Manjula PATNI

After a not so hectic 😢Ganesh chaturthi (am sure I prefer the every year chaos to this itna-sannata-kyun-hai-bhai),I finally got the time to sit and watch the latest Class of 83 on netflix. Brave effort by the makers to recreate the 80s era and the sepia tinted visuals are also a treat to watch.I remembered one more movie of an earlier decade ..Once upon a time in Mumbai which was a vastly superior film to this.Then we realise the value of actors like Ajay Devgan ,Even Emraan Hashmi who I feel is a very underrated actor and Kangana who upgrade the movie by their sheer personalities. The story is by one of my favourite authors S. Hussain Zaidi ,not for his sparkling prose but the knowledge about the underworld he possesses. It is fascinating to read in his books about all the 'villains' of the bygone era. The story deals with an instructor in a police academy and the squad he trains and uses for encounters.The actors playing the squad are excellent.Their unknown faces work in their favour as they feel true to their role.The cops look real with their nonmuscular physique and unassuming looks. Then with so many ingredients right,what went wrong with the dish? The main reason could be Bobby Deol who is a bit better than his salad days but still fails to add the much needed salt.His acting is monotonous and he still does not have the requisite screen presence.The story also ends a bit abruptly without going into too many details about how the squad,started with promise but descended into being the paid killers for the opposing gangs. Okay for a one time watch..particularly if you, like me, get nostalgic about the eighties 'mahoul'. There is a word in Japanese ' Natsukashii '..(I read this recently on one of the FB pages)It’s a Japanese phrase used when something evokes a fond memory from your past. This movie is like that...don't expect more though.