School of Lies

This series isn't for the faint hearted. Only people with depth and intelligence will be able to understand the essence of this show. The trailer exhibits an air of thriller and suspense however, it runs way deep. The series not only is gripping and intense but also show a whirlwind of human emotions and dynamics. It addresses the impact of child abuse and the trauma that is carried through life.

Fear, shame, guilt and regret, such emotions are expressed with such subtle intensity that makes one wonder. The actors have done a fabulous work, and the writer has left an indelible mark.

The way the characters are depicted is phenomenal. Like I said, it isn't for the weak. This show forces you to think about everything that's messed up and normalized in the current scenario. It makes you question the moral compass, the boundaries one creates, the definition of love and everything that comes with it. It's raw, unapologetic and makes your skin crawl with disbelief.

The writing of the show displays the conundrum between right and wrong, good and bad. It is bold and explicit. Unlike other shows where the sexual content is obnoxiously displayed under the garb of creativity. This show addresses the social issues with much more empathy and compassion. Yet, leaving the audience with goosebumps.

I recommend this show to anyone who has the courage to sit through a rollercoaster ride of intense human emotions and understand deeply the need for having more such shows that reflect the truth of the society we live in today.

In the fictional Dalton Town, at the fictional RISE boarding school, a regular day turns into a crisis when the house master notices that a child has been absent. The disappearance of seventh-grader Shakti Salgaonkar is just the start of the drama and suspense that is about to rattle the foundations of this all-boys private educational institution, with a master's daughter as the only female student.

Intercutting the search for Shakti (Vir Pachisia) and his parents' anguish is the story of two seniors who are burdened by their own complex secrets. Final year students Vikram (Varin Roopani) and TK (Aryan Singh Ahlawat) are being mentored by their housemaster Sam (Aamir Bashir). As they navigate the delicate balance of life in boarding school, Vikram and TK are making some questionable and dangerous choices along the way.

School counsellor Nandita (Nimrat Kaur) tries to assist with the investigation. Her methods at building a psychological profile of Shakti or making any headway are set aside when the screenplay decides instead to focus on Nandita's own ghosts and emotional vacuity.

As is expected in a boarding school that thrives on discipline and hierarchy, there are plenty of rules, hence plenty of rules for the boarders to break, sometimes with the blessings of the faculty. A staffer moonlights as a drug peddler. There is another side-bar about trafficking of various kinds.

School of Lies (Disney+ Hotstar) is high on atmospherics. Director Avinash Arun Dhaware (Killa, Paatal Lok) immerses you into a campus that serves as a microcosm of very big issues.

The motive behind Shakti's disappearance is revealed midway. Dhaware, who has also co-created and filmed the eight-episode series, is in great command over the suspenseful and macabre moments.

But the human stories run shallow, and the script repeats whodunit similitudes. The script (Ishani Banerjee, Nishant Agarwala, Shoaib Nazeer) tries to create a diversion, succeeding partially until it loads the dysfunctional with so much damage that our sympathies shift to impatience.

School of Lies abounds with characters who have PTSD responses or need to exorcise their ghosts. Joy is fleeting, with brief moments of magic, such as jumping across a broken bridge, listening to fables about the forest or a game of football.

Dysfunction is endemic, most quantifiable in the defective hiring practices. At least half the staff is ill-qualified to shepherd impressionable, lonely, often broken children living away from home and families. Shakti's disappearance brings down a house of cards. Yet, the police investigation, headed by Varun (Hemant Kher), has a job on its hands eking out the truth.

No one is beyond blame - neither the teachers, students or parents. Even Shakti's mother Trish (Geetika Vidya Ohlyan) and Vikram's widowed parent Pallavi (Sonali Kulkarni) are carrying unhealed scars. The mid-series arrival of a sadistic former student, whose behaviour captures an all-boys boarding school's tradition of bullying and harassment, shakes things up.

Aamir Bashir in School of Lies (2023) /Disney+ Hotstar In the fictional Dalton Town, at the fictional RISE boarding school, a regular day turns into a crisis when the house master notices that a child has been absent. The disappearance of seventh-grader Shakti Salgaonkar is just the start of the drama and suspense that is about to rattle the foundations of this all-boys private educational institution, with a master's daughter as the only female student.

Intercutting the search for Shakti (Vir Pachisia) and his parents' anguish is the story of two seniors who are burdened by their own complex secrets. Final year students Vikram (Varin Roopani) and TK (Aryan Singh Ahlawat) are being mentored by their housemaster Sam (Aamir Bashir). As they navigate the delicate balance of life in boarding school, Vikram and TK are making some questionable and dangerous choices along the way.

School counsellor Nandita (Nimrat Kaur) tries to assist with the investigation. Her methods at building a psychological profile of Shakti or making any headway are set aside when the screenplay decides instead to focus on Nandita's own ghosts and emotional vacuity.

As is expected in a boarding school that thrives on discipline and hierarchy, there are plenty of rules, hence plenty of rules for the boarders to break, sometimes with the blessings of the faculty. A staffer moonlights as a drug peddler. There is another side-bar about trafficking of various kinds.

Nimrat Kaur in School of Lies (2023). Courtesy BBC Studios/Disney+ Hotstar.

School of Lies (Disney+ Hotstar) is high on atmospherics. Director Avinash Arun Dhaware (Killa, Paatal Lok) immerses you into a campus that serves as a microcosm of very big issues.

The motive behind Shakti's disappearance is revealed midway. Dhaware, who has also co-created and filmed the eight-episode series, is in great command over the suspenseful and macabre moments.

But the human stories run shallow, and the script repeats whodunit similitudes. The script (Ishani Banerjee, Nishant Agarwala, Shoaib Nazeer) tries to create a diversion, succeeding partially until it loads the dysfunctional with so much damage that our sympathies shift to impatience.

School of Lies abounds with characters who have PTSD responses or need to exorcise their ghosts. Joy is fleeting, with brief moments of magic, such as jumping across a broken bridge, listening to fables about the forest or a game of football.

Dysfunction is endemic, most quantifiable in the defective hiring practices. At least half the staff is ill-qualified to shepherd impressionable, lonely, often broken children living away from home and families. Shakti's disappearance brings down a house of cards. Yet, the police investigation, headed by Varun (Hemant Kher), has a job on its hands eking out the truth.

No one is beyond blame - neither the teachers, students or parents. Even Shakti's mother Trish (Geetika Vidya Ohlyan) and Vikram's widowed parent Pallavi (Sonali Kulkarni) are carrying unhealed scars. The mid-series arrival of a sadistic former student, whose behaviour captures an all-boys boarding school's tradition of bullying and harassment, shakes things up.

But the shifts between linear and non-linear storytelling do not serve the complexity of the world and the emotional fragility of the characters. Nandita, as the keeper of secrets, emerges as the most complex character.

The show emphasises the danger of unresolved issues, childhood trauma and proclivity for repeated behavioural patterns, but opts for visual impact and specific surprise, padding the narrative with surplus characters and side plots. The lead performances are moving, particularly Bashir, Kaur, Nitin Goel, Roopani and Ahlawat.

Absolutely loved this show. Noteworthy points :-

1. Direction is slick. In most suspense serial, a strong storyline must be supported by food direction. This show delivers on that front.

2. Storyline has many layers & writer has intertwined them very well .

3. Screenplay is smooth. Never a moment where show would feel lethargic. Length of episodes is kept at 35 minutes 4. Scenic location - Cinematography is brilliant. This show has been shot in stupendously beautiful locations.

5. Plethora of sensitive issues touched upon which grace.

6. Nimrit Kaur gives an amazing performance.

A wonderful watch .

Sameer lodaya

The makers here have shown a hostel and what students and teachers do and what it ends up

The content is as simple as shown in the teaser of a missing boy from a hostel and how other stories are linked with the missing..the series started at a good note but then from the 4 th episode it seems they were dragging the main content with other stories which had completely no connection with the missing boy..the series is extremely slow in 8 long episodes...the climax what we waited for was such a loose one and unfolded that it feels a lot of time was wasted

Amir , nimrat, Sonali, Hemant all were wasted by giving small roles these actors are meant to play strong lead roles..the boys played a good role like vir aryan Varin divyansh and parthiv

The bad luck of this series is that it was released with 2 big series scoop and asur 2 so was kept aside.

Web series review: School of Lies streaming on Disney+ Hotstar

Set in the fictional Dalton Town nestled in the hills, the disappearance of a 12 year old boy Shakti from the prestigious RISE boarding school rocks the entire town with the police twiddling their thumbs, clueless about the whereabouts of the boy. Will they succeed in finding Shakti especially when there are so many myths and stories concocted about his behaviour and character by his friends and seniors. There is also a parallel plot of some wrong doings ( won't reveal much !!) going on in the school (drugs, illicit sex etc).

The cast is the strong point of this series with Nimrat Kaur ( as the student counselor) , Amir Bashir( a housemaster at RISE) , Vir Pachasia ( the kid who has played Shakti) & the 2 seniors TK & Vikram have really done full justice to their roles.

The damp, gloomy, foggy ambience in the hills goes a long way in creating a spooky vibe that is essential for the for plot.

The story however moves at a snails pace and gets very tedious to watch at times. Yawn alert!! Could have been a bit fast paced. People who like "slowburn's" will enjoy it though.

8 episodes are a bit too many for this series which should've ended in perhaps 6.

Worth a dekho !! Not the greatest, but not bad either!!

Going with 3/5 for this one .. adios 🙂

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