The Trial (Season 1)
Introduction
Onto the next release of the weekend and I finished watching the new Hindi series, the first season of The Trial which is now streaming on Hotstar. It is an official adaptation of the series The Good Wife, a show that I have no reference about. In times when content is being remade/adapted cinematically, the Hindi adaptations of shows has personally helped me keep abreast with the different kinds of content which I have been missing out on globally.
The ‘Legal Drama’ as a genre is still new and budding in the Indian market with only a handful of content being attempted so far. One of my favourite Indian legal dramas was ‘Guilty Minds’ on Amazon Prime that tapped into the genre so well by addressing different cases while maintaining a thread with respect to the characters and the main plot. And I was expecting a similar kind of intensity with The Trial without knowing too much on what would come my way. And, the added bonus was that I would get to see Kajol in a full fledged roll after a while(discounting her recent presence in Lust Stories 2). So then does The Trial manage to impress, lets find out!
Story & Screenplay
An official adaptation of the show The Good Wife, The Trial follows the story of a lawyer who joins a Law firm following her husband’s arrest following a corruption and s*x scandal. The story here is interesting and quite cerebral in its approach while focusing on the legal system of the country through the lens of the various characters. The screenplay here standing at 8 episodes of roughly 40 odd minutes do make for a compelling watch which is immersive in many ways as well.
The drama wastes no time in getting straight to the point. The first of the many conflicts is introduced in the first scene as well with the introduction of the protagonist whose husband is about to get arrested. Clearly there is a gulf in their relationship which is strained in many ways. It is here that you may have to accept one fact about the protagonist and her family that they are undergoing a financial crisis. Yes, the surroundings do not quite indicate that(and I could believe that upto a point after which I had to surrender to the vision of the makers) and if you are willing to look beyond this point then you shall be able to enjoy the drama quite well.
The drama is a slow burn and takes its time to unfold. You are tactfully introduced to all the main players with the template of the show being introduced to multiple cases, with each case being resolved in every episode. This was primarily the format of Guilty Minds as well and I wasn’t quite bothered by the format. Yes, one drawback straight up is that the format doesn’t quite allow you to focus on each case that do not quite have the required depth. But on a big positive, you end up spending a lot of time with the characters by getting acquainted with their character traits that would result in you being invested in their journeys.
The proceedings are interesting(including courtroom scenes) with one of the driving points of the show being the character dynamics which was quite immersive in many ways. The writing ensures that justice isn’t black or white but usually grey while also focusing on a few topical issues including the tragic death of an individual that had turned news channels into a bloody circus! There is a socialistic take on the media as well that adds a welcome touch to the drama. But primarily, the hustle of a legal firm in dealing with cases along with tinges of office politics is what forms the show in its entirety. The final act is also a commentary on the loopholes of the law along with the extent that the protagonist does go to save her husband. It was compelling and enthralling, while setting things nicely for its second season.
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are quite well written while maintaining the restraint of the characters. Also, some of the lines in the courtroom scenes are quite well written. The music and the BGM enhance certain scenes in the drama by filling them with tension. The cinematography and colour grading is quite good that adds depth to the proceedings. The editing is pretty sharp for the entire duration of the series. Director Suparn Verma does a pretty good job by allowing time to the viewers to sink their teeth in the drama. Yes, there are a few liberties taken but if you can look past them then the drama is quite compelling and cerebral. The direction is pretty good here.
Performances
The performances are pretty good here by the ensemble cast. Sheena Chohan, Dilnaz Irani, Kareem Haji, Haelyn Shastri as Karishma and Aparna Menon as Rose all have their moments to shine. Kiran Kumar as Ahuja, Beena Banerjee as Seema, Suchitra Pillai and Flora Saini are fabulous to watch in their respective roles. Rituraj Singh as Sharad makes his presence felt as does Aamir Ali as Pradeep who is first rate. Suhani Juneja as Anaira and Shruti Bhist as Ananya are outstanding and such naturals onscreen.
Atul Kumar as Daksh, the shrewd media anchor is brilliant and there is so much control in his performance wherein he could so easily have gone overboard! Gaurav Pandey as Dhiraj is an interesting character with his share of highs and lows(in his character) and he does a tremendous job. Manasvi Mamgai as Juhi does express her pain quite well. Sheeba Chadha as Malini is just so well restrained and she is brilliant to witness. Notice her calm yet authoritative tone with which she mouths her dialogues. Kubbra Sait is such a talented actor that I wish to watch more of, and as Sana she is outstanding to the core. She was one of my favourite characters here and she pulls it off with a lot of dignity.
Aseem Hattangady as Ilyas is outstanding to watch and I do feel his character might be a game changer in the next season. So well poised and extremely sure of his skills as a performer, and that did reflect perfectly in the character of Ilyas. Alyy Khan is a wonderful actor that I see very little of these days and he is exceptional as Vishal. For budding actors, notice how clear his diction is wherein he does pronounce each word perfectly. Jisshu Sengupta as Rajiv is a character whom you won’t quite end up liking or hating. He is in the grey zone and he delivers a nuanced performance. Kajol as Noyonika is a pleasure to watch. She balances her act pretty well in which she holds back in a few scenes and in others is expressive. She was quite good on the show.
Conclusion
The Trial is a compelling and cerebral legal drama with stellar performances that makes for a wonderful watch(coming from someone who has no reference of The Good Wife). Available on Hotstar.