'Chalk N Duster' has great intentions, as it attempts to talk of the sorry plight of the underrated and undervalued school teachers. It also brings forth a pertinent issue; the rotting of the education system, thanks to rapid commercialisation of schools and other education institutions.

Kantaben High School is a privately owned school which is being led by a patient principal Indu Shastri (Zarina Wahab) who cares for her teachers and their work woes. Aarya Babbar who plays a trustee of the school is slightly vampish and takes education as business. In the lieu of making his school one of the top institutes in the city, he appoints Kamini Gupta (Divya Dutta) as the principal, thus firing the respected former head Mrs. Shastri. Gupta is termed as hitler by the teachers in the staff room, thanks to her aggressive attitude.

Is calling a film a 'sincere melodrama' an oxymoron? Not necessarily. Sometimes it takes a hammer to drive in a stubborn nail. Slow clap for Jayant Gilatkar for making a film that moves gingerly, aside from conventional definitions of mainstream entertainment and yet retains the massy genre's flavour and mood. Distinctly old-fashioned in the treatment of its subject, Chalk 'N' Duster seeks narrative sustenance from its heartwarming message of reverence and love for the over-worked under-paid teachers of the country.

Teachers play an irreplaceable role in every child's life. They not just impart education but see a spark in raw minds, hone its potential and believe in it when no one else will. Of course, there are also haughty teachers who will ruin a kid's confidence and torment them unreasonably in the name of discipline.

The director's heart bleeds for ill-treated teachers. Nothing wrong with that. But is it good enough? For intention, Chalk N Duster might get full marks, but the execution is so hopelessly ham-fisted that the film can only be described as an absolute botch-up. Jayant Gilatar's approach to filmmaking and storytelling is clearly governed by the 'anything goes' principle. Not surprisingly, it yields pathetically slender pickings.

That education should not be a business is something we all believe in. We also know just exactly how much the lure of filthy lucre has driven teaching, the noblest profession, into a corner : the `good' teachers who want to selflessly impart knowledge are getting scarcer, and the `bad' guys with calculators and power point presentations are taking over.

Sometimes movies with the right intent misfire badly. Chalk N Duster is classic proof of how to shoddily treat topics which merit attention: the mistreatment of teachers in the private education system and the commercialisation of the education system. The result is that instead of seriously dwelling on the occupational hazards of the profession and the dire straits the system finds itself in, audiences are left with moments to chuckle and wince at.

'Chalk N Duster' has its heart in the right place. Made with an intention of showcasing the worms in the current education system, where money often gets merit over capability; this film can be lauded to some degree. However, it flounders in the first half due to its tacky narrative approach. Told like a TV serial, it takes the oft-taken path of following the underprivileged on local train rides to the Mumbai chawl. Okay so the point of a teacher's life being hard is made.

We all have had our tryst with public schools; know how they function and now somebody has cared to make a film on these "modern temples of education". It has turned out to be a brilliant effort that reinstates our faith in good teachers and their value in our lives. Also, it raises questions on the utility of schools that promise everything but good textbook-driven education.