Trial by Fire

The biggest grief a person has to bear is their children's demise. The grief will intensify if they are killed from the negligence of the "untouchables" whose power is so much that they are beyond their reach. But as people say "Love" is the biggest strength this is the parents love towards their children that keeps them alive, their fight alive. The worst thing is the story is truth.

The performance of Abhaya Deol and OMG..RajShri Deshpande (never saw her before but you can feel her anguish, she matches every beat ,every step of the mother, Her body language will give you the chill) in the month of January we may have watched the best series of 2023.

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.

The bleak, hopeless, heartbreaking but realistic and blunt portrayal of a real-life tragedy specifically, but in general, it is the depiction of the deep-rooted and systemic corruption of our institutions and the insensitivity, indifference, and callousness of our people. Trial by Fire is an excellent show.

Rajshri Despande, I first noticed her in Angry Indian goddess, then in Sacred Games, but I must have seen her in other movies or Series because she is credited with 43 projects on her IMDb page, earliest in 2009. Most of them were small and forgettable parts (at least, I don't remember seeing her, not even in Talaash or Kick). It took her ten years since her debut to get widely noticed and a little bit of fame in Sacred Games. But neither the Angry Indian goddess, Manto, nor Sacred Games did justice to her talent. She got her due in Trial by Fire.

Her portrayal of a mother who lost her children and is fighting for justice is nuanced and layered. She displayed the whole gamut of emotions with ease and believability but without being melodramatic. She is heartbroken, shocked, distraught, hopeless, vulnerable, strong, resilient, determined, stubborn, focused, and unforgiving. She played the part with sensitivity and maturity and depicted rare mastery of the craft. She is phenomenal.

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.