Trial Period
Introduction
Onto the next release of the weekend and I finished watching the new Hindi film Trial Period which is now streaming on Jio Cinema. The content on Jio Cinema is constantly pumped for public consumption. And here is where I feel that Jio Cinema is missing a trick or two, given that there is now a tendency for the audience to look past it. The plethora of content on Jio Cinema is now beginning to confuse the audience on what to watch and what to skip. As a result, the content on the platform, despite it being more than decent, isn’t quite inviting discussions(good or bad) which is never a good thing. It is time Jio Cinema relooks at their strategy of presenting the content on their platform. That said, I was quite looking forward to watching Trial Period given how Genelia Deshmukh and Manav Kaul are a couple of good actors whose previous works have always been impressive. So then does Trial Period manage to shine, lets find out.
Story & Screenplay
Trial Period follows the story of a single mother whose life changes after her son demands a father for a 30 day ‘trial period’. The story is predictable and harmless comprising of some sweet moments that will put a smile on your face. My issue with it was that it was a tad too simplistic and devoid of any ‘real’ conflicts. The screenplay standing at a shade over 2 hours does make for a leisurely watch that doesn’t quite require your undivided attention. It is predictable and pretty harmless but also bland at certain places.
The drama does open with the introduction of the protagonist who is a single mother, and constantly on the run trying to manage multiple duties around her son. This, while the son always longs for a father whose love he has not witnessed. Elsewhere, you are introduced to the other protagonist who arrives in the big bad city of Delhi in search of a job only to be left disappointed. But fate has other plans as the two worlds meet thus resulting in moments of chaos and happiness.
The proceedings are light hearted and designed for a leisurely watch. There aren’t too many conflicts and the drama continues to move on the same wavelength. In the process, there are multiple scenes that does establish the bond between the mother and son with their new father. The events are stray and almost did seem like a collection of scenes but somewhere the heart was in the right place. The emotions do touch you at times thus making for a sweet watch.
The main issue with the film lies in the fact that it always plans to play safe. The stakes aren’t quite raised and that does dilute the impact at certain places. Even the smaller conflicts that are established and resolved almost immediately instead of allowing them to linger on for a while. But the film majorly falters in the pre climactic portions wherein it starts getting a little heavy before falling back on track in its final act. This, while the entire drama is predictable that majorly sums up the film which above average to say the least.
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are adequate, nothing much to write home about. The music is a decent but the finale song does strike the right chords. The BGM is decent again nothing much to shout about. The cinematography is good, the editing is very patchy and kind of dilutes the impact of a few scenes. Director Aleya Sen plays it safe with the drama without quite raising its stakes and that is the ultimate downfall of the film. The events are sweet but quite repetitive and that doesn’t help its cause as well.
Performances
The performances are pretty good here. Gajraj Rao, Sheeba Chadha and Shakti Kapoor have their moments to shine. Zidane as the young son of Ana emotes beautifully in a few scenes. Genelia Deshmukh as Ana looks pretty and lights up the screen with her infectious energy. She does a fine job here. Manav Kaul as Prajapati is in top form too, emoting wonderfully through his body language and his gestures. I still do feel that from a writing standpoint, the term of ‘opposites attract’ could have been better explored.
Conclusion
Trial Period is a predictable drama that is harmless but also doesn’t quite raise the stakes high enough to form a bond with the viewer. It is decent but too simplistic and bland for my liking. Available on Jio Cinema.
