Dr Khusi Pattanayak
As a crime mystery School of Lies (Hindi, 2023) is unconvincing but as a social commentary it is insightful.
The web-series starts with a 12-year-old going missing from a prestigious boarding school and with that skeletons start tumbling from the closet all over everywhere. Untangling the mystery forms the rest of the 8 episodes.
Hindi series and films rarely explore the nuances of school life or coming of age crisis. There are handful few movies (Rockford (1999), Udaan (2010)) that have dealt with teenage/ young-adult life with certain subtlety. School of Lies falls into that category and draws attention to a series of issues– safety of children (both within and outside home), dysfunctional families, freedom, drug abuse, bullying, manipulation for survival, exploration of sexuality, PTSD (Post-traumatic stress disorder), child neglect – each adding to the uncanny environment.
The location (Ooty) – an old school building in a sprawling campus surrounded by mystical forests, less travelled rivers, and dreamy mountains – builds on to the ambience. The camera work is magnificent. It blends the landscape into the narrative creating uncertainty and pathos to perfection.
The writers have done a great job by incorporating some lore to create a tradition and history which a famed boarding school should have. For example, we are told about a certain death alley where the ghost of the founder, Sir River Issac, moves around. Of course, we also have the infamous bullying tradition which is difficult to bypass and becomes integral to survival.
The casting by Sunny Dagar (Special 26) is mention worthy. The young kids in boarding school are scene-stealers. Aamir Bashir as Housemaster with a troubled past pulls off his role with aplomb. The on-screen camaraderie between the young actors – Varin and Aryan – is quite believable. Geetika Vidya Ohlyan with her restrained act was a delight. Nimrat Kaur looked both disinterested and disengaged while Sonali Kulkarni felt out of depth. A special mention to the costume / style department who created a coherent look through uniforms and weather / profession appropriate attire; very realistic and relatable.
While it is good to see difficult subjects being discussed in mainstream media, it is also important to understand that in School of Lies none of them are integral to the actual case in hand – the whereabouts of the missing child. The queer angle, child sexual predators, favoritism, human trafficking, etc. are inconsequential to the primary incident, which was spontaneous and accidental.
These issues matter only when a police investigation is launched and everyone is trying to find a way to escape the legal charges -the aftereffects of a certain incident, not at all directly related to the incident. If we compare the original missing case with another subplot involving a missing child, Chanchal (Divyansh Dwivedi), the subplot feels more reasonable and practical.
School of Lies revisits the idea of adapting to a new set up and dilemmas of single mother, that director Avinash Arun had explored earlier in his Killa (Marathi, 2014). Though unnecessary, still there is a Drishyam-esque confession to a certain crime in the series. Probably that was director Arun’s homage to his association with Drishyam (as cinematographer).
It was baffling to see Vikram hoodwinking the law and the society to such perfection. Vikram is not Chinmay (Killa) or George Kutty / Vijay Salgaonkar (Drishyam). He is more complex, vicious, manipulative and opportunist, he is a sociopath. How far was it justified to let him go scot-free? Probably because there is a Season 2 in the offing?
Towards the end of the series, one character tells, “sorry for trauma dumping.” I say, apology accepted. If human behaviour intrigues you then watch School of Lies on Disney+ Hotstar but keep your Sherlock Holmes hat away.
(The author is an internationally published writer & corporate communication specialist. Views are personal)
