What Is the Story About?
Netflix’s new Indian original series ‘Class’ is the Indian adaptation of Netflix’s hit Spanish show, ‘Elite’. The story is set in the backdrop of the fictional Hampton High, the poshest school in Delhi, populated with rich, privileged kids of the city’s high and mighty. When three underprivileged kids gain admission to the school by a freak turn of events, it sets off a chain of incidents that ends in murder.
‘Class’ is directed by Ashim Ahluwalia, along with Kabir Mehta and Gul Dharmani. It is adapted for Indian streaming by Ashim Ahluwalia, Raghav Kakkar and Kashyap Kapoor.
Performance?
The performances in ‘Class’ are the highlight of the show. Each of the fresh faces in the cast of Class seems to have put in their heart and soul into their roles. Piyush Khati, as Dheeraj; Anjali Sivaraman as Suhani; Zeyn Shaw as Veer; Madhyama Segal as Saba; Cwaayal Singh as Balli; Gurfateh Pirzada as Dheeraj; and Chayan Chopra as Dhruv are the stand-out performances in Class.
Naina Bhan as Koel and Ayesha Kanga as Yashika are two actors that couldn’t live up to the meaty roles handed to them. Both actors deliver cringey, over the top performances that stand out like sore thumbs amidst the otherwise excellent acting.
The discovery of the series, however, is Chintan Rachchh as Faruq Manzoor. The dude looks and acts like a dream; what’s more, he delivers his dialogues as if he is spouting Sufi-esque pearls of wisdom – he’s a great find by any standards.
The rest of the cast lends adequate support to the narrative.
Analysis?
When the trailer of Class first landed on Netflix, it set off alarm bells in the mind of every Elite fan. The initial reactions to the trailer were not very encouraging. The trailer gave off strong vibes of sleazy, sex-laden shows of the ALT Balaji and Goldie Behl style of entertainment, reminding one of Class Of 2017, Puncch Beat and RejctX. However, now that ‘Class’ is finally streaming on Netflix, we are happy to admit that we are proved wrong.
Class is a surprisingly well-made and bingeable series, which keeps viewers pretty much hooked — except for the tediously long runtime. At 48 – 58 minutes for each episode, the 8-episode series is a marathon watch that really tests your patience. It is also inconsistent in tone and tempo, ebbing and flowing in intermittent bursts of a flurry of action or long spells of inactivity.
The most significant element of Class, however, is the skilled adaptation of the quintessential westernised story of Elite to Indian ethos and the desi milieu. Even though Hampton High hardly looks like any school in India — even the poshest — the writers of Class have deftly woven the main strands of the story with primarily Indian concerns. The narrative addresses deeply problematic and deep-rooted prejudices in Indian society – the upper class – lower class divide; caste divisions; islamophobia; homophobia; English-speaking elite showing their fake supremacy over those not so fluent in the Queen’s language, and so much more. The skilful Indianisation of the story makes it relevant, pertinent, and not to say, thought-provoking as well.
Aside from the adroit adaptation, the casting of Class makes the show quite watchable. Though the storyline is exactly same as the Spanish original, the actors make Class quite watchable. Several scenes are fun to watch too, especially the all-out fight between the upper class dudes and the lower class bunch. Those who’ve not watched the original Elite might find Class quite a worthy watch. That said, too many subplots render the narrative messy and all over the place. A tighter script could have elevated the story by several notches.
Music And Other Departments?
The musical score of Class, by Tubby, is upbeat and innovative. The songs are highly listenable and fun. Deepa Bhatia’s editing is efficient and flawless. The camerawork, by Tapan Tushar Basu, Michael Filocamo, Johan Hannu, Alana Mejia Gonzalez and Kyle Macfazdean, lends a whimsical feel to the narrative.
Highlights?
The young cast and their performances
The deft adaptation to Indian ethos
Drawbacks?
Too long and tedious
Messy screenplay
A few sore thumbs in the cast
Did I Enjoy It?
I found it verage
Will You Recommend It?
As a One-time watch
Class Web Series Review by Binged Bureau
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