in the books
Come on!
Everyone's just, no one's sly in the books
And the fish, they fly in the books
Fair and lovely
All crisp new pages
With birds free from cages
All candy-colored souls
With good fitness goals
All crisp new pages
With birds free from cages
All candy-colored souls
With good fitness goals
Crispy pages
Birds and cages
Candy souls
Fitness goals
Everyone's good in Algebra
Books have all the rosy things
Do you really attend
the 6:00 a.m. class?
Yes.
Princess Diana is dead.
How?
Somebody might've got her bumped off.
She was beautiful, after all.
The world's a harsh place
for beautiful people.
Ride carefully.
You are also beautiful.
This world...
Is a drunkard returning home
This world...
It's a forest full of sheep
A forest with a small well
The sheep are wired to jump into the well
The well is wired to drown them
The sheep are wired to jump into the well
The well is wired to drown them
"Women love their 'dash' unconditionally."
Two rupees.
What happened?
- Is everything okay?
- Yes.
What's your name?
Shawn.
What do you do?
- What?
- What do you do?
- Competition.
- Is that so?
My Vivek is doing that as well.
Okay.
I don't have change.
- No problem, you can pay next time.
- Fine.
"Women love their
'children' unconditionally."
It's a bit complicated.
Look, here goes...
"Fifty Years of Independence."
"Independence" is a big word.
It won't fit.
Shall we write "Aazaadi"?
Aazaadi.
Won't it become an Urdu word?
Our freedom army was
called "Aazaad Hind Fauj."
And then the national flag?
Of course.
- You won't mess it up, right?
- Yes.
- I'm leaving.
- Hold on. Hold on.
Take some pudding.
- Here.
- You know I don't like pudding.
You didn't let Vivek come home.
Now, I shouldn't make
his favorite pudding either.
Happy birthday to Vivek.
Same to you, Papa-ji.
Here.
Happy birthday.
You must have all seen
stars in the night sky.
They appear to be sparkling
because their light is reaching us.
But why don't we see
the path of their light?
Has anybody thought about it?
Yes?
Varun, wake up.
- Ma'am.
- Yes.
Ma'am, for us to see
the light of the stars,
it's important to have
a scattering medium.
There is a vacuum in space,
so we cannot see the path of light.
Can you prove it?
Ma'am, I'll have to come there.
Yes, come.
Whoever is sleeping, wake up.
There's light here,
but the path is invisible.
Now, we can see the path
because the dust has
created a scattering medium.
Your name?
Ma'am, Sarika Kumari.
What's your favorite subject?
Physics.
I can see that.
Well done!
- Thank you.
- Well done.
- One orange juice, please.
- It'll take five minutes.
Stop, stop.
- We're taking your cycle.
- No, why?
Just for a bit.
You can take our moped to the hostel.
I don't know how to ride it.
Wait here then.
We'll buy you a juice.
- We'll be back.
- I have to go study.
You sit, we'll be back.
Ride faster.
You made the bet, not me.
Oh, come on!
You lost the race again!
Pineapple juice, please.
And one orange juice.
Dear Lord, you're still here.
You cycled really fast.
I'm Vivek.
I'm Sarika.
I know.
You're in class A3.
- Are you in A3 as well?
- Yes.
Have this.
You worked really hard to defeat us.
Want the juice?
I just had it.
"His way of talking was very seductive."
Hi, babe.
Can you hear me?
How do I sound?
I don't know who I am.
Just tell me,
can I...
Can I kiss you?
"My eyes were glued to his face--"
- Hello.
- Hello.
Yes. I'm calling
from the ration card office.
- Yes?
- Is there any lady at home?
- Yes.
- Give the phone to her.
There's someone
from the ration card office.
-Hello?
- Hey, sexy lady.
Excuse me?
What are you doing?
Who is this?
Why do you want to know my name?
But I want to have sex with you.
What nonsense! Give me your name!
Okay, take my name.
- Shawn Michaels. Fine?
- What?
Are you out of your mind?
Listen.
Something happened today.
Are you asking me or telling me?
This radio show...
I'm telling you.
A boy comes to the phone booth
and talks dirty on the phone.
He dials random numbers.
Did he misbehave
with you as well?
No way.
But...
when I stopped him, he said,
"Stay out of it.
Take the money and zip your mouth."
Let it go.
We can't go to war with every pervert.
What was he talking about?
He says this word a lot.
This word and its synonyms.
We, the citizens of India
We are born equals
Caste, color, creed, and language
Might be different
We, the citizens of India
We are born equals
And here comes the grand cake
of 50 years of Independence.
Our engineer R.K. Singh
has personally got the cake made.
Our beautiful national flag.
With saffron at the top, denoting power,
white, a symbol of peace, in the middle,
and green at the bottom,
denoting prosperity.
The most beautiful flag in the world.
Our tricolor.
We bow down to that flag.
Union Telecom Minister,
Mr. Kewat Prasad will cut the cake.
Sir...
the flag is printed upside down.
R.K. Singh.
Come onto the stage.
You're needed here.
Mr. R.K. Singh, you cannot hide.
Immediately report to the stage.
He can't get away with this blunder.
Respected Papa.
Dear Papa.
"Respected Papa,
I hate it here."
The first mock IIT was around the corner.
And I had no plans.
Except for making
new timetables every day.
There is no choice
No choice
So much to say
But no voice
There is no choice
No choice
So much to say
But no voice
There is no choice
No choice
So much to say
But no voice
Classrooms make all the kings
Playgrounds are ugly things
Proverbs like these, mah boy
- Are fermented into cheap liquor
- Want a drink?
The brain is a walnut
But you eat almonds
And that's why you walk
Around like a confused nut
- Good morning, sir.
- Yes. Good morning.
- Your cycle has fallen down!
- Sorry, sir. I'm getting late.
Repeat after me
There is no choice
No choice
So much to say
But no voice
There is no choice
No choice
There is so much to say
But no voice
The future is helluva dark
The future is helluva dark
You stumble and you bend
Alarm clock is your only friend
Rest is the only enemy
Common in every loser
The giant career-killer
So, tell me, sir!
What do you wanna be when you grow up?
That's the only question
All books try to answer
You pick this one or that
You burn this one or that
The chorus remains
There is no choice
No choice
So much to say
But no voice
There is no choice
No choice
So much to say
But no voice
There is no choice
No choice
So much to say
But no voice
There is no choice
No choice
So much to say
But no voice
So this is your first mock IIT.
Focus on your temperament.
Mind full of ice, and a heart full of...
Fire!
Go on.
I felt odd in a classroom like this,
where every kid was a topper.
I was the only topper in my school.
Every year, it was the same old stage,
same old crowd,
same old mic,
same old pencil box.
It became boring.
Except for one time.
In the tenth grade, something weird
happened on the day of the result.
A paratrooper accidentally
landed in our school.
The parachute was so huge
it could have engulfed the entire school.
The IIT dream was
as massive as that parachute.
It was engulfing us all.
Rank 5026.
Batch downgraded from A3 to B2.
How did you manage such a low rank?
I don't know.
Aren't you studying?
I don't know.
Or were you sick?
I don't know.
Stop repeating
"I don't know" all the time.
I am not asking you for
the secrets of the Bermuda Triangle.
You're facing an inquiry in the office,
the phone booth is closing,
and you're venting at your son.
Let me speak.
What about the phone booth?
Son, the cake was upside down,
and our life got upturned.
Look, Vivek...
Son, look,
only you can make it better now.
Work harder for the next round.
Neither did Papa understand my condition,
nor did I understand his.
HUMAN LIMITS
Chasing human capability,
I was losing my humanity.
Everything seemed like
it was falling apart...
and half of this damned year
was still remaining.
You haven't seen me yet,
that's why you're acting pricey.
If you see me, you'll go nuts...
- Who--
- What are you doing here?
You were told to stop
this vulgar display, right?
You were told, right?
What's your name?
Shawn... Shawn Michael.
Shawn Michael, right?
What's your real name?
- Mohit.
- Mohit.
This boy here,
calls random women from the phone booth
and talks dirty to them.
Whispers the word "sex!"
Sex?
HONC.
Hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, carbon.
Hydrogen makes one bond.
Oxygen makes two bonds.
Nitrogen makes three bonds.
- And carbon makes...?
- Four bonds.
Bravo. All of you are in top form today.
If you can learn this much,
then 70 percent organic chemistry
will be in your pocket.
- Understood?
- Yes, sir.
- Shall we proceed?
- Yes, sir.
Okay.
Come on.
Look, Vivek's joining us!
Pedal faster.
Come on.
See you guys at the dam.
- Come on.
- I don't know the way.
I know it.
How many are in your family?
Mom, Dad, a younger sister, and me.
And in yours?
Mom, Dad, and just me.
So, you're the only kid!
That sucks.
Why?
Since you're the only kid,
you'll have to fulfill
all your parents' dreams.
But there's a solution.
Only if you want to know.
Sure.
Ask your mom and dad...
to make another baby!
What?
- Were you always this liberated?
- No. Not really.
I was old-fashioned as a kid.
Your friend Rinku...
Well, our friend.
I used to call him "brother" in school.
Now, it seems funny in hindsight.
Funny? Why?
Well, because he's not my brother.
Just a friend.
Just a "friend"?
Yes, why?
No, I assumed...
What did you assume?
Nothing.
People love assuming.
Uncles expect all girls
to behave like sisters.
And boys expect us
to behave like girlfriends.
Like friendships don't exist.
Well, you're right.
So, how many friends
do you have in Lucknow?
I mean girls.
Girls?
Well, there were...
There are some.
Radhika, Shilpa...
Hema, Jaya, Sushma, Nirma...
I came to Kota with high hopes.
When I failed the first time,
I thought it was okay.
Everyone, including me, assumed that...
it takes time to settle down here.
I went to a Hindi-language school,
so Mathematics, Chemistry, Physics...
aren't easy for me in English.
In the second year,
when I couldn't crack it,
I lied to my family and said
I had jaundice.
And in the third year?
In the third year...
no one even cared to ask.
That's the biggest problem.
When a typical student arrives in Kota,
they are sure of cracking the top rank.
The cocky topper from school!
They walk with the swag
of Mohammad Azharuddin,
with an upright shirt collar!
When I came to Kota,
even I thought I would
beat everyone's ass down.
But then I saw the madness
in the eyes of other kids,
and my brain applied the "limit" function.
As Bundela Madam says,
"What is Calculus?"
"Calculus is the language of change."
The language of change.
When I applied this
calculus to my expectations,
my heart groaned,
"Dear God, just don't let me flunk!
Any rank will do."
Anyway, chuck it.
We're always talking bullshit.
Sarika will have some cool stuff.
Have you guys seen the seashells?
They have these beautiful
patterns carved on them.
Do you know how these patterns are made?
Due to the tides in the ocean.
Meaning...
the pattern found on the seashells
in the deepest parts of the ocean,
depends on the distance
between the Earth and the moon.
People have tried to calculate
the moon's distance from the Earth
by measuring these patterns.
Isn't that magical?
So, my hope is...
whether I make it to IIT or not,
I stay connected with Physics
and the world around us.
Vivek, what's your dream?
My dream?
I don't know.
You know,
I never had any friends.
I never went out with friends
and chilled like this.
We are not friends,
we are parasites.
He's pouring his heart out,
and you're pulling his leg.
At least you should shut up
about matters of heart,
mistaking a girl's friendship for love.
You know shit about the heart.
Yes, but love and friendship
are the same thing.
A friendless nerd spouting
wisdom after getting drunk?
You guys are my friends now,
so how can I be friendless?
You are too sentimental, bro.
At least I can feel.
Come here, bring your glass.
Everything is pointless.
Just have fun.
Chuck IIT.
Chuck IIT.
Chuck IIT.
Chuck...
Chuck...
Chuck... Chuck IIT.
Don't count too much.
Pick it up.
Hit.
ENTER FOR THE SAKE OF KNOWLEDGE
DEPART FOR THE SAKE OF SERVICE
Cut all three connections
of this phone booth.
I didn't expect this crowd at 4:00 a.m.
It happens every day.
Vivek.
Vivek.
That's Vicky. That's Chandan.
Everyone knows Chandan and Rinku.
Darn, the lecture notes
on Calculus haven't arrived yet.
- I'll send them soon.
- What?
They should reach me
in three to four days.
What notes?
Chandan wanted notes for Maths.
It was just a one-day thing.
Who cares about studying?
Anyone wants a smoke?
- Do you have one?
- Yes, come.
- See you.
- Come on.
- Shawn?
- Hello, Aunty!
Here you go.
I washed the sugar off it.
It'll calm you down.
What if he had thrown real acid?
I would've died.
Impossible! I wouldn't let it happen.
Are you Shaktimaan?
Maybe I am.
Let's be sure.
Shaktimaan!
Shaktimaan!
Shaktimaan!
What is it now?
Did you ever think that he'd
never be with us again?
From coaching to college,
then a job,
then marriage,
and then his own family.
You sent my son away for good.
That's life, Manju Rani.
This is life...
We all set out of our small towns.
I came from Faizabad, you from Ambala.
We left those places far behind.
Vivek.
This is the train that goes
to Lucknow once a week.
And you come here just to watch it depart?
Whenever I miss home,
I come here to watch the trains.
When this year ends,
you'll miss Kota.
This yucktastic place?
What is "yucktastic"?
Yucktastic...
Jinxed.
Cheap.
Pathetic.
Your Lucknow train is leaving.
Jump on it!
Going to Lucknow wasn't that easy.
But I did go to Sarika's hostel that day.
MARIE CURIE GIRLS HOSTEL
TALWANDI, KOTA
Come in.
It was a whole new world!
Raghu sir!
You said the inquiry
commission members are here.
C'mon, Mr. Singh, don't kill the buzz!
You are my love!
Where is the--
- My heart yearns to meet you!
- Where is the big boss?
This is Mr. Krishnan.
He is here from New Delhi
to investigate the cake scandal.
You take two month's leave.
Leave without pay.
Why?
I mean, why should I take leave?
Who's asking you?
Please go.
What's so difficult to understand here?
Is it a small thing?
I've already been sitting
jobless for three months.
You guys are eating cashews
and telling me to go on a two-month leave.
The decision is made.
Accept it or not.
It really doesn't matter.
When my son aces the IIT exam,
your face will be worth watching.
Your son flunked high school,
that's why your back is on fire.
All the best.
- Shaurya, do well.
- Yes, sir.
- Here you go, 933, great.
- All the best.
- Good morning. Best of luck.
- Thank you, sir.
Vivek, do well.
By the time the second Mock IIT arrived,
everything was in flux.
Chandan was drifting away,
Rinku became distant...
and Sarika got closer.
Your roll number, Vivek?
It's here.
You did better than last time.
Chandan, what's your rank?
Your rank is 2802?
Wow!
You lied about not studying.
Yes, I did.
Rinku...
What's your roll number, Rinku?
I don't want to know the rank.
- What's wrong?
- I said I don't care.
Why are you taking out
Chandan's anger on me?
I am not.
Go and take Vivek to your hostel.
Feed him cookies and gossip
about Rinku being a failure.
Go on.
Why were you studying secretly?
Why didn't you tell Rinku?
Because I prefer Shah Rukh Khan in Darr
over Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa.
Put some more salt.
Enough.
And you used to preach "Chuck IIT."
Then why did you listen to me?
Are you a dumbhead?
We would start at 7:00 a.m.
and walk five kilometers to school.
Have you seen Rinku?
And if we were late, we had to plead...
Reddy, where is Rinku?
Nine, eight,
seven, six,
five, four,
three, two, one!
Wake up, O traveler!
Good morning, Mr. Gupta.
The year has changed,
time to change this sweater!
Wake up, buddy!
Let's go to class, Mr. Vivek.
4500... 4600... 4700...
Our savings are almost over.
Just assume...
Assume Vivek doesn't get in.
And we are forced to send
him to a private college?
Papa was like the gambler
who knew he would lose.
But he'd keep betting more money.
Do you need money for the emergency light?
Or anything else?
I can't help you if you say nothing.
No matter what he'd say,
all I would hear was...
IIT, IIT, IIT...
IIT, IIT, IIT...
IIT, IIT, IIT, IIT...
IIT, IIT, IIT, IIT, IIT...
IIT, IIT, IIT, IIT, IIT, IIT.
Listen.
Has Rinku moved to this hostel?
I don't know.
Chandan wasn't fair.
You can come visit
whenever you feel like it.
Your books.
Has the phone booth reopened?
No, the inquiry is still going on.
It'll take a few months more.
But hopefully, your dad will
get his job back next month.
Hello, Aunty!
What was that?
What happened, Mummy?
Hello?
Mummy, what happened?
Is everything okay?
What happened?
Nothing, just a car crash
out on the street.
Four minutes are almost over,
should we hang up?
No, but...
Okay.
I told you not to.
One kilo of sweets in anxiety!
Have some rice.
Come on.
Your damned rice!
What happened?
What does it look like to you?
You roll in the direction people push you.
Are you a man or marble?
You accepted the boss's verdict.
That boy is ruining my life,
and you cannot think beyond this rice.
The only person you can control is Vivek.
Think about it.
The canteen?
Uncle is here.
RAVI KUMAR
FOR THE POST OF GENERAL SECRETARY
How long for the snacks?
Pintu, hurry up.
So, what are you studying?
Uncle, B.Sc. from the University.
The same, shadow of the black mamba!
- Uncle, the legendary sweet samosa!
- Yeah, okay.
Amazing.
Uncle, but I'm disappointed.
You suffered so much.
You should have asked for help earlier.
Doesn't matter. We'll deal with him.
Well, Ravi, I don't want
any kind of violence.
That's why I didn't come earlier.
Uncle, even we don't like violence.
He must be some stupid boy,
unloved as a kid.
Mohit... ball.
Sorry, Uncle.
Endless sorry!
Please hit me if you like.
Kill me.
Hit me.
Why did you bully us every day?
Sucked the lives out of us.
Shall we take him to the cops?
- Police station...
- Yes.
No, Papa will kill me.
He'll shoot me dead.
Please, not the cops!
Mohit!
We're waiting!
Yes, coming!
Uncle, I'll swallow rat poison.
Please, no police station.
Sorry.
I want to meet your parents.
Uncle, no, not my parents!
I'll never do it again.
Promise.
"Must work very hard for a year."
Did you write this?
No.
It was there before I arrived.
Don't get scared.
I like you.
Didn't we come here to study?
Then study.
I just said what I felt.
No, it's not a dream
Pinch yourself hard or scream
No, it's not a dream
You felt a splash of new sunbeam
And you walked a long walk
Of tears and raindrops
You've smelled the days of love
To feel--
What now?
You were joking, right?
Do you boys grow fungus in your brains?
Sorry.
I like you too.
Uncle, please.
You shouldn't have thrown acid.
How could you stoop so low?
Uncle, it wasn't acid.
It was mineral water.
I am Ravi. Mohit's friend.
Hello, Ravi.
And you?
I'm R.K. Singh.
Divisional Engineer in Telecom,
and I also run a phone booth nearby.
Okay.
Are you an IIT graduate?
Yes.
- Are you from IIT as well?
- I saw these certificates and noticed...
Those degrees are mine,
but not the certificates.
Those are Mohit's.
Even he's studying at IIT.
Those are Mohit's.
Even he's studying at IIT.
So, the last mock IIT exam
is on the 15th of this month.
After that, it's straight
to the actual exam!
So, starting now,
forget about food, water,
family, and friends.
Just focus on your studies.
- Got it?
- Yes, ma'am.
Do you guys remember
the Zen story about the two monks?
No, ma'am.
Did you forget?
Once upon a time,
two Lamas were walking through a jungle.
Suddenly, a wild bear jumped
in front of them.
The bear started chasing them.
Lamas in front,
and the bear not far behind.
Soon, the Lamas ran out of breath.
Dire straits.
One Lama said to the other,
"Listen, brother, this is pointless.
The bear is much faster than us.
We cannot outrun it."
The other Lama replied,
"I am not even aiming to outrun the bear."
I've told you the eighth and ninth ranks.
Are you two happy?
The tenth position in your batch goes to
Sarika Kumari.
And in the sixth position
is Chandan Rai...
- Chandan Rai.
- Chandan, bravo!
The bell is still good.
- Four hundred?
- Yes.
Chandan.
Yeah.
Sarika called you
and Rinku in the evening
to say goodbyes.
Fine, I'll be there.
Have you seen Rinku?
No, I knocked many times,
but he didn't open the door.
Rinku. It's me, Vivek!
Rinku, open the door!
Open the door!
Should I call someone?
I'll push it open.
Rinku...
Hey!
Rinku.
Get up.
Pick him up.
Lift him!
Pick him up.
- Pick him up.
- Be careful.
Lay him down on the bed.
Come.
Keep your eyes open.
Move aside!
Rinku, keep your eyes open.
Keep your eyes open.
- Careful.
- You'll be okay.
Where does my heart fly?
What oceans does it want to soak?
Wait a while
Write to me, okay?
What's the hurry?
Why didn't you tell me you were unwell?
Son, don't worry.
I'm fine now.
The water supply is erratic,
but I've filled two buckets of water.
Freshen up.
The throat's parched
But the water's salty
Food is ready.
You cooked it?
Yes.
It won't be amazing,
but won't be too bad either.
Did you forget, this tap's knob is below.
Wait a while
What's the hurry?
Mom was sick.
Dad was unemployed.
And I was entangled in my own doubts.
After learning and forgetting everything
I gained only this much
The heart listens only to its own beats
Wait a while
Foam would remind me of Rinku.
Mom would remind me of sadness.
Papa would remind me of failure.
HUMAN LIMITS
But books would remind me of Sarika.
The ice in the fridge would
remind me of Bundela Madam.
Mind full of ice,
and the heart full of fire.
It's one o'clock. Get some sleep.
You have to wake up at six in the morning.
Vivek.
IIT is not some magic potion.
Life is so vast.
It has many colors.
Happiness, sorrow, friends...
all of these are bigger than IIT.
You...
Don't worry.
That's all I had to say.
Get your bag ready.
Give him the water bottle!
Vivek, wait.
Admit card. Keep it safe.
Don't forget the chilled water.
Keep a calm head.
- Vivek!
- On his way!
- Here, keep everything properly.
- Come on already.
Curd. Son, curd!
- No time for good-omen curd.
- Good luck.
God bless... Do well.
Go on.
Now it's Vivek's turn.
What do I say?
Anything you want,
we all shared our dreams.
e^i + 1 = 0
Do you know why this is called
the most elegant equation in mathematics?
Because in this,
an imaginary number
and two universal constants
find a synergy.
Euler said that this equation is proof
that the universe is not random.
It has order...
and control.
The magical thing that we're all chasing.
Rinku, by immersing himself
in his guitar.
Chandan, by throwing his weight around.
And Sarika,
for you, focus and control
are the same thing.
I thought I should
find my control as well.
Difficulty^Imaginary Difficulty + 1 = 0
But I wonder if the variables of
my life would fit into any equation.
Whether I'll ever find control?
I don't know.
Maybe no one does.