Prestige comes with a price. It puts the price in the light of a microscope and ignites it. Three scholarship students pass through the doors at Hampton International -the most exclusive school in Delhi and they don’t carry backpacks. They bring caste, debt secrets, caste and a form of India that the halls weren’t designed to witness. The encounter is immediate thrilling, intoxicating and ultimately fatal. It’s not a drama for teens that revolves around prom dates. It’s about who will be a part of the community, who gets the blame, and how quickly privilege is turned into power games.
Cast and Crew
The Indian adaptation of the Spanish popular Elite brought a new explosion of talent, with each actor embodied by the racial divides which drive the plot:
Main Cast
- Piyush Khati in the role of Dheeraj Kumar Valmiki-Three scholarship recipients; quietly, hardworking and awed by Suhani
- Gurfateh Pirzada Neeraj Kumar Valmiki Dheeraj’s elder brother who was released from jail, rebellious and guardian
- Cwaayal Singh Balram “Balli”Patwal — Third scholarship student; friendly fun, easygoing, instantly attracted by Koel
- Anjali Sivaraman Suhani AhujaSuhani Ahuja Veer’s sister; rich, rebellious, love-interest for each Neeraj and Dheeraj
- Zeyn Shaw plays Veer AhujaSuhani’s younger brother as well as volatile and entitled
- Madhyama Segal Saba Manzoor-A scholarship student the daughter of Kashmiri immigrants and a principled academic. is a victim of Islamophoba
- Chintan Rachchh as Faruq Manzoor— Saba’s brother.
- Ayesha Kanga as Yashika Mehta— Hampton elite
- Chayan Chopra as Dhruv Sanghvi— Privileged student
- Naina Bhan, as Koel KalraKoel Kalrapopular, dating Sharan
- Moses Koul as Sharan GujralKoul’s longtime partner
Supporting Cast
- Ratnabali Bhattacharjee as Vandana SanghviPrincipal of the school
- Chandan Anand plays Suraj Ahuja-Suraj Ahuja as Chandan Anand Veer and Suhani’s father.
- Rohit Singh plays Manni Peer in the group dynamics
- Ketan Singh plays Deven Sanghvi-tied to school administration
Crew
- Directed by Ashim Ahluwalia, Gul Dharmani, Kabir Mehta
- Screenplay by Kersi Khambatta
- Story by Ashim Ahluwalia, Bhaskar Hazarika, Indra Bisht, Kashyap Kapoor, Raghav Kakkar
- Executive Producer: Ashim Ahluwalia
- Producers: Mautik Tolia, Persis Siganporia, Sukesh Motwani, Niharika Singh
- Music by Nayantara Bhatkal, Aditya N., Tubby
- Cinematography: Alana Mejia Gonzalez, Kyle Macfadzean, Michael Filocamo, Tapan Tushar Basu
- Editors: Deepa Bhatia, Utsav Bhagat
- Produced by Bodhi Tree Multimedia, Future East Film
The series was Netflix’s first Indian adaptation of a title that was international, featuring Bodhitree Multimedia banking on newcomers to lead the story.
OTT Platform
Class is available exclusively exclusively on Netflix. The show was launched the the 3rd of February, 2023 with Season 1 and will be available for the entire the 8 seasons at
once. Each episode runs 44-59 minutes. The show is available bilingual in Hindi as well as English and comes with an an official certificate.
Story and Premise
Class is the Indian remake of the popular Spanish-language show “Elite.”. When their school is destroyed three students from the working class — the trio of Dheeraj Saba Bali and Balli are awarded the opportunity to attend Hampton International Academy, one of Delhi’s top schools.
Hope is met with hostility on the first day. The most prestigious students – Veer, Suhani, Koel, Sharan, Yashika, Dhruv — are tolerant of newcomers. What begins as bullying, insults, and cultural conflict turns into love, drugs as well as betrayal and murder.
A mysterious death on campus prompts an intricate investigation that frame the entire season. Dheeraj explores his desire for Suhani as he protects his family members: his alcohol-dependent father and former convict brother Neeraj who is settling his on debts from prison. Saba who is barred from wearing her hijab faces Islamophobia, while becoming close to Veer. Balli hosts events where spiked drinks and secrets blur the lines among Koel Sharan and Koel. Sharan.
The show weaves personal lives made into public life, caste prejudice sexuality, gender politics, sexuality and the wealth gap into a suspenseful format.
What Makes It Stand Out
Class is a good choice because it doesn’t want to clean.
- The Raw Social Commentary It deals with castinges, Islamophobia, queerness, and the wealth gapwithout any soft edges.
- The Newcomer Energy The ensemble of debutants – – Piyush Khati, Gurfateh Pirzada, Madhyama Segal — has unpolished energy that is real and authentic.
- Murder Mystery Format Each episode reveals motives while examining how privilege shields some while leaving others exposed.
- A stoic tone Drugs, sex blackmail, betrayal and other sex are captured with stunning brutality that is in line with the Elite‘s DNA, but grounded in Delhi’s social code.
Reception and Audience Appeal
The show has an 6.2/10 IMDb rating from 4.3K viewers and received praise for its storyline and the casting. The murder, drama and romance mix that drew the attention of everyone around the world. Producer Mautik Tolia praised the team’s dedication and the impact of their debut.
It is appealing to:
- People who love crime dramas and teens thrillers
- Viewers who are interested in caste, class, and gender-based politics
- The audience from Elitecurious regarding their experience with Indian cultural translation
Final Thoughts
Class is more about the people who created it and more about how the system allowed it to be possible. Thanks to Ashim Ahluwalia’s direction as well as a young and spirited cast, it transforms the corridor of a high school into a battlefield that spans the deepest divisions in India. It’s messy, addictive and a bit uncomfortable -and that’s exactly why it’s impossible to stop.
