The best teachers teach from the heart not from the book", said a wise man. This couldn't be more true, for many a times the experiences that we get to learn by spending time with our teachers can teach us a lot.

Not just in our real life, but even in reel-life, various actors have portrayed the character of a teacher with fine gusto. We present some of the best Teachers that Bollywood has ever seen on screen.

Ram Shankar Nikumbh
Subject taught- Drawing and Art

Quite an uncanny name for a teacher must say! But for every ardent movie lover, this character portrayed by the super-talented Aamir Khan in his directorial debut Taare Zameen Par is something which will remain etched in their memory for a long time.

Ram Shankar Nikumbh was someone who exuded compassion towards his students and believed in having fun while teaching. Despite being scoffed at by some his colleagues, this was one teacher who didn't mind converting the classroom into a playground.

No other actor could have played the character with as much panache as Aamir Khan did. Not only did he show compassion towards the dyslexic child (played by Darsheel Safary) but he also helped in bringing out his latent talent through his own thoughtful ways.

If only we had such a teacher during our childhood days, drawing and art would have been a lot more fun.

Debraj Sahai
Subject taught- Reading, writing, hearing, speaking and.... living life

Debraj Sahai was not a teacher. He was an eccentric, an alcoholic but above all he was a 'magician'. After all only a magician could do want he went on to do. In case you are still wondering, whom we are talking about, it's none other than the character portrayed by Amitabh Bachchan in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Black.

Debraj Sahai believed in doing things his own eccentric way. At first you simply detest him for the insensitive way he deals with a deaf, dumb and blind girl. But only later do you realize why he is doing what he is doing?

In fact, even the little girl's parents are in two minds whether to keep him as her teacher or sack him till he does the unthinkable. He makes young Michelle (played wonderfully by Rani Mukerjee) identify things and even speak a few words.

It also goes on to prove that some teachers may scold you, beat you or even punish you but at the end of the day it's all for your own good.

Raj Aryan Malhotra
Subject taught - Music

In case you are wondering if Raj Aryan Malhotra are a musical trio a-la Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy you are wrong. Raj Aryan Malhotra is the character played by Shah Rukh Khan in Aditya Chopra's love saga Mohabbatein.

Dressed in a crisp white shirt and formal trousers with a sweater wrapped around his neck, armed with a violin in his hand, the be-spectacled Raj Aryan enters 'Gurukul' and life for the students is never the same again.

Raj (an ex-student of the same school) believes in living life to the fullest and teaches his young students the true meaning of love and life through his music. What's more, he even takes his students side against the Principal (played by Big B) be it in overlooking their late night trips or even arranging Holi celebrations in the school.

And as for his violin and music, the tunes still linger in your memory long after the end credits have rolled. This is one teacher who truly believed that Life is like a song. So sing along.

Professor Amar Varma aka Sir
Subject taught- Philosophy, Music, Love etc...

The name Professor Amar Varma may not ring a bell instantly but Sir definitely will. Yes, we are referring to the character played by the supremely talented Naseeruddin Shah in Mahesh Bhatt's Sir. Naseer plays a professor who truly believes in having fun while teaching.

He even breaks into a song all of a sudden in the middle of a lecture much to the amusement of his class. Despite having been through a tragic past, not once does Sir (as he is lovingly known as by his students) bring his problems to the college.

In fact he goes beyond his mere responsibility as a subject teacher and even helps a shy girl suffering from a stammering problem to get over it and become confident.

In between all this he even plays cupid for two of his pet students and even stands up against goons to protect his beloved students. No wonder then that the class can't stop singing 'Sir Sir Ohh Sir...We Love You'

Miss Mary
Subject Taught- English

While Main Hoon Na showed a much older SRK falling head over heels in love with his chemistry professor (played by Sushmita Sen), many years ago Raj Kapoor's classic Mera Naam Joker was probably one of the first few films that showcased a teenage boy's infatuation with his teacher.

The boy in this case was played by a cherubic Rishi Kapoor while the extremely pretty Simi Garewal played his teacher. She completely got into the character of the understanding teacher Miss Mary, who has a soft corner for young Raju (played by Rishi Kapoor).

She even comes to his rescue when he is ridiculed by his peers. However, all this while she is completely unaware of the feelings Raju has for her. In the end this teacher-student track drives home the point of how sometimes our thoughts/ fantasies/crushes during our younger days often help in shaping some aspect of our personality.

Chandni Chopra
Subject taught - Chemistry

Whoever thought chemistry is boring and complicated didn't have a teacher like Miss Chandni Chopra teaching the subject. For the uninitiated, Chandni Chopra is the character played by the sexy Sushmita Sen in the campus-caper Main Hoon Na.

All those who have seen the film will recollect that as soon as Madame Sen entered the classroom, a certain student by the name of Major Ram Prasad Sharma (played superbly by SRK) starts hearing the sound of violins playing in the backdrop. While she tries to explain various chemical equations to her students, all he is worried about is his equation with her.

Sush exuded sensuality through her body language and as many would agree the chiffon saree never looked so beautiful. Most of us may have at some point of time seen and met such a teacher in whose lectures you just didn't realize how time passed by.

For all those who haven't had the privilege of encountering such a sexy teacher, maybe its time to get back to school.