In most classrooms, where you sit defines who you are. Frontbenchers are seen as toppers. Backbenchers? The “troublemakers. But one Malayalam film has helped challenge that narrative.
Typical classrooms are designed like assembly lines — rows of benches, teacher in front, students behind. What if learning weren’t about who’s in front, but whether everyone is seen?
The film Sthanarthi Sreekuttan reimagined this. Its climax showed a U-shaped classroom where the teacher stands in the middle, giving equal attention to every student.
After the film dropped on OTT, something unexpected happened. Real schools began adopting the same layout. The reel became real.
RVV HSS in Valakom led the change. Soon, schools in Kannur, Kollam, Palakkad, and Thrissur joined in. Teachers say it’s transforming classrooms. More focus. More participation. No one fades into the background.
U-shaped seating isn’t a new idea. It was launched in six states, including Kerala, in 1994 under India’s DPEP policy. However, most schools adhered to the traditional row system until this film revived the idea.
Even Director Vinesh Viswanath was stunned. He never imagined a film scene would spark a real-world movement in education.
From forgotten corners to one united circle, Kerala’s classrooms have now begun breaking stereotypes and reshaping how we learn.
Could this work in your school, too? Send this to a teacher, parent, or educator who should see this.