Milestone Creations and Ratan Shree Entertainment’s Blackboard V/s Whiteboard is a story about education in rural India.
Headmaster Dinanath (Raghubir Yadav) is struggling to impart education to students in the government-run school because village chief Gajraj (Ashok Samarth) pockets the money allocated for the school and uses the same to run his own private school. Besides, he uses the classrooms as godowns to stock his belongings, leaving just one classroom to be shared by students of all classes. Soon, Amit (Dharmendra Singh) joins the school as a teacher.
One day, TV reporter Rashmi (Alishmita Goswami) comes to the village and is appalled to see the state of the government-run school. She threatens to complain about the state of the school to the authorities but Dinanath and Amit plead with her to not do so as otherwise, the school would be ordered to close down, thereby adversely affecting the future of the students. So, Rashmi gives them a fortnight to do something good for the school. As word spreads that the TV reporter is in the village, Gajraj makes all the classrooms available for the students, fearing that he would be exposed by her. Within a fortnight, Dinanath and Amit, with the help of Rashmi, clean up the school. Students studying in Gajraj’s private school now join the government-run school. This infuriates Gajraj and his brother, Hemraj, so much that Hemraj actually threatens Amit. This is captured by Rashmi’s assistant on camera and is flashed on television.
To save his skin and to ensure an election ticket for himself, Gajraj takes his brother, Hemraj, to the police station to prove that he does not approve of the threat made by him to Amit. But the noble-hearted Amit does not pursue the matter and so Hemraj is allowed to go scot-free. The evil Hemraj now frames Amit in a food poisoning case in which two students die. The matter reaches the court. What happens thereafter?
Gireesh Tiwary’s story and screenplay are dull, hackneyed and completely devoid of novelty. His drama fails to engage the viewers. The second half even gets terribly monotonous as it concentrates almost wholly on the courtroom drama. Gireesh Tiwary’s dialogues are commonplace.
Raghubir Yadav acts ably as headmaster Dinanath. Dharmendra Singh is alright as Amit. Alishmita Goswami performs well in the role of Rashmi. Ashok Samarth does a fine job as Gajraj. Pankaj Jha lends reasonable support as Hemraj. Akhilendra Mishra makes his presence felt as advocate Tripathi. Manu Krishna, Madhu Roy, Ashish Mishra, Sonu Sonar, Abhavya Sharma and Sunny Sharma provide routine support.
Tarun Bisht’s direction is pathetic. Jayant Aryan’s music is routine. Lyrics (Roop, Surya Samudra and Gireesh Tiwary) are average. Andy Bhakuni’s song picturisations hardly deserve mention. Jayant Aryan’s background music is lacklustre. Dharmendra Singh Sisodiya’s camerawork is ordinary. Action scenes and stunts (by Yusuf Sultan Khan) are routine. Martand Mishra’s art direction is so-so. Birju Rajak’s editing is loose.
On the whole, Blackboard V/s Whiteboard is a dull fare.
Released on 12-4-’19 at Gem (daily 1 show) and other cinemas of Bombay thru Trinity Films. Publicity & opening: dull. …….Also released all over.