Trial by Fire

This was one of the best series (or even movies) that I have watched in a long time. I remember hearing about the incident back in the 90s, but really do not recall much aside from that. This drama told the story in such a great way... uncovering details at an excellent pace, and really making one feel they were watching things unfold in real time.

Rajshri Deshpande is absolutely incredible as the grieving mother, who lost her only two children to the avoidable tragedy. She goes on to lose herself in fighting against very rich, powerful people in an effort to find even a speck of justice.

Her portrayal of a grieving mother is as good a performance as you are going to see almost anywhere. Absolutely riveting! She should win awards for this. She does an incredible job!

While a sad, frustrating series to watch, I cannot recommend it enough. Outstanding!

It is an unimaginable story of the victims of a great tragedy. Abhay Deol and always acted very well. The characters, events etc. Are nicely depicted. The first episode is heart-wrenching.

The series started out well but then just went south. It felt as if it was dragging for no reason. Some of the sub stories were half baked. One keeps wondering what happened to those people or why did that happen.

If they had to drag it to seven episodes then many characters needs a closer. It seemed that the writer got tired of writing so stopped developing the characters.

However, if you can handle the pain, especially what the parents went through then do watch it.

This series MOVED me A LOT!!

After a long time, Netflix has come with something original and completely brilliant. I expected this series to be good but it turned out to be Marvelous.

This series is beautifully written and very well directed. From the first min, the series is able to build much needed tension and hooks the audience. The series is paced so well..& nothing is exaggerated.

I have seen some of the best performances in a long time.. all the actors did a great job. But Abhay Deol and Rajshri Deshpande stole the show.. the did complete justification to their role and helped the audience in connecting with the horrifying pain of the actual parents who went through this.

More and more people should watch this. These people are real heroes and should be celebrated.l more.

Trial By Fire is an eye-opener of the famous case which is intriguing and disturbing.

Based on the horrific incident of 1997 Upahar Cinema case where 59 people were choked to death due to smoke caused by fire during the screening of Border film. Trial By Fire is the chronical of the case filed by Krishnamoorthy couple seeking justice for their children who lost their lives in the tragic incident.

Directed, researched and created by Prashant Nair and Kevin Luperchio, Trial By Fire is not easy watch but is an important web series that will keep you hooked to the detailed investigations. Each and every scene has executed appropriately and accurately.

Trial By Fire has been told from the Krishnamoorthy couple's point of view - how their lives got impacted along with other families. The web-series details out the struggles and challenges faced by the families mentally, physically and financially.

Trial By Fire boast off some strong technical support. I should start with an outstanding editing work. The background score is haunting and yet mesmerizing. The cinematography is brilliant, portraying a real-life crime with aplomb. Screenplay is fantastic, though it becomes little sluggish towards the end.

Coming to the performances, it is #Abhay Deol and Rajshri Despande who stands tall with her at each and every moment. They will make you believe with utmost natural performance.

On the whole, Trial By Fire is not easy watch but it will expose the harsh reality of what happened on the fateful day and it will definitely make you angry.

Netflix

At one point of time in the last episode, it felt like my living room is filling up with smoke and I could smell the acrid fumes of the burning theater. The series waits until the very last episode to actually depict the tragic event and completely focuses on languish of the grieving parents, and their toil through the court case with a foregone conclusion through its first six episodes.

The parents grinded away for 25 years fighting the losing battle through the gut-wrenchingly prolonged delay when the rich and the powerful were afforded privileges of tampering with evidence, skipping court dates and pushing dates further and further away at their will. The listless melancholy that envelopes the series and the languid pace that is maintained is tactfully designed for the viewer to actually experience some of the drudgery in the comfort of their living room. It is not a court room drama; it is not a series that ends on high note or preach any social message. It takes you on a time-travel ride to 1997 and lets you be a bystander outside Uphaar cinema as the fire rages on and people perish. And while your outside escapes the fire, your inside smolders to black charcoal. It numbs you to hopelessness and you feel indifferent to the sheer absurdity of locking people in the balcony seats of a theater and the gross unaccountability of the several failures that culminates to the entire tragedy.

In one scene, when some of the hapless victims are trying to push the theater door trying to escape fire and others are pushing back because there is no room on the other side, the series will actually suffocate you. Every thump on the door will be felt inside your gut...

I wish to comment on so many other things, from acting, direction, cinematography, story, dialog etc. But my feelings about the series can be summed up in just one sentence: "Maybe some things last forever after all" (Luke Combs). It's a product of so much love, care, heart and courage by the whole team, especially by Neelam and Shekhar Krishnamoorthy, the parents of the two children who are credited with the story, that the series will live inside every viewer for their lifetime.