Aarakshan

Aarakshan
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Prakash Jha
Produced by	A. A. Nadiadwala (Presenter) Firoz Nadiadwala Prakash Jha (Executive Producer)
Written by	Prakash Jha (Dialogue)
Screenplay by	Anjum Rajabali Prakash Jha Ravinder Randhawa (Associate Writer)
Story by	Kamalesh Pandey
Starring	Amitabh Bachchan Saif Ali Khan Manoj Bajpayee Deepika Padukone Prateik Babbar
Music by	Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy
Cinematography	Sachin Krishn
Edited by	Santosh Mandal
Production company	Base Industries Group Prakash Jha Productions
Distributed by	Reliance Entertainment
Release date	12 August 2011 (2011-08-12)
Running time	164 minutes
Country	India
Language	Hindi
Budget	₹420 million (US$6.2 million)
Box office	₹424.3 million (US$6.3 million) (domestic net)

Aarakshan (Hindi: आरक्षण, translation: Reservation) is a 2011 Indian Hindi drama film starring Amitabh Bachchan, Saif Ali Khan and Deepika Padukone. Directed by Prakash Jha, the film is a socio-political drama based on the controversial policy of caste based reservations in Indian government jobs and educational institutions. The film also stars Prateik Babbar and Manoj Bajpayee and was released on 12 August 2011 to mostly mixed reviews. However Aarakshan fails to score at the box office.

In 2008, Deepak Kumar (Saif Ali Khan) is at an interview for the teacher's post at an affluent school. The interviewers turn him down when they discover his low-caste roots. Deepak relates the incident to his mentor, Dr. Prabhakar Anand (Amitabh Bachchan). Dr Anand, the legendary principal of renowned STM college, offers Deepak an interim job as a teacher at STM. Deepak is comforted by his friend, Sushant (Prateik Babbar), an upper-caste boy, and his girlfriend Poorvi (Deepika Padukone), who is Dr. Anand's daughter.

The state minister, Baburam, wishes to enroll his no-good nephew at STM. Dr. Anand however, turns him down. The minister decides to install his own man, Mithilesh Singh (Manoj Bajpayee), on the STM college board. Cunning and greedy, Mithilesh seeks only to enrich himself. The minister's grand ambition is to build a multi-billion educational conglomerate, and plans to use Mithilesh's outside business—a coaching class—for it.

The Supreme Court grants reservations for Other Backward Classes. A large crowd of STM students, boisterously celebrating the ruling, arrive at the gates of STM and start a ruckus. Sushant gathers a group of upper-caste boys and tries to drive off the revellers. Dr. Anand hauls Deepak and Sushant, but is shocked to find that Deepak has turned on him. Poorvi later confronts Deepak and orders him to apologise to her father, but he refuses, leading to their break-up.