Cla$$: Netflix’s new teen drama explores the realities of India’s caste struggles

‘Cla$$’ dives into the issues of Islamophobia, queer repression, bigotry and the socioeconomic differences between people from different caste structures. Peony Hirwani speaks to the cast

The cast of Netflix’s Cla$$ (Netflix)

An Indian adaptation of a Spanish drama series exploring societal hierarchy in the intersection of caste, class and privilege among students in a fictional school set in the heart of capital Delhi has kicked up a buzz on social media.

Netflix India’s Cla$$, the Hindi adaptation of the hit Spanish series Elite, follows the lives of three working-class students – Neeraj, Sabha, and Balli – who win scholarships to attend one of New Delhi’s most prestigious schools.

After the murder of a wealthy child named Suhani, excitement quickly turns to dread as they find themselves caught in a web of class warfare, secrets, and betrayal.

While the series is familiar to Elite, it addresses a variety of controversial issues that students in urban India face. From the get-go, Cla$$ dives into the issues of Islamophobia, queer repression, abortion, bigotry, religious dogma, and the socioeconomic and cultural differences between people from different caste structures.

Director Ashim Ahluwalia makes the country’s wealth disparity the show’s premise, refusing to hide the ugly reality.

Moses Koul and Naina Bhan in Netflix’s Cla$$ (Netflix )

The director held auditions for a number of actors for more than a year. Of those, 11 newcomers were chosen, including Piyush Khati, Gurfateh Pirzada, Anjali Sivaraman, Madhyama Segal, Cwayaal Singh, Ayesha Kanga, Chayan Chopra, Chintan Rachchh, Naina Bhan, Moses Koul, and Zeyn Shaw.

All actors except Pirzada, Chopra, and Sivaraman kick off their acting career with this show. They’re shown off in the series’ pilot, where they manage to find their own niche through effective performances. Balli, played by Singh, makes an immediate impression as the confident one, while Koul and Shaw’s characters know no boundaries of their privilege. Bhan and Kanga’s characters are the mean girls of the fictional Hampton High School, and others, like Chopra and Segal, deliver arcs that are more emotionally driven.

Speaking of her experience shooting for Cla$$, 30-year-old Bhan tells The Independent that she was initially informed she is “too old” to play the role of Koel in the series. However, when she informed the producers that her upbringing is comparable to that of her character, they allowed her to audition for the role.

“Everything that happens in Cla$$ exists in real life,” Bhan says. She spent her school years with the wealthy one per cent of New Delhi’s population and admitted that it was “scary and gross”.

Pirzada adds, “The gap between the rich and the poor in Delhi is huge.”

The Bedhadak star says: “These schools exist. I’ve personally been to a school like that. I had students around me who were incredibly rich, and used to exercise their privilege so much that it was outright ugly from an outside perspective.”

Gurfateh Pirzada and Anjali Sivaraman in Netflix’s Cla$$ (Netflix)

Khati, who plays the role of Dheeraj in the show, agrees that the issues that Cla$$ addresses are very real. “Coming from Ranikhet in Uttarakhand, there have been scenarios in my own circle where people don’t marry each other because of difference in caste – especially when it’s lower caste versus upper caste,” the actor says in reference to his role as a Dalit boy who falls in love with the wealthy Suhani (Sivaraman).

“I agree with Piyush and I think this is the right time to talk about these issues,” says Singh (Balli), who is from an army background and is cast as a character who discovers his own sexuality.

“I come from Uttarakhand, too, and the population there is still very reserved about homosexuality.” When Singh was asked if anyone at home had criticised him for playing a queer character, he says: “Yeah, there have been people who’ve come to me asking, ‘Dude what are you doing? There’s a scene with a boy.’” But Singh is glad that Cla$$ has at least “started a conversation about these important topics”.

Chayan Chopra and Chintan Rachchh in Netflix’s Cla$$ (Netflix)

“I totally agree with Cwayaal,” Sivaraman says.

“It’s like we live in a society where we’re almost taught to turn a blind eye and say that no, everything is okay.” The actor says she was glad Cla$$ revealed the truth to be gruesome. “I think the show talks about very relevant and important subjects and makes people think about it.”

The script was so packed with details that Koul, who plays the role of Sharan, couldn’t believe whether producers “could pull this off” in India. “Not only was the content of it very interesting, but it was the treatment that Ashim had in mind” that baffled him.

(Netflix)

Shaw, who portrays Veer, credits his team for the show’s success. “I feel like the reason scenes have worked in Cla$$ and Cla$$ has worked overall as a project is because everyone gave each other so much and I think that was the beauty of having 11 newcomers as well.”

According to the 30-year-old actor, there was no animosity or battles of ego between the cast. “If someone was struggling or was having a bad day on set, we genuinely wanted them to do well.”

Cla$$ has been trending at the No 1 spot on Netflix in India ever since its release on 3 February.