Hindi Medium

Hindi Medium follows Mita and Raj Batra, a polished Delhi couple living in Chandni Chowk who scramble to secure an English medium education for their daughter. They expect a straightforward admissions process, only to discover that language has become a real social gatekeeper. Their comfortable status slips as officials and teachers treat Hindi as a barrier rather than a bridge, and the family watches its ambitions collide with a system that rewards fluency in a language they rarely use at home. What begins as a college-like scramble for a prestigious school grows into a broader look at class, aspiration, and the price of fitting into an elite urban world, with humor threaded through sharp observations and their patience wears thin.

Hindi Medium, directed by Saket Chaudhary, builds on original screenplay by Zeenat Lakhani and Amitosh Nagpal. Released in 2017, the film stars Irrfan Khan as Raj Batra and Saba Qamar as Mita, supported by Sanjana Sanghi in a significant role.

Budgeted at roughly 3.21 million, Hindi Medium achieved strong commercial success, grossing about 52.39 million worldwide. The film resonated with audiences in India and beyond, aided by Irrfan Khan's performance and timely social satire. The numbers reflect solid worldwide appeal.

Hindi Medium sparked discussions about language, privilege, and access to education, turning a simple school admission into a mirror of urban class dynamics. The film helped popularize a candid look at how parents chase status, prompting debates on equity and the everyday costs of social climbing in contemporary Indian cities.

Critics generally praised the film for its sharp humor, warm performances, and lucid take on aspiration and hypocrisy. Its themes revolve around parental sacrifice, the pressure of success, and the divide between English and Hindi as social signals within modern India. Performances, particularly Irrfan Khan's, elevate the material throughout consistently.