'Class of '83' review: Another addition to the long list of vigilante justice plot line

Class of 83 is a suspense thriller based on vigilante justice and cop-gangster motif. The movie was dropped on Netflix earlier today. It is the third collaboration of Netflix with Red Chillies Entertainment after Bard of Blood and Betaal. Here is the review of Class of 83.

• Director: Atul Sabharwal
• Cast: Bobby Deol, Joy Sengupta, Vishwajeet Pradhan, Anup Soni, Bhupendra Jadawat, Sameer Paranjape, Ninad Mahajani, Prithvik Pratap, Hitesh Bhojraj, Ravi Singh
• Producer: Red Chillies Entertainment
• Where to watch: Netflix

Class of 83 plot

Image credit: Bobby Deol Instagram

Class of 83 begins with policeman receiving a punishment posting and sent to Nasik. He joins the post of Dean in the city's police training academy. While working away in daily drudgery he suffers from the aftereffects of a personal tragedy and also from the setback of his professional life. But five backbenchers of the academy soon draw his attention within whom he recognises the virtues of smartness, loyalty and want for independence. 

After his encounter with them, the group soon becomes part of a secret squad who works hard to eliminate crime from Mumbai city. They form a hindrance to the illegal and criminal activities of many politicians and corrupts police officers. However, the greed of easy money and power tests the virtues of even the most righteous policemen and their entire journey constitutes the plot of Class of 83. 

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Class of 83 review

Class of 83 is loosely based on a novel of S. Hussain Zaidi called The Class of '83: The Punishers Of Mumbai Police. It forms a fictional story using many real-life incidents of the 80s India. These include the Punjab terrorism, AK47s finding its way to Mumbai, Datta Samant and struggle of the cotton mill workers, ‘Naik and the Kalsekar’ gang and finally, Dubai emerging as a favourite place of the mobs. The setting of Class of 83 is the 80s and the theme runs throughout the movie from poster to cinematography. 

What works?

Bobby Deol's acting is what works best for this kind-of cliched plot. His serious and righteous police officer, Vijay Singh who has to bear the brunt of his senior's corruption, is almost pleasing to the eye. Barring a few lacklustre scenes, Bobby Deol no doubt seems to have come a long way from his previous uniformed characters like Tango Charlie. Among all the corruption and decay in 80s Mumbai, Vijay Singh somehow seems to hold his head high and fight by means of vigilante justice.

The rest of the Class of 83 cast is also to be hailed for lending beautiful support to the plot. Joy Sengupta as DGP Raghav Desai is like a foil to Bobby Deol. Vishwajeet Pradhan as a police academy instructor comes with his own package of brilliant acting. Anup Soni as the corrupt politician once again win hearts after another noteworthy performance in Raat Akeli Hai in a similar role. The debutant cadets of the Nasik police academy also have delivered a noteworthy performance. 

Another brilliant aspect of the Class of 83 is the amazing details with which the 80s environment is recreated. The sepia-tint further adds to the magic of the cinematography. Not to mention the props like posters of Hero, Justice Chaudhury and Nastik at a random bus stop. 

What doesn't?

What mostly does not work is that director Atul Sabharwal moves too swiftly from one scene to another. While one is yet to appreciate the brilliance of a scene, the next comes in distracting the audience. Unfortunately, he seems to be in a tremendous rush to complete his plotline. 

Another thing that does not work out for Class of 83 is that the movie takes on many cliched cop-gangster. Also, verbal encounters seem more frequent than the action ones. This adds to the lacklustre quality of the movie which follows historical events propelled by violence. 

Reviewer Rating: 3.5/5

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