Shiksha Mandal Review: Gauahar Khan’s strong performance and loads of mysteries will keep you engaged despite the inconsistent screenplay
Rating: 
Star Cast: Gauahar Khan, Gulshan Devaiah, Pavan Raj Malhotra, Iram Badar Khan, Shivaani Singh, Kumar Saurabh, Anamika Shukla
Director: Syed Ahmad Afzal.
Streaming Platform: MX Player.
Runtime: 9 Episodes ( 50 Minutes each)
Shiksha Mandal: Story
Shiksha Mandal throws light on one of the biggest scams in the Indian education system, based on real-life incidents, Set in the backdrop of Bhopal, Madhyapradesh, it shows the occurrence of crimes like corrupt political background, fraud, cheating, and murder conspiracies that affect talented, helpless teen students in India.
The series opens up with a guy named Prabhakar appearing for someone else’s exam and managing to run after he is caught for the same. The plot then switches to the coaching centre, where Gulshan Devaiah as Aditya motivates his students as their results are approaching.
His sister, Vidya Iram Badar Khan, is the topper of his institute. But, she is still seen worried regarding her entrance exam results. It is later revealed that she became a victim of this educational scam and appeared for someone else’s exam instead of her own. Trying to commit suicide, she gets kidnapped by a goon instead, and her friend Rahul Somani (Gaurav Singh) is murdered by them. The case is forwarded to STF Anuradha, played by Gauahar Khan.
How will Aditya locate his sister? Will Anuradha be able to solve the complicated case? What more mysteries will unfold? You will find the answer after watching this series.
Review
While watching the series, the first few episodes felt disjointed due to a lack of consistency in the screenplay. We must say that the series has all the significant content to make a worthwhile storyline, but the writers needed to work more on the narrative.
The right content in the wrong proportion is the only problem with the series, as the number of unnecessary subplots just makes it more complex and difficult to grasp. For example, small subplots like Aditya’s love story with Shivaani (Shivaani Singh) and Anuradha’s divorce from Sumeet (Suhaas Ahuja) add no value and were not required.
Also, when you watch the series, you will feel the need to press the forward button and skip needless dramas like Aditya’s heroic act beyond his understanding, Dhansu Yadav’s bragging about his dream university, etc.
After reaching the middle part, the series finally picks up increasing high voltage drama in the storyline. It ends with suspense, probably making its way to the next season.
Shiksha Mandal: Star Performances
Gauahar Khan is constantly doing great with every new project she takes on, and we must say that this is one of her best performances ever. She plays a no-nonsense role, flawlessly delivering and without overdoing her part which makes her character appear real.
Gulshan effortlessly plays a hardworking man, Aditya, running a coaching centre with big dreams for his sister.
Pavan Malhotra’s villainous character has different shades and gets rid of everyone who becomes an obstacle to his path. He might be playing the character of a bad man, but the dialogues he delivered, like “Persuade…Purchase…Punish”, seem much more influential and appealing to grab viewers’ attention.
Iram Badar Khan as Vidya also does well, especially in emotional sequences. Actress Anamika Shukla’s performance was notable despite her very less screen time. All the other cast members have done their part almost right to take the story ahead.
Final Verdict
Overall, Shiksha Mandal is a fresh depiction of social evils in the education system. The decent storyline is attention-worthy and makes it a must-watch. It only lacks one thing, the execution. which could have been a little better. Several sub-plots add complexities that may test your patience. But, the curiosity created by suspense and the strong performances of the entire cast pay off positively. It will keep you interested and captivated till the climax.
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