Movie Review: Class of 83 – A tiresome action thriller

Class of 83, a Netflix original, bankrolled by Red Chillies Entertainment is available for streaming from today. The Bobby Deol starrer is based on a book titled ‘The class of ’83’ written by S Hussain Zaidi and is directed by Atul Sabharwal.

Story: Vijay Singh(Bobby Dheol), the Dean of a police training camp in Nashik, is a fierce cop. He trains a group of five policemen in order to take on the mafia groups which, boosted by political bigwigs, lead the underworld. Can this police squad take on the immensely powerful Mumbai underworld? How does this challenging journey affect their personal lives? The rest of the plotline unravels these questions.

How about on-screen performances?

Bobby Deol looks settled in the role of a senior cop. His portrayal of a strict cop who had suffered a tragic loss while he put his life on the line for the sake of duty is good. He carries the passive aggressive attitude quite well.

Bhupendra Jadawat, Hitesh Bhojraj, Sameer Paranjape, Ninad Mahajani, and Prithvik Prathap are seen in the roles of the secretly trained 5-men squad. They fit the bill perfectly and deliver impressive performances as ruthless Mumbai cops. The rest of the star cast make brief appearances and are decent in their respective roles.

How about off-screen performances?

The story deals with the Mumbai underworld and the way in which Mumbai police try to eradicate the mafia culture. There were numerous films with a similar set-up till date. However, Class of 83 has a good premise and a promising plotline as it showcases the brainchild of senior officer Ajay Singh who trains 5 young policemen to tackle the mafia situation. But sadly, the director Atul Sabharwal fails miserably when it comes to narrating the story in an intriguing manner. His treatment is lethargic and the tempo of the film is flat all the way through. Unconvincing sequences and poor screenplay further add to the long list of flaws in the film.

The film keeps switching between the 80’s timelines, but not a single one of them evokes interest. There is nothing much to speak about the cinematography or music either as both these aspects are pretty ordinary. The way in which a 5-men police squad take on Mumbai underworld could have been narrated in a much much better manner and Atul has wasted a good opportunity here.

What’s hot?

• Bobby Dheol’s performance
• Basic plotline

What’s not?

• Poor screenplay
• Lethargic narration
• Lack of thrilling elements
• No novelty
• Predictable climax

Verdict: Class of 83 offers has a promising plotline but the poorly written sequences and bumpy narrative make it a tiresome watch. The subplots in the film are poorly executed and they add no real value or novelty to the proceedings. The film ends on a very predictable note as well.

Watch or not: You can give this film a skip.

Rating: 1.5/5