Ashim Ahluwalia on the sets of ‘Class’ | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
ashim ahluwalia ClassHas become the talk of the town. Known for his dark and edgy films like John and Jane, Miss Lovely And Father, He Seemed like an unexpected choice for a teen-drama. but in an exclusive conversation with hindu, The director opens up about why he took up the Indian adaptation Aristocrat classand his vision for the future of the show.
Aashim had revealed in interviews long back that he always wanted to work on a project that would portray teenage angst. “Initially, I wanted to make a feature film about rebellious teenagers because of the emotional churning that happens at that age,” he says over a telephone call. But when they were approached with a proposal to adapt Aristocrat class For the Indian audience, he grabbed the opportunity. While it was different from the styles he usually handles, exploring the gap between the rich and the underprivileged in a school that served as a microcosm of the world interested him.
Having studied at Cathedral, one of Mumbai’s premier schools, he says his experiences were on his mind while working on Class. “That was a starting point,” he shares.
The director feels strongly about his decision not to change the plot of the original show. “The story is not in the plot, but in the telling of it,” he says. “You may know the plot but the interactions, dynamics and motivations of the characters in an Indian city is what the show is all about,” shared Ashim and expressed interest in capturing the psychology of the character above all else. “I saw him [ Elite] as a source novel.
Director Ashim Ahluwalia | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Although Ashim has explored Mumbai in most of his previous works, he explains the logic of the setting Class In Delhi, the capital of the country. “In Mumbai, even if you are a billionaire, you have to drive through a slum to go to work,” he says, elaborating that it is impossible to live in a physical bubble in the city. “I wanted to show a city where everyone is physically separated, and Delhi was a place that gave me the physical separation between classes.”
The director says that he was very particular about the casting as well. “I didn’t want any famous actors in the show; They bring a lot of stuff. I wanted to create a world that was completely new.” He also believes that the familiar faces may have distracted the audience from his narration. “I wanted the audience to suspend belief and get closer to the characters.” Casting directors search for actors aged 18–25 every six months in most metropolitan cities of India.
Having worked with several budding actors, Aashim took rigorous workshops to train them in acting.
However, he still considers himself as an independent filmmaker. “I worked on [ Class] Like I would on any other independent film. According to him, this gave the show “a very direction and a cinematic approach”.
Ashim Ahluwalia | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The director says a lot of thought went into lighting the set. He said, “When I was writing it, I already knew the visual look of the project, and was very clear about the kind of lenses we would use.” “A lot of time was spent lighting up each and every house we featured on the show. We lit Saba’s house with tubelight and Neeraj’s house with bulb. “We had five DOPs but you can’t tell,” he laughs.
A scene from ‘Class’
While Netflix has yet to confirm the renewal of the show, it looks like the director already has a vision for it. “I will lose the link to the original show and let these characters live as they have so far; That way, it could be something completely different”
whether Class Having enjoyed a mostly favorable reception among audiences, Aashim is keen to return to independent films. “I don’t want to be a teen-drama; I want to explore the unexplored,” he says.
The director claims that the future for independent filmmakers in India is complicated by the lack of theatrical reception for their work and the dominance of streaming platforms. He believes that platforms should give agency to young independent filmmakers with a voice to create quality content. , underworld There is a matter,” he says.
Aashim is currently working on an international sci-fi film and a thriller set in Mumbai featuring two female leads that explores the question of what it means to be a woman in the modern world.