13th Some Lessons Aren't Taught in Classrooms review: A heartfelt journey of a mentor and his mentee coming full circle!

​Directed by Nishil Sheth, Sony Liv's 13th stars Scam 2003 star Gagan Dev Riar and Paresh Pahuja in a wholesome tale of ambition and gratitude.

There's an unwritten code in life: The teacher guides the student. But what happens when the student decides to support his mentor's dream? Sony Liv’s 13th Some Lessons Aren't Taught In Classrooms explores this student-teacher journey with some heartfelt and relatable drama that, despite getting predictable at times, remains endearing.  

The five-episode series is inspired by the life of a real-life mathematics educator and ed-tech founder, Mohit Tyagi, and focuses on Ritesh (Paresh Pahuja), a successful venture capitalist who leaves his corporate life to help his former mentor, MT sir (Gagan Dev Riar), realize his dream of building a new ed-tech start-up. The first episode opens with Ritesh showcasing his frustration with the rigged start-up culture of India and ripping apart a pitch. He believes in supporting businesses as a tool to initiate positive societal changes rather than simply milking money off them. He is then assigned to get an ed-tech educator in Jaipur on-board for the company's next venture, who turns out to be his former teacher, MT sir. The mentor refuses the funding proposal from his firm over ethical differences, which inspires Ritesh to quit his job as he finds meaning and purpose in turning MT sir's vision into reality. 

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The series follows non-linear narrative structure, blending the past featuring Ritesh’s life as a JEE aspirant and the present showcasing his endeavors to support MT sir, drawing parallels and showing how the past seeps into and affects the present and the evolution of this mentor-mentee relationship. While the show might look similar to past series exploring the lives of students appearing in high-stakes competitive exams, 13th still comes across as a patient and endearing watch, merely for the way it depicts the simplicity and innocence of our teachers and the ambitious and pragmatic approach of young blood. Ritesh first meets MT sir in his drop year (13th) as an egoistic academic genius who flunks JEE Mains by the barest of margins, as a result of which he turns bitter and insecure resulting in success eluding him. MT sir, with some tough lessons on humility, gratitude, and magnanimity, inspires a course correction in Ritesh, turning him into a better person and a sharper aspirant of course. These incidents are inter-woven with MT sir’s journey towards expanding his ed-tech venture and how Ritesh’s support of similar nature helps him conquer his fear and take a confident stride in life ahead. 

The chemistry between the two actors is the biggest strength of the series, as the two embody mentor-mentee relationships rooted in deep respect and unwavering trust despite their differences of opinion, convincingly. Their conversations and how they have each other's backs during their most vulnerable moments offer the audience some valuable life lessons without being preachy. Watch out for sequences where MT sir instills confidence in him when he gets anxious upon learning of the sudden change in exam formats or when Ritesh helps him nail a pitch after he almost gives in to his nervousness and decides not to present in front of the investors. The scenes are relatable, emotional, and a perfect example of how right guidance can help you steer your ship through the roughest of tempests. Besides, the show also serves as a subtle commentary on the start-up system of India, especially the ed-tech industry, and how investors’ prime focus is chasing trends, quantity, and profit instead of backing real intent and quality.

Overall, this Nishil Sheth directorial, despite being slow-paced, is a wholesome tale of ambition and gratitude.

13th is now streaming on Sony LIV!

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