Hostel

When you step out of school, you look forward to the life in college and of course, 'freedom'. You are stepping into adulthood, learning to cope with life and enjoying the thought that you will be able to take your own decisions. With great difficulty you procure admission in a college and hope to nurture your dreams. But is it all that fun? Not really!

I was horrified when I read a news-report sometime back about a student being forced to bathe in his own urine by his seniors. I was aghast. I was disgusted. I was appalled. I genuinely felt that some socially responsible film-maker should make a hard-hitting film on ragging and create awareness on the evils of this form of abuse, which has caused several deaths in the last so many years. Hostel, directed by Manish Gupta, addresses the issue, although it's not the first. Munnabhai M.B.B.S and 3 Idiots also had a scene or two depicting the maltreatment. But the films should not be compared because this one is a full-fledged film on this subject.

The story of Hostel is inspired by true-life events, I am told. But the question is, does it serve as a wakeup call in the true sense? Does Hostel successfully bring to the fore the gravity of torture people experience in the name of ragging? Unfortunately, it doesn't. Sure, it's well thought of and well intentioned, but not well penned and well executed. The film starts off brilliantly, but loses focus midway.