Music School Review - A Music School That Didn't Go To A School of Filmmaking

An IAS turned filmmaker, Papa Rao Biyyala, makes his debut with Music School, starring Shriya Saran and Sharman Joshi in the lead roles. It's a bit odd to know that an IAS officer is coming to filmmaking and choosing a musical narrative as his directorial debut. Not that weird since I myself come from an engineering background and do movie reviews and journalism. It's all about passion. Well, Biyyala's passion has failed to reach the level he wanted. Music School is a rare attempt at musical narration in Bollywood, but it isn't worthy of a film. There are hardly any musicals in Bollywood, with Jagga Jasoos being the last fair and daring attempt. Hollywood has been lucky for more than 9 decades to enjoy the real magic of musicals. Sound Of Music (1965) came too late, by the way, as Hollywood has been ruling the genre right from the early days of the talkie era. From The Broadway Melody (1929), Wizard of Oz (1939), those Fred Astaire-Ginger Rogers dance musicals, animation sensations like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), Fantasia (1940), Cinderella (1950), Alice In Wonderland (1951), Sleeping Beauty (1959), The Jungle Book (1967), and the 90s musicals like Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King, Gene Kelly movies, Frank Sinatra sagas, to the 60s modern musicals like West Side Story, My Fair Lady, Mary Poppins, Olivers, and many more. The Sound of Music was just one of them, but it turned out to be one of the most popular ones throughout the ages. Nobody really asked for the logic in these movies when a heroine or a cartoon suddenly starts singing in the middle of the road or in any situation, because we all felt it was nice. But will it really be nice in 2023? I say, No. This is an era of astonishing musicals like Hamilton (2020). I can't really buy a Sound of Music mashup with West Side Story and Mary Poppins in today's era when I am not even ready to buy mediocrities like Chicago and La La Land. Music School just didn't pay attention to the time when these theories were useful. This same film in the 60s or 70s, and I would have written in the tagline: "An enchanting musical with an educational message". Sadly, I am 6 decades late to write it. Music School gets the music right; that's really a good thing, but it stays far behind in the school of filmmaking.Music School is about a music teacher, Mary (Shriya Saran), who joins a school only to get sidelined. Her first class of music has only 25% attendance, which leaves her hopeless. The drama teacher in the same school and in the same society, Manoj (Sharman Joshi), advises her to open her own music school on the same premises. Unsure about the idea at first, Mary is left with no choice, and fortunately, their new school quickly gets enough admissions. Samyukta (Gracy Goswami), the daughter of a police officer (played by Prakash Raj), is the best attraction in Mary's music school. "Eureka!" screams Manoj, to tell Mary that they should adopt "Sound Of Music" and perform it at their annual function so that they can work together. Samyukta is Liesl, of course, and other students get to play other roles. But things are not that easy since all the parents want their children to stay away from music and drama and focus on their studies. Music School is about how these children pursue their passions for music, dance, and drama, along with or sometimes without studies.Music School is basically about the educational oppression we have been listening to for years. I mean, who doesn't know Taare Zameen Par and 3 Idiots now? It's the same thing again, but with more child-friendly content, and it's on a lighter note too. What causes the spoilsport is unwanted conflicts taking over the main context of the film. Mary and Manoj's love story was expected and was too mainstream, then why did you have to add Albert's (Shaan) character without any graphic motion? Mary even goes on a date with him again, twice, thrice, or God knows how many times, only to hear one thing from him: "It's been years, Mary. How are you?" Seriously!!!? A passionate music and dance teacher was so immature. Why would she even meet him and waste time in the first place when things were pretty clear 5 years ago and she recently had a romantic, intimate dance with Manoj? And that typical jealousy of Major was the height of daily soap routine. Besides this freaking trash lobe story, we have another one. Rolf and Liesl were not just the characters of the play; they had to be real in the film too. Really, who'd have thought of having such a disastrous idea in a film that's supposed to focus on education vs. extracurricular activities and parent oppression vs. student freedom? Samyunkta had to run away without even discussing anything, and other boys will have different problems of their own coming directly from some B-grade daily soap. From IIT to MIT is still fine, but what the hell was the demand for an engineering seat from a teenage student or medical ambitions for a girl, and that too from a well-educated cop? The screenplay is so scattered and untidy that you don't even wish to sit for two hours, knowing all the results already.Shriya Saran is delight to watch in such a sweet role. Her first number, "I am From Goa," gives off vibrant vibes, and you are in love with her. The same happens with Manoj too, but then you have to bear several illogical conflicts there. Shriya is a terrific dancer too, and this film gives her a chance to prove it again. Sharman Joshi is decent as Manoj. He does better in a couple of emotional scenes, though. Gracy Goswami looks stunning in every frame. She is perfect as that good-looking, attractive urban girl, and she dances well too. The only problem with her is that she couldn't show the pain and reluctance of depression and killing her own dreams that nicely. Ozu Barua's Nepali boy is fun, and the supporting cast of Benjamin Gilani, Bugs Bhargava Krishna, Thanmai Bolt, Aripirala Satyaprasad, Leela Samson, Mona Ambegaonkar, Suhasini Mulay, Vinay Varma , Siddhiksha, Prakash Raj, Srikanth Iyengar, Mangala Bhatt, and others have somehow passed the time.Music School has some beautiful music numbers that will take you on a ride for a while. Firstly, three numbers from The Sound of Music: Do Re Mi, I am Sixteen, and Farewell are simply nostalgic. Mary also sings My Favourite Things, even though there are no nuns to send her anywhere. Still, the song retains its magic. Padhte Jao Bachcha is a good, meaningful track, but the visualisation is too bad. Hichkaule is a fun number with funny lyrics; IIT to MIT follows the same path; and Aa Kar Tu takes you to a Catholic party number in Goa. As mentioned before, I am from Goa is a nice one, and other songs aren't anything to remember. The cinematography is strictly average, and the sound design is below par. The film also lacks powerful dialogue that was needed to spread awareness among parents and students. The production design is somewhat lavish, but director Papa Rao Biyyala's narrow vision really makes things awkward. Music School is nothing but your regular soap coming back in re-telecast versions with added freshness in cast and music. The storyline, the screenplay, the execution—everything is outdated. We don't get musicals in Bollywood, but if musicals are like this, then we better not have them. Hollywood has done it since the 1930s, and we are running almost 100 years behind them. This is just about the musicals, not a big-budget Magnum Opus. But let's think again for a moment: do we really have to compete with 1930s Hollywood in the 2020s? Nothing can be more shameful than that. If they have The Sound of Music and hundreds of classic musicals, then let them have them. We shouldn't touch them or try to make something like them. Let's focus on our stories. Music School could have been out story—a simple, decent watchable film, but it ended up being weaker than half of those Hollywood classics.