'Class' review: A thriller that exposes elitism in posh schools

Class

Hindi (Series/Netflix)

Director: Ashim Ahluwalia

Cast: Moses Koul, Gurfateh Pirzada, Anjali Sivaraman, Zeyn Shaw

Rating: 3/5

The teenage crime thriller Class is the Hindi adaptation of the Spanish Netflix series Elite. The show is set in a posh Delhi school. It revolves around three disadvantaged students enrolled there, given their unavoidable circumstances.

The title alludes to the pupils’ socio-economic status and the prevailing culture of elitism at their institute.

The show is directed by Ashim Ahluwalia, Gul Dharmani and Kabir Mehta. It stars Moses Koul, Gurfateh Pirzada, Anjali Sivaraman, Zeyn Shaw, Piyush Khati, and many more.

The series focuses primarily on school kids and may give off Karan Johar flicks’ vibes at first, but viewers are in for a pleasant surprise — the thriller not only remarks on the hardships of today’s youth but also subtly comments on classism, casteism, and religious biases, ignorance in the privileged class, sexuality, struggles of Kashmiri migrants in the ‘mainland’, the shady ways of politicians and corporations, and the system of governance as a whole.

While the main plot centres on a murder mystery, the subplots involve teenage pregnancy, unrequited crushes and affairs, a queer relationship, and the students’ pasts. However, so many subplots may confuse the audience.

The original 2018 Spanish series was acclaimed as a phenomenal thriller, but the Hindi version seems a bit over the top and implausible.

The visuals and music complement the show’s young vibe well. In addition, the costume design team deserves all the accolades. The show’s production quality is on par with any of the top global OTT shows.

Class, so far, has just one season on Netflix, but Elite has six. Although the final episode of Class ends on a cliffhanger, there are enough signs throughout the show to suggest that there will be more seasons.