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Bollywood star Bobby Deol makes his OTT debut with Class of 83, a Netflix film that is produced by Shah Rukh Khan's Red Chillies Entertainment. Directed by Atul Sabharwal, Class of 83 is based on S Hussain Zaidi's S Hussain Zaidi's The Class of 83: The Punishers of Mumbai Police. While the book is based on real-life events, the movie is a fictionalised version of the encounter specialists came into force during the turbulent '80s. Five newcomers -Bhupendra Jadawat, Sameer Paranjape, Ninad Mahajani, Prithvik Pratap, and Hitesh Bhojraj - alsy play the leads in the film. Class of 83 Movie Review: A Pensive Bobby Deol and the Talented Newcomers Fight a Hard Battle Against Hazy Writing and Rushed Editing.
Bobby Deol plays Vijay Singh, a beleaguered cop in the force who is demoted to be the dean in a police training academy in 1982. His credentials are already in awe in the academy, especially with the five underdogs in the batch. Vijay cherry-picks these five and trains them as encounter specialists, without making it obvious, so that once they are in the force, they can take down the dreaded Kalsekar gang.
Class of 83 gets a realistic treatment, but its rushed pacing, especially in the second half, hampers both the character and the plot development. Bobby Deol fans would be surprised that the actor's screentime isn't that much - a hint that was there in the trailer. Instead the focus is more on the young actors, and they, thankfully, revel in the spotlight. Class of 83: Shah Rukh Khan Shares His Excitement To See Bobby Deol As Dean Vijay Singh In This BTS Video!
There is a technical finesse in Class of '83, and nods to the era gone by, that is appreciable. From a Chacha Chaudhary reference to a Justice Chaudhary poster, there are some interesting Easter Eggs. What's more, Class of 83 itself bears a close resemblance to one of Hindi Cinema's biggest films, Sholay. Here are five moments in the film that feel like a sly tribute to Ramesh Sippy's magnum opus. Needless to say, HUGE SPOILERS AHEAD!
Family Troubles
In Sholay, Thakur loses his family to Gabbar's men and guns, who are killed as revenge for Thakur arresting him. Class of 83 may have no such scene, but Vijay Singh loses his men in a shootout while trying to capture Kalsekar. He was also not present during his wife's surgery, because the operation was happening the same time, thus not being there in her last moments. His son begins distancing himself from Vijay for latter ditching his mother over his job. So in a way, Vijay Singh lost his family too in his attempt to nab his 'Gabbar'.
Clipped Hands
Thakur loses his hands when he goes after Gabbar in his attempt to avenge his murdered family. In Class of 83, when Vijay Singh finds out that the CM is behind Kalsekar's escape, he is shunted to the training academy, thus rendering him powerless.
Jais and Veerus
To take down Gabbar, Thakur creates his own two-man army in choosing Jai and Veeru, two criminals who have their own ingenuity and skills. In his eyes, they are do-gooders who may not adhere to society's benchmarks of an ideal citizens, but their gutsy nature and loyalty to each other is what makes Thakur choose them to capture Gabbar.
Similarly, in a batch of many police aspirants, Vijay chooses five underdogs in Vishnu Varde (Hitesh Bhojraj), Pramod Shukla (Bhupendra Jadawat), Lakshman Jadhav (Ninad Mahajani), Janardan Surve (Prithvik Pratap) and Aslam Khan (Sameer Paranjape), for the same reason as Jai and Veeru. Interestingly, Veeru was played by Dharmendra, who you know, of course, as Bobby Deol's father.
Losing Jai
Between Jai and Veeru, it is the former who is the more straightforward, no-nonsense guy. Unfortunately he is killed, sacrificing his life while trying to save his friend and the latter's girlfriend.
Aslam becomes Jai's counterpart, the most honest among Singh's elite squad. He is also unfortunately the only casualty among the protagonists, killed by the villain's gang, in a scene similar to Michael Douglas' Black Rain, where Andy Garcia's character is killed.
Interestingly, Aslam was with his fiancee when he was baited by Kalsekar's gang to chase after them in a desolate spot where he gets murdered. In Sholay, Thakur agrees for Jai's marriage with his widowed daughter-in-law Radha, before he gets killed.
Taking Down the Gabbar
Embittered by his dear friend's death, Veeru goes on to take Gabbar single-handedly, before Thakur joins in and beats him black and blue (or should I say, kicks him black and blue!). Aslam's death triggers the rest of his friends to reunite with their mentor to take down Kalsekar, first by baiting him to come to India, and then routing him down. Unlike Sholay, though, where Gabbar is left for the mercy of the law, Kalsekar is killed by Vijay Singh, thus living upto the theme of the film.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 21, 2020 10:59 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
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