User reviews

All india rank is a comedy drama film directed by varun grover.

This is a sweet film. The era of 90s is beautifully captured, the production design, the art design is really good. The screenplay uses various animations to bring freshness into the narrative. The music is something I really liked, specially the background score. The teenage life is also retty genuine. But the problem is that all the things are surface level, the problems, the tension, the solutions are never really explored deep, the emotions are lacking, as a result you are just like, meh its okayish. The subplot of the vulgar PCO boy was unexplained, making no sense to me. The film is about life, how it is not at all random, but I wanted more from it.

It is a good movie. A fresh breath of air, something different. You would think that it is a movie like 3 idiots or 12th fail, but it is not! It shows the struggles of a boy who is phasing into adulthood and trying to fulfill his parent's dream (for him). But the story explores so many thematics - friendship, dreams and realities, parent, studies, competition, betrayal, love - in a simple narrative. The story captures you in a loop of nostalgia and has glimpse of every emotions, from laughing to being sad. Overall, it is a well made movie where at the end it leaves you with an important lesson in life.

PS I like this actor. I have seen him in Patal Lok as well. He's one to watch for in the future!

The movie starts off by giving you a trip down memory lane, particularly if you were an Engg aspirant back in your days like me.

Even for people from other fields, this movie will surely bring their school college memories flashing back to them.

The story is simple and short and the movie does not attempt to force any agenda into its viewers which is a good thing, no unnecessary love plots for time waste, short and sweet movie without any proper conclusion which keeps it open for interpretation.

2. The movie starts off by giving you a trip down memory lane, particularly if you were an Engg aspirant back in your days like me.

Even for people from other fields, this movie will surely bring their school college memories flashing back to them.

The story is simple and short and the movie does not attempt to force any agenda into its viewers which is a good thing, no unnecessary love plots for time waste, short and sweet movie without any proper conclusion which keeps it open for interpretation.

If Kota factory represented what the middle class kids go through in Kota , All India Rank was supposed to show a similar side for a lower middle class kid. But what unfolded was a very boring tale of a kid and his friends / family. The family angle was good because the actors were good. Friends didn't leave much of a mark.

The only bright spot in the whole movie is Sheeba Chaddha who lighted up the screen . The rest of the movie was super dull.

Varun Grover is a good poet as well as his stand ups are worth a watch.. but it's not necessary everyone can be good at everything.

In my view , skip this movie and watch Kota Factory!

The movie doesn't have a moral. It lacks proper plot. The ending is unsatisfactory. The overall movie seems to be mixture of old, school based movies, but with immature narrative. It shows the struggle of the students in an incomplete manner and also the struggle of parents in an incomplete manner. Varun Grover has tried to make this a nostalgic movie but has failed to do so in every possible manner. It's not a family movie, because there are a few naked women in the magazine that is shown in a close up shot. If you want to watch a better movie which will give everything this movie lacks, watch "3 idiots" again. Because this movie is a total disappointment.

"All India Rank" takes us on a nostalgic journey back to the late 1990s, capturing the essence of that era with precision. The film delicately explores the life of 17-year-old Vivek, whose journey to a prep school for the cutthroat IIT entrance exam is both heartwarming and humorous. Varun Grover's storytelling shines as he beautifully balances the pressures of academia with the emotional turmoil of adolescence. The film's relatable characters and witty dialogues make it a delightful slice-of-life dramedy that resonates with anyone who has undergone the rigors of competitive exams. Grover's direction and the authentic period details add an extra layer of charm to this coming-of-age tale. "All India Rank" not only captures the essence of the era but also delivers a poignant message about the pursuit of dreams and the value of relationships.

All India Rank" follows the tired and overused formula of a child from a middle-class family being sent to Kota for coaching, where he predictably meets a brilliant girl who takes an interest in him. The movie fails to bring anything fresh or compelling to this well-worn narrative.

The characters lack depth, and their development feels forced and clichéd. The protagonist's journey from disinterest and his romantic subplot with the brilliant girl adds little to the overall story.

The film's biggest flaw is its lack of originality. It follows the same beats and tropes seen in countless other movies, making it a forgettable and uninspiring watch. The abrupt ending only adds to the disappointment, leaving viewers with a sense of unfulfilled potential.

Overall, "All India Rank" is a missed opportunity to bring something new to the table. It's best avoided unless you're a die-hard fan of formulaic coaching and romance dramas.

There's not plot in the film, dissatisfaction total waste of time, where's the ending? Did he clear or not what happens to his fathers job...why do these guys make such film..the main important aspect is the story, start middle and end, fkn there's no end total crap feel like waste my 1 and half hour for this. Dont watch it guys total waste of money and resources. Review end here. Just copy paste to complete the 500 words.

There's not plot in the film, dissatisfaction total waste of time, where's the ending? Did he clear or not what happens to his fathers job...why do these guys make such film..the main important aspect is the story, start middle and end, fkn there's no end total crap feel like waste my 1 and half hour for this. Dont watch it guys total waste of money and resources. Review end here. Just copy paste to complete the 500 words.

Why did We need to say this Storu which has already been told beauitfully by many other directors and more better way, There was nothing.different or new in this movie, and it had not a single instance when people would wait for, the actors acting was really normal , and nothing was outstanding, they just made a movie because they wanted to. Why did We need to say this Storu which has already been told beauitfully by many other directors and more better way, There was nothing.different or new in this movie, and it had not a single instance when people would wait for, the actors acting was really normal , and nothing was outstanding, they just made a movie because they wanted to.

Varun Grover's directorial venture, 'All India Rank,' stands as a refreshing departure from the conventional narratives surrounding the pursuit of academic success, as depicted in TVF's 'Kota Factory.' While both explore the pressures of competitive examinations, 'All India Rank' takes a distinct approach by shifting the camera's focus beyond the aspirant, delving into the intricate dynamics of familial relationships.

Unlike the idealized portrayal of the IIT dream often depicted in mainstream media, Grover's film humanizes it by presenting an IITian as a flawed individual, devoid of the typical hero-villain binary. Each character in 'All India Rank' is imbued with depth, their arcs unfolding organically without the need for contrived comparisons.

Grover's maturity as a storyteller is evident in his measured approach, eschewing flashy gimmicks in favor of a composed and calculated narrative. The film neither glorifies nor vilifies the IIT dream, striking a delicate balance that resonates with the middle-class insecurities harbored by many aspirants.

One of the film's strengths lies in its ability to captivate without overwhelming the audience. Instead of bombarding viewers with triumphant narratives, 'All India Rank' gently embraces the vulnerabilities and disappointments inherent in the pursuit of success.

In contrast to its counterparts, such as '12th Fail,' Grover's film refrains from fetishizing the IIT dream, opting for a more nuanced and sensible portrayal. This approach, coupled with the film's warmth and depth, elevates it beyond a mere exploration of academic ambition.

For those seeking a cinematic experience that transcends the clichés of the genre, 'All India Rank' offers a compelling narrative that leaves a lasting impression. Whether you're familiar with similar subject matter or not, a trip to the theater to witness Grover's directorial debut is well worth the investment.

Complete waste of time - script, actors, storytelling, plot all are messed up. Just hype created by people.

Take a B class city, some ordinary looking people never seen before add a lot of 2 min rap songs in between and you get the recipe of a new web series or movie.

The film revolves around a 17-year-old boy named Vivek (played gave him a typical UP boy look which looks stupid).

Vivek is sent away from home to a coaching center in a different city to prepare for the highly competitive IIT entrance examination.

The IITs are considered on par with or even better than MIT in the US, promising a great standard of life for candidates who manage to crack the exams.

Vivek's parents pin all their hopes on him studying hard at the coaching center and securing a good rank in the IIT entrance exam.

However, Vivek has other plans, and the story revolves around his predicament as a student.

It does not even come even close to 12th Fail. Thank me later for saving your time.

"All India Rank," directed by Varun Grover, presents a coming-of-age comedy-drama set in the 1990s, delving into the intense competition, parental pressure, and the obsession with cracking the IIT entrance exams.

While the film attempts to capture the essence of the era, it falls short in several aspects. The weak cast is a notable drawback, with only a few standout performances, namely Bodhisattva Sharma as Vivek Singh, Sheeba Chaddha as Kalpana Bundela, and Geeta Agrawal Sharma as Manju Singh, Vivek's mother. The remaining cast members fail to leave a lasting impression, diminishing the overall impact of the film.

Moreover, the slow pace of the narrative hampers its ability to engage viewers effectively. Instead of contributing to the storyline, the sluggish pacing detracts from the viewing experience, making it difficult for audiences to stay invested in the plot.

One of the film's major shortcomings is its abrupt ending, leaving many loose ends unresolved. Despite attempting to explore various themes such as parental pressure, financial constraints, and the changing landscape of India during the era of liberalization, the story fails to delve deeply into any of these subjects, resulting in a lack of cohesion and depth.

Ultimately, "All India Rank" may serve as a nostalgia trip for individuals who experienced the IIT craze of the 90s firsthand. However, for others, it offers little more than a surface-level portrayal of the era, failing to leave a lasting impression or deliver a meaningful narrative.

They thought they are mking something great but from start to end the movie didn't have any direction and that's how it ended directionless.

Start was decent with nostalgic feeling but then there was no direction and it felt as if the writer is trying to force his thoughts and ideas on the audience and it was completely unrelatable. It had okayish rating when it released but realised it was very poor decision, wasted my time.

I was expecting way better fron Varun Grover but he wasn't able to deliver at all. I stopped the movie twice in between as I was speepy due to the boringness but then watched till end and still disappointed.

All India Rank offers a heartfelt and nuanced portrayal of the intense pressures surrounding India's competitive exams. Sattva Sharma delivers a compelling performance, capturing the emotional turmoil any student might face in such a situation. While the film could benefit from a slightly longer runtime for deeper character exploration, Varun Grover's direction is focused and effective.

The film doesn't offer easy answers or glorify the academic grind, but instead paints a relatable picture of the stress, doubt, and resilience experienced by many students. The soundtrack adds depth to the story, with lyrics that resonate long after the film ends.

All India Rank might leave you with a mix of emotions - that's a mark of its honesty. It's a film made with care, showing genuine understanding of its subject matter. I've always admired Varun Grover's writing, and this film demonstrates his talent as a director. If you're looking for a thought-provoking film that explores a unique aspect of Indian culture, I recommend giving it a watch.

Vivek Singh is admitted to an IIT coaching center. It is his father's ambition to see him score an IIT seat and has been sacrificing a lot to ensure Vivek gets all the aid he needs to pass the IIT entrance exam. Vivek's mother has cholesterol due to her love for sweets but more than that, she is a loving mother who cares for both her husband and son. The film depicts Vivek's homesickness and his cluelessness about what he wants in life actually. He gets to be friends with Sarika who is a topper herself, Chandan who pretends to not care about IIT and the gullible Rinku. How does the experiences Vivek gets being with his friends and his realization of his parents' sacrifices, prepare him for life ahead, forms rest of the story.

I have to admit there has been an overdose of this sort of stories and Varun Grover in his directorial debut tries to be his earnest best in narrating this tale. Setting the story in 1997, the 90s nostalgia is tapped into while keeping Vivek's innocence intact. Parallelly his parents story is narrated where the authoritarian father makes all the decision yet the relationship between father-mother is beautifully depicted with the inclusion of crisis, be it financial one or a creepy stalker's harassment. Circling it all back to the Euler's identity equation is commendable. It is still an earnest attempt and the actors too have given their best. I could've enjoyed it better if it had come few years earlier or even right after the TVF series.

"Transported to the late 1990s, 'All India Rank' unfolds the saga of Vivek, a 17-year-old hailing from a serene village. Thrust into a prep school for the cutthroat IIT entrance examination, often equated to India's MIT, the film intricately explores Vivek's heartfelt struggle with academics, life's intricacies, and family dynamics. It encapsulates the essence of a young dreamer maneuvering through the hurdles of a new world, where ambitious minds unite to brace for the impending exam.

As a college guy watching this film, it struck a chord, echoing the harsh realities of the Indian education system and the weight of parental expectations. 'All India Rank' mirrors the society I'm navigating-a poignant depiction of the challenges faced by young minds in their relentless pursuit of success."

All India Rank by Varun sir, is indeed a beautiful movie which talks about the struggles of preparing for the toughest competition in the world. Sattva sharma did a beautiful job in portraying the apt emotions on the screen and I feel, this story cannot be said better than this. It was a short and crisp movie and as you crave for every good thing to last longer, you will crave for a bit more story from this movie but the writer and director was very sure of what they wanted to show.

The song lyrics are amazing, and will stay in your heart for a while.

The end itself will make you different things and emotions within you and that is the beauty of art, the way you perceive it.

Please do go to see this movie, it is made with so much of love and thoughtfulness and it will stay, even when it ends.

You have always been one of my favorite writers, Varun sir and now, maybe favorite director too. Must watch, recommended.

Transporting us back to 1990s nostalgia, All India Rank in a simple way beautifully explores the heartfelt struggle with academics, dreams and aspirations, the personal life of students, family dynamics and most importantly the journey. Varun Grover captures the world beautifully, it's such a sincere and honest attempt from him. You could feel the vibes of love and warmth throughout, it was wholesome. Those visuals and animations were integrated in a creative manner. And the music was so cool, cannot get "Noodle Sa Dil" out of my head. The film actually struck a chord with me and I could relate with Vivek to an extent on a personal level.

I wish the film was longer as I was invested in it properly and I was craving to more of this world. And please don't compare it with 12th Fail, both are very different from each other and are good in their own ways.

Movie "All India Rank" - Must Watch The movie is funny, touching and heartwarming.

Varun Grover's directorial debut has proved that he is an amazingly talented movie maker.

The theme is the middle class IIT dream - of crossing a bridge that would lead to some eternal bliss.

There are striking events that cause disillusionment in staunch IIT-goal-forcing parents to reassess their children's life in a humane light, a smashing of the madness (NOT in a burlesque 3-idiots sort of way) An important aspect is the understatement of situations, the movie does not try to make the events too dramatic or sentimental, rather it portrays them with a kind of empathy that understands the larger issues which are mostly systemic.

I liked the concept and idea behind the movie .. but some other movies like super 30 and 12rth fail did much better story telling and were had much screentime. I like meaningful lengthy movie such as Oppenheimer. I know budget was short and this is first film of varun as director but still i felt so much thing missing like study and classes and actual lecture .. i mean i didnot learn a single thing from this. Its like student of the year 2. They show everything else without study/ but still all the best to varun . Hope so he continue directing more and more movies. Love this movie. Would recommend to watch at least once.

Every scene did justice to the writer, actor and music. No bam dam yam cut sequences is lazy editors. Impeccable storytelling! No surprise coming from SIR Varun Grover.

The cast is so raw and delightful for the eye. Lovely pieces of music that you'll hum while you step out of the cinema hall and not because marketing agencies spent crores pushing it on reels.

It's a homegrown film that will foster more work it we show it the love it requires right now.

The evolution of characters with more unlearnings than learning felt rather personal.

Some subtle social commentary.

Makes it a beautiful watch.

I totally liked it like how they have made the cinematography so well and the editing of the animation was too good. I didn't expected from Varun Grover to come up with such an idea and directory.

The way every part has been portrayed looks fantastic and movie that should be watched. It's a family movie so you can watch it with your children also and it's an example of how you should treat your children when he/she is in +2 or more than that.

Gover sir haats off to the work you did and showed people that Everything is not IIT but eventually IIT can make can make everything in same instance.

Cheers to your movie sir 💥

This movie took me back to the 1980s and 1990s where academic success defined success in life for Indian youngsters or rather their parents, in society. Well-meaning teachers fueled the ambition, trying to drive the academic performance to greater heights to win in the dog-eat-dog world of Entrance exams. Afterall, nothing else in life mattered because everything else was sure to follow academic success; ranging from dreamy earnings to escaping India to foreign countries to beautiful wives from wealthy families. Enjoying childhood could be easily sacrificed in the search of that holy grail of coming out of IIT. The film captures that struggle in a calm, slowly evolving story, innocently unraveling without any hurry, any gore or any overt family-cringe inducing sexual escapades. The simplicity of the characters and the authenticity of the stories' setting kept me engrossed. There is no overacting or ear deafening shocker music despite the emotionally charged themes that unfold as the film blooms. I felt good when the film finished which was important for me. What is the point in seeing sad films without hope? I have enough of that in my life already.