Sarkari Hiriya Prathamika Shale Kasaragod (SHPSK): An enjoyable film that is lit up by its cast and music

Ratings: 3.5

Rishab Shetty's third directorial movie Sarkari Hiriya Prathamika Shale - Kasaragod (SHPSK) is a children's film which portrays the struggle of the students trying to save a government Kannada school from closure. The movie is centered around this issue and story is told with humour.

The story begins with the reopening of the Kannada medium school in Kasaragod after an annual break. We are introduced to a couple of students like Praveena, who is studying in the same class for last three years, and Mammootty. For them, it is more than a studying place as they get a lot to learn from other activities.

However, their joy and happiness of coming to school is taken away after their school is shut. The elders and parents of the children show no sign of protesting the government's order, leaving all the responsibility of saving the school in the hands of the kids. For Praveena, this development hurts more than others as his crush Pallavi leaves Kasaragod to continue her education in Mangaluru.

The entry of a happy-go-lucky man (Ananth Nag) brings some hope for them, but his unpredictable nature raises doubts about his ability. What follows next should be seen on-screen.

SHPSK beautifuly portays the landscape of Kasaragod and the lives of the people in the region. At the heart, there is a story that tells the sorry state of the district which is ignored by both Karnataka and Kerala. The film also throws light at the difficulties faced by the management to run the Kannada medium school in a society obessed with English education. Whereas the higher officers are doing all they can to encourage Malayalam medium schools.

The film narrates a simple story peppered with humour. The beauty lies in the story which conveys its message without getting preachy. The underlining part is that it tries to showcase the South Canara lifestyle, like Raj B Shetty's Ondhu Motteya Kathe (OMK), and culture which have been largely ignored by Sandalwood filmmakers for decades. Last but not the least, the movie does not project Kerala government or Malayalis in a bad light.

Rishab Shetty has won the half battle with a fine bunch of characters. All the children leave you in awe with their fine performance. And Prakash Thuminad in the role of Bhujanga, who had a small role in OMK, has got a bigger role among the lot and he has done the role to perfection. Pramod Shetty continues to impress with his every film and rest others have played their parts well.

The conversations among the children as well as elders are real fun. The dialogues are top class. Vasuki Vaibhav's music and Ajaneesh Lokanath's BGM is heart and soul of the film.

The first half is throughly enjoyable, but the story loses its steam somewhere in the second half before it recovers in the climax. The scenes leading to the last part lacked strength and failed to establish the hatred of corrupt officer, who fight tooth and nail shut the Kannada medium schools.

Nonetheless, it is an enjoyable film which is worth your time and money. Give it a shot. Rishab Shetty should be hailed for batting for the education in mother tongue and trying to address the issue of Kannadigas in Kasaragod.