Classmates

Director – Adiya Sarpotdar

Cast – Ankush Choudhary, Sai Tamhankar, Sonalee Kulkarni, Sachit Patil, Suyash Tilak, Pallavi Patil, Siddharth Chandekar and Kishori Shahane

            ‘Classmates’ is not as satisfying as compared to the hype created by its publicity. The Marathi remake, of the 2006 Malayalam hit of the same name, had a lot of potential but goes haywire when it comes to execution. 

            After two decades some old classmates assemble in college to pay tributes to a dead friend. One of them (Ankush Choudhary) has not been heard of for a very long time. Many wish to rekindle their relationship with him. However, on the same night he attempts suicide. The investigation drags us into the past and present and unveils a dark secret. 

            Aditya Sarpotdar has not managed to maintain the feat which he achieved with Narbachi Wadi. It begins with casting Ankush Choudhary as the protagonist. You really can’t accept a 37 year old man as a collegian. Plus it’s a repetition of his role in ‘Duniyadari’. The dragged second half spoils the miniature interest generated by the first half. 

            Typical 90’s fashion is missing. The costumes speak of fashion which is not older than six years. No girl has the (horrific) Karishma Kapoor hairstyle which was a trend those days. Any person will be able to guess that the sets are artificial. Did college walls have fresh paint all the time? Production designer was probably sleeping. 

            Scriptwriters Sameer Vidwans and Kshitij Patwardhan have blundered. The Maharashtra Universities Act which came into force on 22^nd July 1994 nullified the concept of college elections. Here the college days are set in 1995 (as shown on a billboard during college fest). Thus, the scenes of elections (which have a deep impact on the plot) really did not make any sense. 

            Sonalee Kulkarni is the female version of Sachin Khedekar - same expressions in every film. Ditto for Siddharth Chandekar for who cannot face camera without an overdose of pink lipstick. The feminine traits are visible on his face as well as in his acting. Sai Tamhankar and Sachit Patil are the only saviours in the star cast. Suyash Tilak has potential to play mature roles. 

            I’m going with two and a half stars out of five for Classmates. If you ignore all other aspects and watch only for the purpose of entertainment then maybe you can enjoy this film.