With no signs of a Covid-19 slowdown and subsequently theatres still closed, it is raining premieres on various OTT platforms. And I have just finished watching, Class Of ’83, one of the 17 originals announced by Netflix. Its trailer looked extremely promising with you being transported back into the 80s where Mumbai was a hub of crime. Is the movie as promising, lets find out.

Based on a best seller of the same name penned by Hussain Zaidi, Class Of ’83 is the story of a training police officer at a police academy that backs five rookies to wipe out the underworld of Mumbai back in the 80s. The story had all the ingredients of a thrilling crime drama. Sadly, the screenplay is way too patchy. There are two major flaws in the screenplay. Firstly, the entire drama is just scratched on the surface and at no point deep dives into it which would have ensured a layered narration. Secondly, lack of a threatening opposition where an antagonist is just named throughout the film, yet he is not shown thereby diluting the drama. Also, the finale shootout is all too bland and required that buildup to set the stage on fire. But on the positive side, the screenplay also has moments of brilliance featuring certain chase sequences and the outstanding opening act. Also, the retro yet pulsating BGM and the outstanding production design make this a technically strong film. The dialogues are good but none are memorable. Director Atul Sabharwal has done a good job in the direction department, however you so wish he had been a little consistent with the drama.

Vishwajeet Pradhan as Mangesh and Geetika Tyagi as Sudha have their moments to shine. Anup Soni as Mahohar Patkar the corrupt politician is good but wish his character was a little more developed. Joy Sengupta as Raghav is good. But the stars of the show are the five debutants and Bobby Deol. Sameer Paranjape as Aslam is extremely sincere. Ninad Mahajani as Jadhav is effective. Prithvik Pratap as Surve is pretty good. Bhupendra Jadawat as Shukla is outstanding and one to watch out in the future. His partner in crime Hitesh Bhojraj is such a natural and has a bright future ahead of him. And the veteran Bobby Deol as Vijay Singh in his second innings shines and how. Right from the way he mouths every dialogue to the long and prolonged silences, the man is back in form! Also, this is an example of smart casting and wish to see him in many such roles.

Class of ’83 is a technically sound film with stellar performances. But some sloppy writing restrict it to a one time watch. Available on Netflix.