Happy Teacher's Day!

Jagriti (1954)

Abhi Bhattacharya plays a progressive teacher who runs a boarding school and has his own ideas about education, relying more on imparting moral teachings and making his students better human beings than follow a set curriculum. A rich brat is sent to him for reform but continues with his errant ways. He befriends a crippled boy who dies while stopping him when the former decides to run away from school. That sets the brat on the course of redemption. He starts listening to his teacher and excels in both academics and sports. The teacher, meanwhile, wins an award for his contribution towards student reform and departs on a journey to spread his message across all over. The film got famous for its song Aao baccho tumhe dikhaye jhanki Hindustan ki. 

Seema (1955)

Nutan plays an orphan accused of being a thief. She's placed under the care of Balraj Sahni, a compassionate man who runs an orphanage. How his teachings tame her wild side and turns her into a better person forms the crux of the story. Command performances by both Nutan and Sahni took this reformist film to another level.

Anjaan Raahen (1974)

This is the first film in India perhaps which openly discussed the pros and cons of sex education in Indian schools and hence was way ahead of its times. Feroz Khan played a progressive London educated teacher who joins a prestigious school in India and tries to introduce sex education in the curriculum. He's opposed in this by the management as well as fellow faculty but becomes popular among the students. However, one student supposedly close to him gets pregnant and he's accused of seducing her. How he clears his name and ends up reforming his students forms the crux of the film. 

Bulandi (1981)

This was our own To Sir, With Love (1967) with a Mumbaiya twist, of course. Danny Denzongpa played a double role, that of a mafia don and his wayward son. The don recruits a highly prinicpled professor, played by Raaj Kumar, to straighten out his son. Seeing the change, his others cohorts too send their wards to him. The twist comes when due to circumstances he's forced to resign from college and the mafia too turns against him. It's at this point of life that his reformed students come to his rescue and rebel against their fathers. 

Mohabattein (2000)

Amitabh Bachchan plays a highly strict head of an institution and Shah Rukh Khan plays a teacher in the same facility who believes in letting students find themselves. Both have their hearts in the right place and how their pupils shape up under the divergent philosophies forms the crux of the film. Superlative performances by both Bachchan and Khan made the film a moving experience. 

Chak De! India (2007)

Shah Rukh Khan played a maverick hockey coach who shapes the Indian girls hockey team into becoming a world class success. He just doesn't turn them into better athletes but better people too. The film had the super motivating 70 minutes speech which reportedly has become part of curriculum in B-schools. 

Taare Zameen Par (2007)

This Aamir Khan directorial has him playing mentor to an eight yeas old dyslexic child and makes him believe in himself. He encourages the child not to let go of his biggest asset — his imagination but to use it constructively to grow as a person. The film sent out strong message that special children are indeed special and one should help them develop their strengths than harping on their weaknesses.

Aarakshan (2011)

Amitabh Bachchan plays a highly prinicpled principal of a reputed college who is forced to resign when he speaks for reservations. He starts a free school at a tabela and starts teaching students from backward sections of the society. His former students, Saif Ali Khan and Prateik Babbar too join forces with him and ultimately end up getting reinstated onto his post for life.