INSIDE INDIA'S EXAM FACTORIES

Hello Bachhon goes beyond the coaching boom to reveal pressures behind obsession with ranks

- SURBHI GARG

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“In India, a classroom can feel like a battlefield of dreams.”

Right from the moment you watch the trailer or the teaser of Hello Bachhon, you would assume it to be yet another inspirational story about yet another teacher trying to do some kind of revolution for students. But, as you continue watching this 5-episode series, it unhurriedly reveals its layers. Set in the backdrop of India’s fiercely competitive coaching industry, the Netflix drama is about a smalltown physics teacher from Uttar Pradesh whose belief in accessible education takes the shape of a movement among thousands appearing for medical and engineering entrance exams. Inspired by the real life journey behind the educational platform PhysicsWallah, the show explores the stark realities hidden behind the culture of all-India ranks - pressure, relentless competition, anxiety and in some tragic cases, the shadow of student suicides.