By Raavan Times
Cast : Kajol, Jisshu Sengupta, Kubbra Sait, Sheeba Chadda
Rating : 3 of 5
The fate of Truth is frequently decided by the choices we make. More often than not our selections are compelled by the interpretations we make for our constraints and liabilities. The mindful decisiveness of being practical over being ethical scripts a new truth in black and white.
‘The Trial-Pyar, Kaanoon Dhokha’ explores this thin line between Truth and choice of truth through the actions of law keepers. The intended mode presentation of facts and evidences by individuals behind the black uniform, influences the final verdict; at times a new truth is born ! Morality gets overshadowed, as truth loses its way at the manipulative ability of truth protectors.
The Story : Justice Rajiv Sengupta (Jisshu Sengupta) is under arrest in a sex scandal for allegedly using his influential portfolio for different material benefits, sex being one of them. World turns upside down for wife Noyonika Chatterjee (Kajol) and their kids. She finds herself in a world where she has to manage her family bills, fight the social stares, take care of the special mentoring of her girls and above all fight with herself through the probable unfaithful marriage.
An established lawyer before marriage, Noyonika, manages to find a job through her previous contact Vishal (Alyy Khan). She joins the law firm led by Vishal and Malini (Sheeba Chaddha) as a junior executive on trial period. Her journey in a lawsuit remains the theme of the story-telling around which unfolds the functioning of law-keepers under different situations.
Disney+Hotstar showcases the eventful ride of Noyonika in a span of eight episodes running approximately 4-5 hours.
Opinion : Adapted from the Robert King and Michelle King’s ‘The Good Wife’, the creative minds of ‘The Trial..’ slipped on the most important point; it is a story to be narrated in the Indian context. It looks quite amateurish, when such high-profile multiple cases are being resolved in a jiffy, in such short time and that too by junior executives on trial-period.
Director Suparn S. Varma and writers Hussain Dalal, Abbas Dalal, and Siddharth Kumar have not been up to the mark in presenting an Indian adaptation. The overall glossy and glamourous look, be the sets or the characters, appears to be not in sync and is far from convincing. The feel factor as the story sails is nothing more than binge watching. Use of Kajol’s voice in each episode for introductory or concluding credits becomes a cliché. The show could have been an overall let down had it not been performances from some of the seasoned actors.
Kajol as ‘Noyonika’ does a good job. The slow and steady change of her body language as she gains her foothold as a professional is quite impressive. Her generic breezy spontaneity at times makes us wonder if a little bit staggering and vulnerability would have been better.
Alyy Khan as ‘Vishal’ is admirable. His underlying admiration for ‘Noyonika’ both as a professional and his old interest has been rendered quite artistically.
Sheeba Chaddha as ‘Malini Khanna’, the no nonsense boss does a commendable job. It is worth a thought, why we have not seen her in meatier roles.
Kubbra Sait as ‘Sana’, the firm consultant, is remarkable in a complex character with few layers of hidden truth and emotions.
Jissu Sengupta as ‘Rajiv’ perhaps steals the show with his “main sab thik kar dunga”. From the alleged judge to the guilty husband, the trying father but above all the wily ambitious individual is the take away of the series.
The series lacks the right depth to leave any lasting impression. There are some fictional adaptations of real-life high-profile cases such as death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput and what followed for actor Rhea Chakraborty or actor Juhi Chawla’s litigation against 5G technology for public interest. But they have been dealt quite loosely, lacking any gravity. While there are occasional twists and turns, yet the end was quite predictable and stereotype.
However, it’s a one-time watch courtesy to the actors and the thought-provoking portrayal of the irresponsible reporting of media. For quite some time now we are witnessing the ‘media trial’ which announces its verdict even before the case is on a legal hearing. The series takes special note in presenting this neo-culture of ‘social judgement’.