I’ve always wondered why all the grown-ups romanticize their school days when they have all the freedom in the world now that they’re adults. This is a realization that only occurs when school days are nothing more than a memory of the past. Shot a decade ago, Woh Bhi Din The is an earnest effort to take its audience back to school.
Spoilers Ahead
What Happens In The Movie?
A renowned photojournalist is invited to his alma mater to give a speech. When he sees a few troublemakers mocking his speech, he’s taken back down memory lane. The fear of punishment never stopped any of us from wreaking havoc in school, and it was the same for him too. The excitement of +2, boyhood friendships, jealousy, a love triangle—Woh Bhi Din The has a little bit of everything. When Rahul starts excelling in school and impresses a girl, his school turns on him, and the movie revolves around the hardships he goes through.
How Does Rahul Try To Get Shalini’s Attention?
Rahul and his best friend, Joy, are brothers in arms. Rahul is the leader of his group, which consists of kids of all kinds. From smoking their first cigarette to gathering up to watch adult movies; this group represents most Indian boys in their teenage days. Rahul has a crush on his neighbour Shalini, and he tries to impress her by playing different genres of music from his room. When his efforts go in vain, he asks Joy to follow Shalini and befriend her. Shalini calls her older brother up to humiliate Joy in front of the whole school. Meanwhile, the new girl in school, Milky, is free-spirited and hangs out with boys, and that annoys Rahul. Rahul believes that Milky wears short clothes for attention and that she has no decency. Joy and Milky become friends, and since Milky hangs out with Shalini, Rahul is hopeful about getting close to the girl he wants.
What Happens On The Trip To Puri?
The school excursion for Puri changes the way Rahul feels about Milky. Joy’s cousin’s wedding clashes with the excursion, and he has to stay back . Rahul is seemingly falling for Milky the more he notices her. When Milky refuses to drink at the boys’ party, Rahul is impressed by her supposed “sanskar.” Now he believes that Milky is a great person who is free-spirited and much better than the girls in Jamshedpur. On the way back, Milky and Rahul hold hands, and an ecstatic Rahul runs to Joy to tell him the good news. Joy is heartbroken by this, but he chooses not to tell Rahul about it.
Why Did Joy and Rahul Grow Apart?
Milky starts to replace Joy in Rahul’s life, and Joy is shattered. He has lost his best friend and his crush at the same time. Rahul and Milky still let him tag along on their dates, but he’s unhappy being the third wheel. A teacher asks Rahul to write a play for the annual function, and the reward might be a recommendation for a Mr. Loyola. Rahul and Joy grow even more distant at the time of rehearsal, when Rahul shouts at him in front of everybody for not doing his lines right.
Why Does The Class Turn On Rahul?
The relationship between Milky and Rahul had gotten too obvious after some time. The fact that Rahul is excelling everywhere doesn’t sit right with the good-for-nothing Paritosh. Paritosh plans to turn the group against Rahul. When a guy named Kaizad heckles Milky inappropriately, Rahul snaps and beats him up. After breaking the fight up, Joy finally loses his patience with Rahul and humiliates him in front of the whole class. Paritosh’s grin knows no bounds; he has successfully ruined Rahul’s life just as he wanted to.
What Happens At The School Fair?
A local goon named Dalu Mukhi gets hold of an anguished Rahul, asking him to arrange passes for their school fair. Rahul turns him down politely and explains that he doesn’t have the authority to give passes to anyone but the students. Dalu Mukhi and his men still manage to work their way in, wearing the school uniform. Rahul breaks up with Milky for shaking hands with a few guys. Despite his good qualities, it’s hard not to roll your eyes at some of the misogynistic traits in Rahul. In a stacking ring stall, Dalu molests Shalini, and the principal throws Dalu and his men out of the campus. Paritosh had let Dalu in, and he pinned the blame on Rahul. Paritosh also writes a letter to have Rahul thrown out of their class, managing to get 34 signatures out of the 40 students. The principal asks Rahul to get his life together before he faces the real world after school. The conversation between the principal and Rahul is a subtle nod to Mr Keatings asking Neil to follow his dreams in Dead Poet’s Society. When Rahul cries and has a breakdown, the principal behaves very leniently and makes him understand that giving up on everything is not an option.
How Does Rahul Turn His Life Around?
Rahul accepts the rejection from his friends and starts focusing on his studies. Everybody sees the change in Rahul, and Rahul keeps to himself and copes with the sadness silently. Rahul’s father notices his productivity and the sincere goals he’s set, and he’s proud of Rahul. Everything is going well until Dalu Mukhi returns, offering the question papers for the final exams. Rahul refuses to buy the papers, and Dalu Mukhi tells him that most of his classmates have bought the papers, including Joy. Rahul goes to Joy to warn him about Dalu’s shenanigans, but Joy refuses to talk to him. On the day of the first exam, there was mayhem in the classroom because the papers were not authentic. Paritosh and the rest of the group ask for a refund from Dalu, but Dalu refuses and takes Paritosh’s bike. Dalu will hold the bike until he gets the money from Paritosh.
What Happens To Rahul At The End Of School?
Seeing his friends in trouble, Rahul offers to go to the principal and tell him about the paper fiasco. Paritosh beats Rahul up and, in a rage, breaks his hand with a heavy stone. Rahul’s writing hand is broken, and the police come asking for his statement. Rahul’s father, teacher, and principal ask him to tell the truth, but he doesn’t snitch on his friends. The principal could sense what Rahul was doing, and his proud face validated Rahul’s choice. Rahul does the smart thing and tells the police that Dalu Mukhi is behind all this, and that he has gotten fake question papers from him. The police arrest Dalu. Shalini visits Rahul at his house and confesses that she has been in love with him all along. Rahul loses a year in school, but he has won his friends back. Paritosh and the others grab him from his house and help him reach the rooftop of the school, and he’s the king of the school again.
The older Rahul gets up after finishing his story, inspiring the new generation of nuisance makers to live the best part of their lives. The kids can’t figure out who Rahul ended up with—Milky or Shalini. Woh Bhi Din The works in parts where you relate to some of the things, but it’s a bit too long for the movie to hold your interest. But the makers do convey one thing: that these days will never come back. The most embarrassing moments in school become some of the fondest memories in life, and it’s only human to romanticize the hardships and adversity we overcome in school.
