The real-life references that director Supan Verma brings in make Kajol’s web series debut interesting to watch.
A worthy remake!
The Trial (Hindi)
- Cast: Kajol, Jisshu Sengupta, Sheeba Chaddha, Gaurav Pandey, Alyy Khan, and Kubbra Sait
- Director: Supan Verma
- Producers: Ajay Devgan and Rajesh Chadha
- Music: Sangeet-Siddharth
- No. of episodes: 8
- OTT platform: Disney+ Hotstar
Director Supan Verma’s The Trial is centred on a woman named Nayonika Sengupta (Kajol).
It is a remake of The Good Wife (English, 2009) and deals with many relevant topics like corruption, politics, media trials, and fake news. It also marks the web series debut of Kajol.
What happens that brings Nayonika back to work is what The Trial is about.
Synopsis
One day, Nayonika’s husband Rajiv Sengupta (Jisshu Sengupta) is arrested by the police for seeking sexual favours. This incident results in her coming out of her retirement.
With the help of Vishal Chaubey (Alyy Khan), she manages to get a job at a law firm co-founded by him. Vishal and Nayonika have a past which didn’t end happily.
At the law firm, Nayonika faces the brunt of both gossip and the sexual scandal of her husband before she proves herself as a competent lawyer.
In a nutshell, the series focuses on the different cases that Nayonika takes up along with how she bravely takes on the challenges that arise in both her professional and personal life.
Makes references to real-life incidents
One of the things that makes The Trial interesting is the real-life references that director Supan Verma brings in.
For example, one of the cases is about a cricketer who commits suicide and his girlfriend is hounded by the media. A negative campaign is run against her.
This reminds you of the Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s case.
Here, the director makes some valid points about how these media trials have a severe effect on the person who is already battered.
The Trial also has some satirical commentary on the legal system which lands perfectly.
Realistic portrayal of relationships
Supan Verma does a good job of exploring the dynamics between a mother and her two young daughters. It has been treated in a realistic manner.
The two daughters face a lot of humiliation in school because of the father’s sex scandal. In fact, they are forced to mature before age.
Another track that deserves a mention is the one involving Vishal and Nayonika.
Vishal never lets their bad past come in the way of supporting Nayonika. On more than one occasion, we feel that Nayonika should have ended up with Vishal and not Rajiv.
Further, the back story of how Nayonika and Rajiv ended up together could have been explained better. But still, the scenes between Kajol and Jisshu Sengupta do pack a punch.
The aloofness of Nayonika and her hesitancy to trust Rajiv again has been wonderfully portrayed.
Performances
As Nayonika, Kajol delivers a formidable performance and is successful in bringing alive the different layers. She brings in the right amount of grit, vulnerability, and despair.
Jisshu Sengupta is solid on his part as a guilty husband.
Sheeba Chadda as Vishal’s law firm partner brings in the required authority.
The rest of the actors also deliver good performances.
Final take
Watch The Trial for a realistic portrayal of Nayonika’s professional and personal life.
(Views expressed here are personal.)