Celebrating Teachers’ Day with Bollywood’s most inspiring on-screen gurus who taught us lessons beyond the classroom.
After parents, it’s teachers who leave the deepest mark on our lives. It goes without saying that they’re the ones who push us, scold us (for our good, obviously), cheer for us, and most importantly, believe in us even when we don’t believe in ourselves. It’s a bond (or emotion) everyone understands, which is why Bollywood has returned to it again and again. Over the years, the big screen has given us teachers who inspire and remind us of the mentors we’ve met in real life.
So this Teachers’ Day, let's look back at some of those characters and understand them better.
Ram Shankar Nikumbh does not enter ‘Taare Zameen Par’ with chalk and sternness, and that's the first thing that makes him stand out. He comes bearing paintbrushes, games, and an instinctive warmth that cuts through the film’s earlier gloom. Where others (including his parents) see Ishaan as lazy or defiant, Nikumbh sees a boy fighting letters that won’t stay still on the page. His gift is perception, as he steers Ishaan’s parents and teachers toward empathy.
Aamir Khan plays him with enormous gentleness. We see patience and encouragement in his character, and not to mention a faith that creativity can rescue a child from despair. The film, rooted in writer Amole Gupte’s memories of his own teacher, became a tribute to educators who notice what others overlook.
Into Gurukul’s forbidding corridors walks Raj Aryan, with a violin in hand. Shah Rukh Khan’s music teacher collides with the school’s rigid rules, which outlaw romance and stifle individuality. And just like that, his classroom becomes a space where students learn to speak their hearts without fear.
Raj Aryan’s lessons clash with Amitabh Bachchan’s authoritarian principal, creating one of Bollywood’s most famous ideological duels. Was Raj too sentimental, too reckless in his defiance? Perhaps. But his presence shakes Gurukul awake, reminding both students and viewers that education without emotional freedom is hollow. The character remains memorable for daring to insist that love belongs in the syllabus.
Some teachers work within their comfort zone, but Anand Kumar chose the opposite. In 'Super 30', Hrithik Roshan portrays the real-life mathematician who set aside personal ambition to coach thirty brilliant students from poor families for the IIT entrance exam. The story is stripped of glamour, and we see Anand cycling through crowded streets and pouring every ounce of energy into his pupils.
Hrithik captures the grit behind the mission. His Anand is not a saint, but a man driven by urgency and faith in young minds. The film reminds us that education can be an act of social justice, and that knowledge, when shared selflessly, changes destinies.
Naina Mathur, played with insane conviction by Rani Mukerji, enters the classroom with Tourette's syndrome. Her involuntary tics make her vulnerable to ridicule, yet she insists on teaching. When she is handed a group of students written off as failures, she chooses innovation over resignation to teach them.
Rani gives Naina fragility, and her preparation for the role (training to portray Tourette symptoms authentically) shows in every twitch and hesitation. But the film’s heart lies in her determination to make her students visible, to prove that their worth does not depend on privilege or reputation. Therefore, in celebrating her resilience, 'Hichki' also celebrates the resilience of teaching itself.
Rani Mukerji’s much-loved film #Hichki to release in Hong Kong on 8 Nov 2018... Has been titled #MyExtraordinaryTeacher for local audiences... Official poster: pic.twitter.com/25xHoJFK90
— taran adarsh (@taran_adarsh) September 28, 2018
(Credit: taran adarsh)
Amitabh Bachchan in 'Black'
If Nikumbh in 'Taare Zameen Par' is all patience, Debraj Sahai in 'Black' is relentless discipline. Amitabh Bachchan’s character must reach Michelle, a girl who can neither hear nor see, locked in a world of silence. While his methods are strict, even harsh, behind them lies enormous care.
The film, inspired by Helen Keller’s story, thrives on the intensity of Bachchan’s performance and the tenderness of Rani Mukerji’s Michelle. Together, they create a relationship that is as much about survival as about learning. Throughout the film, their scenes pulse with struggle and breakthrough, reminding us that the essence of teaching lies in persistence, even when progress seems impossible.
Bollywood’s archives hold many more educators. Kabir Khan in 'Chak De! India', coaching a women’s hockey team toward glory. Or Miss Chandni in 'Main Hoon Na', a figure of elegance who makes chemistry classes feel like poetry. And so on.
