THE TRIAL is the story of a woman’s personal and professional struggles. Noyonika Sengupta (Kajol) is a homemaker who is married to Additional Judge Rajiv Sengupta (Jisshu Sengupta). Both are parents to young girls, Ananya and Anaira. All is going well in their life until one day, it comes to light that Rajiv slept with an escort, Tina. Their intimate video clip goes viral on news channels and social media. Rajiv is also accused of bribery and is arrested. The assets of Sengupta’s get frozen. As a result, Noyonika and her daughters shift to a smaller house on rent. She is also compelled to practice law once again. Vishal Choubey (Alyy Khan), her ex-flame, offers her the position of a junior lawyer in his law firm, Ahuja Khanna Choubey & Associates (AKC Associates). It is run by Vishal, Malini Khanna (Sheeba Chaddha) and Kishore Ahuja (Kiran Kumar). Malini is not very welcoming of Noyonika as she feels that she has got the job because of her proximity to Vishal and not on merit. Besides Noyonika, Dheeraj Paswan (Gaurav Pandey) also joins the firm as a junior lawyer. Both are on probation for six months and only one of them will get a permanent position in AKC Associates. While Noyonika adjusts to her workplace, she also has to face allegations and mud-slinging, thanks to her husband’s clip. How she tackles all of it and ensures her daughters don’t lose hope forms the rest of the show.
THE TRIAL is based on the American show The Good Wife. Its first season had 23 episodes while THE TRIAL consists of just 8 episodes. In each episode, Noyonika fights and tries to win a case. The writers (Abbas Dalal, Hussain Dalal and Siddharth Kumar) have done a good job of Indianizing this bit. Most of the cases shown in the show are not taken from the original series. Abbas Dalal, Hussain Dalal and Siddharth Kumar's screenplay is fine. There’s a lot happening and the writing doesn’t allow any scope for boredom. However, several developments are unconvincing. Abbas Dalal, Hussain Dalal and Siddharth Kumar's dialogues are simple but a few one-liners are clapworthy.
Suparn S Varma's direction is decent. He keeps the narrative simple and engaging. Every episode is only 35-40 minutes long and moves at a nice pace. Moreover, THE TRIAL is not just any other courtroom drama. It is the story of a family facing a crisis and this track is moving. The research is also spot-on and some of the tactics used by lawyers to win is well depicted. The track of a news anchor being sued for defamation is the best part of the web series. What also works is Noyonika’s bond with her ex-lover and how it complicates matters. The series ends on an intriguing note, with the promise of a sequel.
On the flipside, the first 6 episodes are devoid of any high points. One doesn’t mind the goings-on and viewers will even be gripped. But they won’t be overwhelmed or won’t have tears rolling down their cheeks over the problems faced by the Senguptas. Some of the cases don’t have the desired impact. The track of the dead music composer is the weakest of the lot. The dead cricketer and the dead security guard cases are very convenient. The culmination of the track of the HR having an extra-marital affair is not well-explained, especially Noyonika’s actions. Lastly, Kishore Ahuja’s sudden decision to leave the firm is difficult to digest, especially when he had no solid grounds to do so.
Speaking of performances, Kajol is in top form as always. This role required a powerhouse performer like her and she does a fine job, be it in the emotional or in the dramatic scenes of the court. Kubbra Sait (Sana) shines. Her character is quite cool and she does complete justice to it. Aseem Hattangadi (Ilyas Khan) is the surprise of the show. He’s natural and his character, too, is damn good. In fact, one would wish for a problem-solver like Ilyas in one’s life! Jisshu Sengupta is decent but gets overshadowed. Alyy Khan leaves a huge mark. Sheeba Chaddha is dependable. Kiran Kumar is over the top, as per the requirement of his character. Gaurav Pandey delivers a splendid performance. His dialogue delivery is powerful. Aamir Ali (Inspector Pradeep Shinde) is okay and is hardly there. The same goes for Rituraj Singh (Sharad Jadhav). Manasvi Mamgai (Juhi Bhatia) is fine while Atul Kumar (Daksh Rathod) is too good. The other actors who do well are Shruti Bisht (Ananya), Suhani Juneja (Anaira), Aditi Singh (Tina), Arjun Kachroo (Rajat Kakkar; the school boy accused of murder), Suchitra Pillai (Shivani Bahl), Karim Hajee (Anand) and Flora Saini (Anisha Menon).
Siddharth and Sangeet Haldipur's music in the opening credits is catchy. Siddharth and Sangeet Haldipur's background score is classy. Manoj Soni's cinematography is neat. Priya Suhas’ production design is praiseworthy. All the courtroom sets seem straight out of life. Theia Tekchandaney's costumes are in sync with the characters’ personalities. The ones worn by Kajol are appealing. Ninad Khanolkar's editing is appropriate.
On the whole, THE TRIAL is worth watching for the performances, storyline and some powerful emotional and dramatic moments.
Rating – 3 stars
