Nowadays many senior mainstream artists are turning to OTT, and the latest name added to the list is of Kajol Devgn. She makes her OTT debut with Disney Hotstar’s ‘The Trial’. Directed by Suparn Verma and produced by Banijay Asia and Ajay Devgn Films, the series is based on the hit American show “The Good Wife” by Robert King and Michelle King.
Kajol’s debutant web series is a courtroom drama where she plays the role of a housewife-turned-lawyer Nayonika Sengupta. Her husband Rajeev Sengupta (played by Jishu Sengupta) is arrested for taking sexual favors in the form of bribes. The whole family has to bear the loss of husband’s antics and their entire property is legally confiscated, leading Noyonika and her two daughters – Ananya and Anayara on the roads. Distressed by this problem in her life, Nayonika decides to fight the situation and resumes her lawyer’s practice where she has to face a lot of taunts, rejections and comments. After many ups, downs and hard work Nayonika makes her mark in the world of advocacy but then comes a case to her which is enough to scratch her past, i.e. her husband’s case. How Noyonika strikes a balance between her personal and professional life is what this eight-episode series is all about.
Kajol has given a tremendous performance as a ‘good wife’ and remains the constant attraction of the show throughout. The dignity with which she confronts the turmoil within her as a wife and mother of two children trapped in the clutches of circumstances as well as a daughter-in-law who is always the target of a conservative mother-in-law comes across very well on screen. Her approach to the character is so effortless that it becomes difficult to find the difference between reel and reality. Although her dialogues could definitely have been better and more gut punching, the show works fine on her shoulders. Jishu Sengupta doesn’t get much to do in his character, but does a fine job from his side as Judge Rajeev Sengupta as well as Kajol’s husband. Ali Khan does a stellar job as the ex-boyfriend and partner in a legal firm. He’s the kind of person who still hopes to find his lost love, but Ali’s performance carries with it a sense of poignancy that balances the show. Apart from them, Sheeba Chaddha, Kubbra Sait, Kiran Kumar and Gaurav Pandey also bring full justice to their roles. But the story behind each character isn’t explored well and most of them remain underutilized.
Courtroom dramas are considered to be a very favorite sub-genre of the audience in Indian cinema. A lot of stories have already been told about legal betting screws, so we as an audience have already set a bar for ourselves where “The Trial” let us down. The writing is by far the weakest link in the show, the main focus of the show is more on Nayonika and her struggle rather than serving intense courtroom scenes. The arguments are so flimsy and short that it doesn’t do justice to the story. The team of writers Abbas Dalal, Hussain Dalal, Siddharth Kumar and director Suparn Verma through ‘The Trial’, shows the current judicial system, the role of TV journalists and the way a popular law firm works in a satirical manner. From the courtroom to the living room of the house the fight between husband and wife has been put on the screen in a very realistic manner.
While watching the series, many times you get an idea of what is going to happen next. With each episode beginning with a new incident and ending with a voice over doesn’t work in the favor of the show and after a few episodes this set pattern feels boring and tests our patience. The story takes a convenient turn towards the climax but there are moments in the screenplay that take you by surprise. However, the graph of this kind of legal drama could have been better with this brilliant star cast. Overall, the story lacks the required depth and seriousness otherwise it could have been a layered and nuanced show. We just hope in the next season they make up for it.
“The Trial: Pyaar, Kaanoon, Dhokha” is now streaming on Disney Plus Hotstar in multiple languages.
