Cadets (Season 1)
Introduction
There was a sort of a pride in me when I was witness to Hrithik Roshan’s performance in Lakshya in 2004. The impressionable teenager in me was in absolute awe of the story that did come at a point when I was in school and aimless, just like the protagonist in the film. And while I didn’t quite flirt with the idea of being in the Armed Forces, the portions in Lakshya depicting the cadets life was both amusing and fulfilling, in what was a life turning moment for the protagonist. From then, there has always been a sense of fascination around the army but more importantly the immaculate journey of boys turning into men with discipline. I have always maintained that the one thing that folks in this country can borrow from the Indian Army is discipline. The aim for perfection by setting the most monotonous routine is probably the hardest thing to do even in our daily lives, something that we must all learn from the Indian Army. So keeping the cadet life in mind, I was quite looking forward to the new Hindi show Cadets which was streaming on Jio Cinema. Packaged as a slice of life drama centered around the freshly recruited cadets of the Indian Military Academy (changed as Armed Forces Academy on the show) was a story that I was willing to buy and invest in. So then does the first season of Cadets manage to shine, let’s find out.
Story & Screenplay
The year is 1997 just before the onset of the Kargil war wherein freshly recruited 16 year olds who set foot in the National Defence Academy. And this coming of age tale redefines their journey where these boys become men. Now the premise of the tale is definitely exciting given that it is packaged as a slice of life story. But having said that, the writing isn’t as memorable as it ought to have been almost fragmenting the drama into chapters with a loose thread linking each episode. And within that space the drama is watchable alright but never rises to its full potential while maintaining its mid-levels through its screenplay standing at 8 episodes of roughly 30 odd minutes each. But the flip side of the argument is that the tone is light and breezy that makes the show watchable.
The drama begins with a brief introduction of the central protagonists who are on the cusp of entering a new phase in their lives while getting admission into the Armed Forces Academy. And through their gaze, even the viewers are familiarized of the new setting that involves not only getting acquainted with their seniors but the setting of the academy that demands a new and disciplined lifestyle. I did feel though that this was as much a character driven narrative as it was a situational slice of life drama, and while it does decent with the latter, it definitely doesn’t lay out its characters with precision. As a result, it becomes slightly difficult to invest on the emotional journey of the characters through their actions that eventually limits the growth of the show.
One thing that the show does get decently right is the tone and the mood of the drama. There is a frothy nostalgia of the era of the late 90s even as a character gifts a mixtape to his girlfriend, or a general consensus of communicating with each other in general as opposed to smartphones that were unheard of back in the day. And the leisurely pace of the show does make for a relaxed viewing while as the drama jumps from one event to another that is accounted for the growth of the characters. One of the themes of the show is friendship, and I quite liked the partly competitive but sweet camaraderie between the boys that also accounts for some moments of fun along the way. Even unity originates as a byproduct of this friendship that is highlighted.
This said, there are no highs in the drama even with the backdrop of the war of ’99, that supposedly should have had a higher impact on the psyche of the characters and its viewers. But just as you feel disconnected, the drama compensates with an interesting incident and gets back your attention. And this pattern is repeated throughout the show that isn’t too good nor too bad, just mid thereby summing up its screenplay that is decent but definitely nothing beyond that.
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues were a tricky proposition given that they needed to be in sync with the lingo of the late 90s while also being an active part of the Gen Ys of that era. And while the humour element in the drama falls a little flat, the conversations still are decent and make for a decently engaging watch. The BGM doesn’t quite give a rousing feeling to the viewers while being quite forgettable here. A central theme with different renditions was the need of the hour here, something that was missing. Likewise, the cinematography comprises of frames that are just about decent although a lot more could have been explored through the frames, for instance the mental psyche of the characters during their lows. Director Vishwajoy Mukherjee does a decent job here by keeping the tone of the drama light and frothy with a tinge of nostalgia to accompany the narrative. While he doesn’t quite dwell into the psyche of the characters, there is a sense of sweetness and a sense of leisure to the drama that makes it refreshing. His direction surely doesn’t move mountains and is not memorable, but it still ends up being watchable.
Performances
The performances are decent by a bunch of talented performers. Ritu Sharma and Neha Tomar have a good screen presence and they manage to leave a mark despite a limited screen time. Pooja Rawat as Suzie and Shubroy Chowdhury as Kaustubh have their moments to shine. Ankit Arora as Jeet was the standout performer for me wherein he gets his demeanor and body language absolutely spot on here. Jaipreet Singh as Major Sabharwal and Rajesh Balachandiran as Natrajan are excellent in their respective roles and both of them manage to leave a mark. Ria Nalavade as Koel is pretty good and adds a layer of positivity through the effervescence of her character. Gautam Gujjar as Neeraj does a good job here despite the writing not allowing his performance to fully bloom. Tushar Shahi as Albert has an easy going charm to his personality and he does a decent job too. Chayan Chopra as Randhir has a good personality and he does a fine job here while having a decent character arc to play with. Tanay Chheda (you may have seen him in Taare Zameen Par and SRK’s Don) as Manoj has an aura of innocence and grit ingrained in his character that can differentiate between what is right and wrong. And he does well to communicate these intended emotions through his character.
Conclusion
The first season of Cadets is a simple coming of age drama with decent performances. It doesn’t move mountains nor is it quite momorable but there is an inherent innocence and simplicity that drives the narrative here. The drama isn’t too good nor is it too bad, in fact it is mid-tier that makes for a decent watch, overall. Available on Jio Cinema.
