The Trial review: In “The Trial – Pyaar Kaanoon Dhokha,” starring Kajol and Jisshu Sengupta, viewers can anticipate an abundance of loud background music and a complete absence of subtlety. This review highlights the show’s shortcomings in terms of its exaggerated musical elements and the lack of nuanced storytelling.
The Trial review:
The Indian adaptation of the popular series The Good Wife, titled The Trial – Pyaar Kaanoon Dhokha, fails to live up to expectations, leaving behind clear evidence of narrative loopholes and a palpable lack of commitment to the subject matter. Directed by Suparn Verma, the series revolves around Noyonika Sengupta (played by Kajol), who finds herself in the midst of unwanted media attention and attempts to rebuild her life from scratch after her husband Rajeev (Jisshu Sengupta) gets embroiled in a sex scandal. However, the show’s focus seems to be more on unnecessary skin-show rather than providing any meaningful context to the narrative, which stretches across eight long episodes.
The Premise:
Noyonika’s journey appears surprisingly effortless, as she quickly transitions from shedding a few tears with her daughters about their uncertain future to conveniently securing a junior lawyer position at a top firm (despite being twenty minutes late). In the courtroom, she finds herself representing clients, where even the judge recognizes her due to her husband’s infamous deeds. The purported six-month probation period feels like a mere joke, as Noyonika faces little to no struggle.
Within the first episode itself, she manages to move into a new, modest apartment, where she resides with her traditional mother-in-law and daughters, all while handling a high-profile case. According to The Trial’s interpretation, selling a Mercedes and living in a furnished apartment (repeatedly labeled as small) is somehow equated to struggling. It is disheartening to find a lack of nuanced storytelling or aesthetic depth within the show.
The Characters:
The format of the series is predictable, with Noyonika taking on a new case in each episode. However, unlike the dynamic and multi-dimensional character of Annalise Keating from How To Get Away With Murder, Noyonika remains consistently prim and proper. Her hair is perfectly blow-dried and curled, and her pastel outfits are impeccably ironed. The world around her seems conveniently adjusted to suit her needs.
She is frequently assisted by her colleagues, including a former college fling named Vishal (Ally Khan), an ambitious associate named Sana (Kubbra Sait), and an ever-perky co-chair named Malini (Sheeba Chaddha). These supporting characters are disappointingly one-dimensional, lacking depth. To add to the mix, there’s also a distant fan of Kabir Singh in the form of a cop played by Aamir Ali and a sensationalist news anchor named Daksh (Atul Kumar) who revels in creating controversy.
Poor Dialogue and Execution:
After enduring six episodes of The Trial, viewers are met with closing credits accompanied by yet another mind-numbing dialogue delivered by Noyonika. The series fails to establish who Noyonika is speaking to in these moments—is it her internal monologue? It’s all a confused and pretentious mess. Even the reliable Sheeba Chaddha falls victim to poorly written boss-lady clichés. The performances across the board fail to make an impact. Not even Kajol’s natural effervescence can salvage the show from its flawed understanding of law and justice.
Loud and Superficial:
The Trial’s narrative format aims to explore socio-economic crises, prejudices, and dilemmas through each new case, highlighting their impact on Noyonika’s personal life. However, these two worlds feel increasingly distant and artificial. Noyonika’s personal life barges into the narrative like an incessant soap opera, accompanied by loud and intrusive background music that rarely allows a moment of silence throughout the eight episodes.
Disturbing Elements:
Perhaps the most unsettling aspect of the series occurs in its final moments. Multiple times, the audience is subjected to scenes where Noyonika’s daughters display an unhealthy fascination with their father’s sex tape. The focus is primarily on the skin-show rather than exploring the investigation surrounding those events. These scenes are poorly positioned and executed, coming across as grossly inappropriate and indicative of a shocking lack of perspective on handling sensitive subject matter.
In conclusion, The Trial – Pyaar Kaanoon Dhokha falls short on multiple fronts, including narrative coherence, character development, and overall execution. It leaves viewers with a disappointing adaptation that lacks substance and fails to effectively address the complexities of the subject matter at hand.