Netflix’s Trial By Fire, directed by Prashant Nair, brings to life not just the horror of the 1997 Uphaar Cinema fire but also the harrowing 24-year-long legal fight that followed it. Based on the 2016 book Trial by Fire: The Tragic Tale of the Uphaar Fire Tragedy by Neelam and Shekhar Krishnamoorthy, who lost their teenage children in the incident, the seven-part limited series delves deep into the couple’s fight for justice against the Ansal brothers, Gopal and Sushil, who owned the cinema.
True to life
Rajshri Deshpande and Abhay Deol play Neelam and Shekhar Krishnamoorthy with such conviction that it blurs the line between reality and art. Both actors do justice to the Krishnamoorthys’ dogged determination in the face of every setback to get the Ansals, their Ansal Theatre and Clubotels Limited (ATCL) group, the Delhi Vidyut Board (DVP), the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), and the Delhi Police to pay for their negligence.
Shekhar lays the groundwork for forming the Victims of Uphaar Tragedy (AVUT), which was formed after the couple met with the victims’ families. From expressing body language to their demeanour, Abhay and Rajshri are faithful to their roles to a fault. Some of the most poignant moments show the couple receiving a cake meant for Ujjwal on his birthday, or when they try to live a ‘normal’ life that’s painfully punctuated with regular court hearings.
Anupam Kher, Ratna Pathak Shah, Ashish Vidyarthi, Shilpa Shukla, and Rajesh Tailang play characters that portray the various villains and heroes in the tragedy.
“The challenge comes from the fact that the story is real and not a figment of someone’s imagination,” says Abhay Deol. The acting is particularly powerful when Shekhar confronts the henchman hired to intimidate the victims — it shows the couple really has nothing to lose but a good fight against injustice.
Interestingly, Abhay and Rajshri never met the Krishnamoorthys so they don’t impact how they play their roles.
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The highlight isn’t the tragedy
The horror comes from the honest portrayal of the legal battle itself.
The impact of Trial by Fire hinges on the fact that the tragedy isn’t the highlight of the series — it is only shown in the last episode.
The series also focuses on how the Krishnamoorthys struggle to keep their marriage together as they oscillate between grief and the determination to fight till the end. At one point, right after the arrest of Sushil Ansal, senior advocate K.T.S Tulsi, who was representing the couple in court, tells Neelam to get back to her life, not realising that getting justice had become her goal.
From Delhi Crime to Trial By Fire, OTT shows are developing a new sensitivity with respect to portraying real-life tragedies. The shock is portrayed in such a way that it doesn’t hurt victims’ sentiments. Trial by Fire will stay with you for a long time.
(Edited by Humra Laeeq)
Source: The Print
