School of Lies actor Nimrat Kaur: ‘I always wanted to work with Avinash Arun, I’ve watched his Marathi film Killa many times’

(Clockwise from top, left) Director Avinash Arun Dhaware; Nimrat Kaur in a still from 'School of Lies'; Geetika Vidya Ohlyan in a still from the OTT series.

Creator-director Avinash Arun Dhaware helms ‘School of Lies’, a mystery drama set in a boarding school. Based on true events, the new Disney+ Hotstar drama features an ensemble cast including Nimrat Kaur, Aamir Bashir, Geetika Vidya Ohlyan and Sonali Kulkarni along with a cast of young actors. Dhaware, writer Ishani Banerjee, Nimrat, who plays the school counsellor, and Ohlyan, who is the mother of a missing student, spoke about creating the show and exploring its main themes. While none of them has been to a boarding school, they all agreed that students from such schools either have complicated lives or remain an enigma. Edited excerpts from an interview:

What are some of the themes that have been explored in ‘School of Lies’?

Ishani: I have a lot of friends who have been to boarding schools and they have led very interesting lives. One of the themes we wanted to explore is what do you do when the school is also your home because you are basically replicating home inside a school. It's your entire life actually, not just eight hours of association but 24 hours for several months in the same place. Everything would be playing out in that space — from your happiness to your pain, friendships, loneliness, to finding partners. That is something we have tapped into.

Avinash: I've come from a very small place, studied in a very small school which I loved. Boarding school was a far-away concept. If some friend misbehaved, the parent would threaten them with boarding. As I got older I wondered how many go to boarding of their own will and how many are prepared for their time there. I also found the vibe of the campus, with its old buildings interesting and cinematic. People come from all over the country and make this one place their home. What happens in this vast, cold space, psychologically, at such an impressionable age? I have a few friends who went to boarding schools and I see how good they are in some aspects and in some aspects they express themselves differently from others.

Nimrat and Geetika, as actors, what aspects of the story did you connect with?

Nimrat: What I find really lovely about the story and Avinash’s vision is that everybody's looked at without judgement, as individuals going through different stages of life, whether they are 10 or 16, or in their 30s or 50s. The story looks at the complexities that life can present at those different stages. So, at no point is a child made to look childish. They have minds of their own, they have opinions. Because a child doesn't think he's a child. It's about the layers of life. And then there is an event that happens and that has an impact on people's professional, personal, emotional lives. The dilemma people find themselves in is very interesting. It makes you want to introspect. That's more or less the world School of Lies presents.

Geetika: One theme that I found very poignant and important is the aspect of guilt which makes a lot of us decide things a certain way. You ultimately have to face the results of your own choices. At a number of places my character was addressing the issue of how guilt drives our behaviour as kids and later as adults, and the learnt guilt along the way.

There are many children and teenagers in the cast and you have to write so many personalities. What was the process for writing the characters for multiple school children and then for casting those parts?

Ishani: When you get into a world like this, the world itself presents you with the opportunity to create a multitude of characters. What we see in a boarding school is only a microcosm. So often when we were writing these multiple characters, we were just treating them as people, whether they're 80 years old or 18. Things like guilt, shame, and happiness are feelings everyone experiences. We were looking at the characters through that lens. And when it came to casting, Avinash had all the right people in mind. He's very instinctive.

Avinash: When I get the auditions, I don’t look to see how they have delivered the lines, but I look at what they are like when the line is over, in the silences. What kind of silences are they holding and how does it look through the camera lens. I find that interesting because for a minute or a few seconds, they're what they and who they are. Actors are most vulnerable on set and they're the ones who are going to transform every energy. That is what the audience is going to resonate with. What they do and how nervous they are when the camera is not rolling is very important to observe them, and comfort them in any way possible.

Geetika, after Soni, Thappad and Avinash’s short in Unpaused, you have been cast against type here. Were you concerned about how the audience would respond to your character?

Geetika: We were wrapping Unpaused and for the first time I said to a director that we need to work together more. When he mentioned he's envisioning a project, I was like, yes. When I read it, the character was of a certain kind, which changed and evolved with subsequent drafts. I wasn't sure I was ready to play Trisha. I wondered if I had the courage to play the part of a divorced parent whose son goes missing. But I felt reassured by this time and I just hope people see the change.

Nimrat, did you have any apprehensions playing the school counsellor who is harbouring her own secrets?

Nimrat: I always wanted to work with Avinash. I've watched his Marathi film Killa many times. It’s such a beautiful film. The story of School of Lies was intimidating to read. It’s a very dark, complex, layered world. It was the good kind of fear, though, because I'm currently more attracted to lighter parts, fun things. This show has an important subject that needs to be spoken about and I had to be a part of it. Sometimes the subject makes the decision for you.

Avinash, having directed Killa and Paatal Lok, this genre is familiar. When did you decide on the look, feel and tone for the show?

Avinash: I think visuals come very late for me. I first see the rehearsals with the actors and then I let my actors free and pick up on their vibe. Ultimately, actors represent and resonate your ideas which are translated through them to the audience. The look and feel comes much later. It’s an unconscious process, because I'm also a cinematographer. So, unconsciously I know how it'll look. If the actors don't get the tone right, if they don't feel it, how will anyone else feel it? What is good lighting and a good set going to do if the honesty doesn’t resonate through the actors. That’s when people start noticing sets, costumes and make-up. Then it becomes a fashion film. Some stories need that. However with OTT, you invite the content in your world whereas with cinema — the big screen invites the audience inside. With OTT you are inviting the content into your consciousness, where you're not lying to yourself. You don't go out, dressed up and all that. You're sitting with your reality, with your intelligence and with your content, with power in your hands. If anyone plays with your intelligence, you won’t like it and you can be brutal. So, we have to respect the audience. It's high time.