Class

One of the worst takes that I have seen especially when people do a piece on a series like Class is to present to the Indian public this shocked and ignorant notion that the debauchary of the filthy rich in our own metropolitans does not exist. The case of first world problems for those whom are in ivory towers, abundantly wealthy but absolutely hollow with respect to love and affection for their own and that void being filled through drug abuse, alcohol and excess of any vice is seen through this fictional lens as if it only exists on a window on Netflix is plain ignorance. This black and white perception that the reality is only restricted to the world of TVF and the likes of Flames and Kota Factory is convenient on social media and for those whom don’t want to understand or even acknowledge the sad reality of a generation that is inundated with excess, from the people they can date, the drugs and alcohol they can consume and the clubs they can enter, this portrayal of the rich and wealthy, of south Delhi in the case of Class, exactly the people I have grown up around by the way is no way far fetched and this is the note that I wanted to start with as I talk about the official remake of Elite, a very popular and provocative Spanish show which is Class directed by Ashim Ahluwalia and that has recently released on Netflix. There is a popular opinion and trend on social media where only binaries can work, seem to go viral and has often become the trend for most creators and people whom post online content. Either a movie or series is going to be trash or its going to be a masterpiece. There is no in between and room for discourse for projects that have great features and faults as well. This lack of nuance when doing critical analysis might be the most frustrating but w’ere going to do our part here as we talk about Class, a show in my opinion that is getting unnecessary hate just on the pretext and assumption that 1, this does not happen in India and 2 that it is a remake of Elite. The series focusses on a government school burning down and as the news breaks out that there are many casualties and injured school children, the builders, mainly for PR relocate the students in several schools across the city, also offering three of the students admission in the most prestigious and expensive school of the city, called Hampton High School. A murder takes place just a few months after their admission, the screenplay presented in a non chronological format goes back and forth between the investigation and the several events that followed as the students assimilated, were in conflict and eventually got into trouble. The commentary of class, religion and status becoming the main backdrop of the series as the generation with raging hormones have every distraction possible, making their lives momentarily eventful only for doom to loom right around the corner. I’ll discuss several points with you both good and bad so that we can eventually have a holistic idea of how this season shaped up, so lets get to it:- Music & Cinematography: The series is exceptionally shot and I dont think a lot of people are talking about it. Ashim Ahluwalia’s direction anyway produces some beautiful visuals, despite the grimy worlds he has expanded upon, case in point being Miss Lovely or Daddy. The case of exploring every nook and cranny in the DELHI NCR region, for whomsoever has grown up in the city can recognise several of its frames and what makes the city so distinct. Several cinematographers have aided this visual quality and I think why Class works in the Delhi setting is especially because one is insulated in their spaces to assume their worlds to be the only reality. This was presented by one of the reviews by a major publication but the stark difference between Delhi and Mumbai is that the vast inequality of income is abundantly clear in Mumbai, where the chawls are in close proximity to the high rises whereas the design of a city like Delhi has huge patches of just the rich and influential, resulting in a population assuming that this is the world. This makes Class stand out because you’re exploring a bunch of students whom see anything other than their own demographic as cheap, filth or scum. This makes the commentary on class, religion and their biases even more convincing. As the rich meet the less privileged, their paths intercross with one another, so you visit the narrow lanes of Paharganj and then shift to the mansions of Malcha Marg as one would assume and this visual grammar works really well for the series. The entire narrative is also assisted with exceptional music that I would highly recommend you explore. The music composed by Aditya and Nayantara Bhatkal is the right indie space that the demographic represents, the sounds being not too commercial to sound corny and yet having the grunge that India represents. Khidki and GIRTA SAMBHLATA are my personal favourites and I would highly recommend you listen to some of the scores, which will open the gates for you to explore some independent music! It almost acted as a gateway for me like finishing Euphoria and exploring the discography of Labrinth, trust me you won’t regret it. Now beyond the technical aspects, lets get to something that the series got wrong On The Nose Portrayals & Paling In Comparison: When you think about the rich and influential being portrayed in film and media, you think about a creator like Zoya Akhtar whom has made the portrayals of her characters so human, despite them being in surroundings which might not be relatable to the masses! Their individual struggles are universal even if the clothes they wear and the places they go to might be alien to most of us. This is true for most of the portrayals in Class except a few where the acting performances are almost so on the nose that it becomes unintentionally funny. The principal of the school being so unaware of basic etiquette that she keeps on bringing up the unnecessary addition of the Hijab to Saba’s wardrobe whenever she interacts with her, the heckling in class almost taking the shape of a bad stand up comedy set, one girl says you wear leather, the other replies they dont kill animals for that, daddy issues are solved through berkins, all the boys looking like AI versions just copy pasted with slight changes and the last staw was probably the case of Balli being social media famous for posting twerking reels. The oe sub plot that just didn’t work for me because it wasn’t as unhinged and demonic as Elite was the the threesome cuckold situation that unfolds with the characters of Koel and Sharan basically playing Carla and Polo. Ester Exposito as Carla brought such a deranged quality to her portrayal of the privileged brat, this feature of using her sexuality to get everything she wanted worked wonders for the show. This in Class is slightly unconvincing, its extremely perfomative vs letting the audience believe, its a product of privilege and bad parenting. Cwayaal Singh as Balli still stands out in the dynamic, absolutely nailing the street smart wheeler dealer perfectly but the dynamic isn’t as crazy and immersive as it should have been. As Delhi As It Gets & A Talented Cast: For anyone whom has especially grown up in the DELHI NCR region and especially in one of the privileged south Delhi schools, there are several moments that hit the nail on the head in making these characters, people you all grew up with. The privilege reeks through the screen as clear as stepping in south Delhi, you’ve got chauffeur driven cars to one horizon in Gurgaon transformed to Hampton international, the TU JANTA NAHI MERA BAAP KAUN HAI energy is palpable in every frame, a worn down house is shown to Suhani and she reacts by saying. So much mood, locations like Imperial Hotel, Kitty Su, Lajpat Nagar and Emporio are dropped so that one becomes aware of the stark class differences between the new students and those that were already there in Hampton international, the pearly gates of Gymkhana and dropping where one comes from might be over the top for most but trust me when I say this, these people do exist and yes these things do happen! To make this convincing, you need a talented cast and I think most of the young new faces have done a stellar job in this series. Piyush Khati as Dheeraj gets his innocence and naive demeanour right on point, his desperate need to change the cyclical nature of familial poverty really shines through his performance. Madhyama Segal as Saba, wanting the Hampton scholarship, driven academically and having massive aspirations despite her conservative and restrictive family has an ease and confidence in front of camera, which might be just in the genes as she is an exceptional dancer and is the progeny of the legend Zora Sehgal. Zeyn Shaw as Veer really gets the privileged yet loving kid bang on, almost having not to say it but just communicate the same with his smug walk and body language. The conscious effort in seeking for some sense in his head and heart really makes you feel empathetic for him as well. Anjali Sivaraman as Suhani, living her life mostly on pills and gravitating towards everything that can destruct her is the quintessential angsty teenager whom doesn’t know what’s best for her. Ayesha Kanga as Yashika is probably a character I hate with a burning passion. Being absolutely vile and unbearable whenever she comes in the frame, a testament to how well the actor has portrayed the character. The dynamics and commentary is something that I am going to tell you in a bit but more on why the series became a mixed bag eventually! Lack of Conviction in Dark Elements: One of the most striking qualities of Elite as a show was that it made you believe the dark side of the characters, that side which can flip at any moment and lead to catastrophic decisions that change their lives forever. I dont know whether it was the writing in the indian show or the portrayals of the characters, something I couldn’t necessarily pin point but there is a lack of conviction when the indian show treads towards the darker more sinister parts of the show. Is the caricaturist portrayal of the investigation of students? Is it the poor staging of the climax? Is it the case of new faces not having the ability to really channelise obsession and what it can lead to? It can be a combination of several things but as the show drew closer to its conclusion, I felt as if they couldn’t hit a home run with the motive and execution as Elite did so convincingly. Dynamics & Commentary: The reason why Class mostly worked for me despite its flaws was because its gets its commentary on prejudice, religion and class bang on. You’re looking at a character like Saba immediately judged for her appearance and faith, the cast of those whom are investigated is constantly brought up, being pointed out as the part of the problem in the first place by the police officers as well as the students. How dare these second class citizens think of jelling with us! Similarly the dynamic of Gurfateh and Piyush as Neeraj and Dheeraj, the sibling dynamic works really well in the film. Dheeraj wanting a brighter future for himself and Neeraj, reminding him of the dark and twisted of the rich and powerful. Their constant back and forth is an example of young talent really honing in on their parts and shining thereafter. This is also true for Veer and Saba and the evolution of their relationship, being heartfelt and brilliantly performed by the two actors. The relationship between Faruq and Dhruv really hits home, being superior to the dynamic in Elite as well as it combines Faruq’s pragmatism that kicks in knowing that the relationship does not have a future, owing to his faith and family situation and Dhruv’s idealism that mostly stems from the prievelge he comes from. Their dynamic is probably the strongest feature of the series, a case of representation, the fear of coming out and the labels one places and the conflicts that arise for simply minding their own business. Class does falter along the way as the episodes progress but is no way a shit show as people want to portray on social media, sadly in some cases just dismissing it only because its a remake of Elite. Its actually adapted well in the indian context and provides and interesting commentary of the young demographic, their priorities and what they struggle with the most, while wanting to fit in and belong.