School of Lies is an Indian Hindi-language drama mystery thriller television series created by Avinash Arun and Ishani Banerjee and directed by Avinash Arun.[1][2] It stars Nimrat Kaur, Aamir Bashir, Varin Roopani, Divyansh Dwivedi, Aryan Singh Ahlawat, Vir Pachisia, Sonali Kulkarni, Hemant Kher, Parthiv Shetty, Adrija Sinha, Aalekh Kapoor and others.[3][4][5]
| School of Lies | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre |
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| Created by |
|
| Written by |
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| Directed by | Avinash Arun |
| Starring |
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| Country of origin | India |
| Original language | Hindi |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 8 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Deepali Handa |
| Producer | Sameer Gogate |
| Cinematography | Avinash Arun |
| Editor | Monisha R Baldawa |
| Running time | 30- 40 minutes |
| Production company | BBC Studios |
| Original release | |
| Network | Disney+ Hotstar |
| Release | 2 June 2023 |
At the 2023 Filmfare OTT Awards, School of Lies received 8 nominations, including Best Drama Series, Best Director in a Drama Series (Arun), Best Actor in a Drama Series (Bashir) and Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (Kaur).
Cast edit
- Nimrat Kaur as school counsellor Nandita Mehra
- Aamir Bashir as schoolmaster Samuel "Sam" Singh
- Aryan Singh Ahlawat as TK
- Varin Roopani as Vikram Singh
- Vir Pachisia as Shakti Salgaonkar
- Shakti Anand as Dev, Nandita's boyfriend
- Sonali Kulkarni as Pallavi, Vikram's mother
- Geetika Vidya Ohlyan as Trisha, Shakti's mother
- Adrija sinha as Pritika, Vikram's girl friend
- Nitin Goel as Bhola
- Vijay Kumar Dogra as S.I. Prakash
- Jitendra Joshi as Aniruddh, Shakti's father
- Divyansh Dwivedi as Chanchal
- Hemant Choudhary as TK’s Uncle
- Shajith Moosa as Vikram's Lawyer
Premise edit
A 12-year-old student, Shakti Salgaonkar, goes missing from a prestigious boarding school.
Filming edit
The series was shot in The Lawrence School, Lovedale in Ooty in Tamil Nadu.[6]
Release edit
The series premiered on 2 June 2023 on Disney+ Hotstar.[7]
Reception edit
Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express wrote "Amongst the strands not as impactful as they should have been is the depiction of the cruel discipline-bondage bit between some masters and students; another is an attempt to portray the pain that comes from infidelity."[8]
Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV rated the series 4 stars out of 5 and wrote "The repercussions of unhappy (or confused) states of mind, the contradictions between studied external posturing and raging inner turmoil, and friendships tested and scalding betrayals are effectively plaited into the larger portrait of lacerated lives."[9]
Outlook India stated "Mindbender of a show, just watch ‘Dark’ on Netflix and give ‘School Of Lies’ a pass."[10]
Santanu Das for Hindustan Times wrote "There's a rootlessness with which the overlong and repetitive School of Lies operates- the school might as well be located somewhere near the railway station to employ the sound of tracks. It would make no difference. The angle of the local child who accompanies Shakti- which we follow in a parallel track with the story in present time, is shockingly left incomplete."[11]
A critic from India Today rated 3 stars out of 5 and wrote "One of the few loopholes about the show has to be how different storylines are stitched and not every explanation quenches your curiosity. You’d want to know more about a character but before you have an answer, the show would have already followed another path, another course."[12]
The Week wrote "Viewers might even feel let down at certain points where they would not have been able to segregate a flashback from the present state. However, this tactic effectively maintains the mystery throughout."[13]
A critic from The Telegraph stated "The smart twist in the penultimate episode — that forces the audience to go back and re-examine everything that has transpired so far — indicates controlled, sharp writing."[14]
Firstpost wrote "The narrative is promisingly tense but the performances are unfortunately all auto-pilot. Emote less to thrill more seems to be the funda of makers to create palpable, atmospheric tension. Also, the gloominess of the fictional town the series is based in begins to feel dull and soulless after a point. The set-up took me to Sujoy Ghosh’s Kahaani 2, where a curious woman wanted to dig deep into the trauma a child was suffering from."[15]
A critic of The Times of India wrote "The breathtaking beauty of the lush green surroundings becomes a character in its own right, enhancing the mysterious nature of the show's storyline. While the plot may offer mild unpredictability, it effectively keeps viewers invested in the overarching story of a scandal that engulfs the school."[16]
Scroll.in wrote "The show emphasises the danger of unresolved issues, childhood trauma and proclivity for repeated behavioural patterns, but opts for visual impact and specific surprise, padding the narrative with surplus characters and side plots."[17]
Zoom TV wrote "Although the pace could have been a little more crisp, the show does manage to draw you in. However, the adult-like conversations between school children appear to be unconvincing."[18]
WION praised the performance of the actors and wrote "The performance of the young boys is commendable - whether it is Vir Pachisia, Varun Roopani, or Aryan Singh Ahlawat. They have all given excellent performances and are the gems of the show. Bashir, Nimrat, Nitin Goel, and Sonali Kulkarni, have also delivered decent performances."[19]
Accolades edit
| Year | Award ceremony | Category | Nominee / work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Filmfare OTT Awards | Best Drama Series | School of Lies | Nominated | [20] |
| Best Director in a Drama Series | Avinash Arun | Nominated | |||
| Best Actor in a Drama Series | Aamir Bashir | Nominated | |||
| Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series | Nimrat Kaur | Nominated | |||
| Best Original Story (Series) | Avinash Arun & Ishani Banerjee | Nominated | |||
| Best Original Screenplay (Series) | Ishani Banerjee & Nishant Agrawal | Nominated | |||
| Best Background Music (Series) | Gaurav Chatterji, Ashish Zachariah | Nominated | |||
| Best Cinematographer (Series) | Avinash Arun | Nominated |
References edit
- ^ "School of Lies TV Special (2023) | Release Date, Review, Cast, Trailer, Watch Online at Disney+ Hotstar". Gadgets 360. Archived from the original on 2 June 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
- ^ Taneja, Parina (30 May 2023). "OTT Releases This Week: Asur 2, Scoop, School Of Lies and other new Hindi web series and movies". India TV. Archived from the original on 2 June 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
- ^ "'School of Lies' trailer: mystery thriller features petrifying true story". Geo TV. Archived from the original on 2 June 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
- ^ "School Of Lies". OTTPlay. Archived from the original on 2 June 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
- ^ "Mystery drama series 'School of Lies' to land on Disney+ Hotstar in June". The New Indian Express. PTI. 24 May 2023. Archived from the original on 2 June 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
- ^ Kaushal, Ruchi (27 May 2023). "School of Lies will be as engaging as Paatal Lok, I like to dwell into complexities of human minds: Director Avinash". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 1 June 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
- ^ Kanter, Jake (24 May 2023). "Disney+ Hotstar Unveils Hindi Mystery Thriller 'School Of Lies' From BBC Studios". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 31 May 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
- ^ Gupta, Shubhra (2 June 2023). "School Of Lies review: This immersive and engaging watch asks if kids are alright". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 2 June 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
- ^ Chatterjee, Saibal (3 June 2023). "School Of Lies Review: Assiduously Crafted Series Packs A Massive Punch". NDTV. Archived from the original on 3 June 2023. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
- ^ Sur, Prateek (7 June 2023). "'School Of Lies' On Disney+ Hotstar Review: Spectacular Cinematography, Riveting Storytelling, But Predictable Plot Twists – Sums Up Nimrat Kaur-Aamir Bashir's Show". Outlook India. Archived from the original on 12 July 2023. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
- ^ Das, Santanu (2 June 2023). "School of Lies review: Case of a missing child goes on trauma-dumping spree". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
- ^ Mukherjee, Anindita (2 June 2023). "School of Lies Review: Nimrat Kaur, Aamir Bashir's series is laden with layers and a gripping storyline". India Today. Archived from the original on 2 June 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
- ^ George, Ritcha (3 June 2023). "'School of Lies' review: A well-crafted series that pushes us to look within". The Week. Archived from the original on 5 June 2023. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
- ^ Roy, Priyanka (8 June 2023). "School of Lies is intense, immersive and engaging". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 July 2023. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
- ^ Mathur, Vinamra (2 June 2023). "Nimrat Kaur's School Of Lies series review". Firstpost. Archived from the original on 3 June 2023. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
- ^ Kotecha, Ronak (2 June 2023). "School Of Lies Season 1 Review : A layered tale of complex mysteries". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 2 June 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
- ^ Jhunjhunwala, Udita (2 June 2023). "'School of Lies' review: An overloaded saga of secrets and trauma". Scroll.in. Archived from the original on 2 June 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
- ^ Bhatnagar, Mudit (2 June 2023). "School Of Lies Review: Nimrat Kaur Starrer Makes You Uncomfortable With Unpleasant Truths About Boarding Life". Zoom TV. Archived from the original on 2 June 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
- ^ Awasthi, Pragati (2 June 2023). "School Of Lies review: This gripping series will leave you with a mixed feeling". WION. Archived from the original on 2 June 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
- ^ "Nominations for the Filmfare OTT Awards 2023: Full List Out | Femina.in". www.femina.in. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
