School Of Lies review: This gripping series will leave you with a mixed feeling

-Review based on the first four episodes -

If you look at director Avinash Arun's other projects like Killa, Three Off US, and Unpaused, the one common thread that you will see is how human emotions and feelings have always been a primary focus of his projects. His recent project, the web series School of Lies, is no exception. Released on Disney Plus Hotstar, the eight-episode series is a rollercoaster ride of emotions - loneliness, fear, and freedom.

Said to be inspired by real-life events, the show is set in the foggy and hilly Dalton Town and revolves around a bunch of school kids studying at the boarding school named River Isaac School of Education. From the first frame, the series arouses curiosity and successfully maintains momentum. The episodes do leave you with a feeling of emptiness and several questions in your mind. How's the show, and more importantly, is it a new feather in Avinash's shiny cap? Let's find out.

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The Main Plot

Set in a hilly, misty area with beautiful landscapes, it helps the makers to make the premise more eerie. The show is set in a boarding school named River Isaac School of Education, where twelve-year-old Shakti Salgaonkar (Vir Pachisia) suddenly goes missing from the school. While finding Shakti is the main focus, there are also multiple stories running parallel with obscure secrets.

The other part of the show focuses on actor Aamir Bashir, who is playing the role of house master Sam, and two final-year students, Vikram (Varin Roopani) and TK (Aryan Singh Ahlawat), who are living under the guidance of their house master. On the surface, they seem to be playing by the book but the trio has their own secrets hidden.

There is also Nimrat Kaur, who plays the role of a counsellor, Nandita Mehra. Her personal life is completely distorted by some past traumas that she's still fighting through. However, she herself contributes to unravel the mystery behind Shakti's disappearance and starts interacting with the young lads as she finds the complexities that this young generation is going through.

What is good, and what's not

Avinash Arun's show is dark, nuanced, and full of suspense that will keep you hooked throughout. The show's main focus is on the children's emotions and the turmoil that they go through in their teenage years and how parents, amid the chaos of their own lives, ignore the red flags given by their children until it's too late.

As I said before, the show is high on suspense and will keep you hooked with multiple questions continuously running through your mind. But at the same time, the eight-part show has few loopholes that dampen the viewer's enthusiasm.  Although the show is well written, focusing on so many characters, and stories but the hidden dark past or mysterious connection to every character is slightly confusing and distracts the audience's focus.

The script by Ishani Banerjee, Nishant Agarwala, and ShoaibNazeer, is well-layered and has addressed major issues like child abuse, bullying, the feeling of loneliness and their hunger for freedom in a very effective way.

The length of each episode is decent, but it takes a lot of time to settle, and due to so many unnecessary side stories running parallel, it takes a lot of time to comprehend the plot.

Till episode four, Nimrat's character has not been explored much, and it seems like she's just a star addition to draw the audience's attention.

How's the cast?

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.

Final verdict 

Addressing serious topics like child abuse, past trauma, and bullying, among others, Arun's show has a very tense vibe and leaves you with mixed feelings. All in all, the performances, the cast and screenplay and the set-up of the show are decent and will leave you with a middling feeling.

The show is streaming on Disney Plus Hotstar.

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