Director #PrashantNair in an interview talked about this series and said “I am looking to take away dialogues as much as possible” and that caught my interest. A show that eschews hype and drama and focuses on looks, meditative scenes and body language over action and dialogue and makes it point with such impact that it leaves you reeling. #TrialByFire on #Netflix is not an easy watch. It is the story of loss and a fight for justice that takes three decades. There is no hero and there is no villain; the pain is palpable and there is no redemption possible. It is not about what the characters say, but it is about what they do. And when a look and silence and poignance can deliver the works then you know speech is redundant. The point I would like to emphasize though is that this is a series that is difficult to make as well.
It is Delhi of the 1990s. The country is embracing liberalization and you have the old Pepsi logo and the ‘joker waali restaurant’ featured prominently in the narrative. The pagers are gone and the clunky Nokia brick phones are in. Video games are in and laptops are not. The jury is out on whether this is working but people are eager to give their motherland a chance. And ironically, the movie that Ujjawal 13 and Unnati 17 are eagerly heading to watch is #JPDatta’s Border that showcases sacrifice and heroism for the nation. The theater is ironically named Upahar, meaning gift or present. Their parents Neealam and Shekhar Krishnamurthy are a normal middle-class couple. A transformer fault results in the theater catching fire that leads to perhaps the worst such disaster that the nation has seen, leaving 59 people dead and countless others mourning. The cinema was owned by the Ansals, Delhi’s premium builders who were
about to launch the city’s first premium mall.
Creators of the show #PrashantNair and #KevinLupercio has meticulously crafted the production based on the 2016 book by the same name written by the real life couple. They employ a non-linear storytelling mode; there is no attempt to capture the chronological sequence of events; this is important because the show is not attempting to uncover what went wrong and put out new facts. There is no investigative tension, no vigilante uprising nor is there an attempt to create heroes of any one and no villains either. There are two episodes ironically called Heroes and Villains but if you look at the characters depicted here, they are actually humanized and treated with empathy. To this extent, the goon employed by the Ansals, Niraj Suri (#AshishVidyarthi) is shown as ruthless but not without a heart. He and his family have their own ambitions in life and meet with their own karma later in the show. #Vidyarthi is simply brilliant with his demeanor and body language as he plays the typical Delhi wala fixer of the 90s.
#TrialByFire stands out for its casting and character delineation. You see #ShardulBharadwaj who made a mark with his performance in #EebAllyOoo . Here he plays a small-time hustler who gets it all wrong. The theatre employees and their lackadaisical approach shows how little life is valued. Then there is #AnupamKher and #RatnaPathakShah as the aged couple who are also there to watch the film. Kher is a war veteran and still accuses his wife of coming in the way of his glory in the 1971 war. It is interesting to show how the couple are constantly bickering and yet trying to figure out themselves together. Mercifully, the ex army man has no heroics to put out during the ordeal. There is an entire episode dedicated to the electrician of the Electricity Board, played by #RajeshTailang. This episode is perhaps a tad too long and hangs differently from the rest of the seven part series, but if you look closely, the attempt is to delve deep into the characters, their lives, motivations and their families. The back stories play a significant role in making the characters relatable.
#RajshriDeshpande is simply magnificent as the brooding #NeelamKrishnamurthy. She combines grief with steely resolve to make the fight for justice for her children her life’s mission. Note that scene where she is in the CCTV room and does not flinch when watching the horrific scenes. Her only objective is to figure out what happened and how it happened. Towards the later years, Neelam is greeted by the court officials, lawyers and other staff as she has by then become a familiar figure. She maintains that balance between grief, composure and resolve to get justice all through. The only time she has an outburst is when the court sentence lets off the Ansals easily and she proclaims “If I knew that this was the justice that I would get, I would have taken a gun and shot the killers”.
#AbhayDeol is also scintillating as the husband Shekhar Krishnamurthy. He is happy to play second fiddle to his wife but is equally dedicated to the mission. When Neelam is fiery, Shekhar can either restrain her or support her but either way, he remains invisible. He tells the relatives who are there to offer support “ When Neelu comes back, I want all of you to leave”. On another occasion, he enters Niraj’s house and admonishes him in front of this family. The courage to do nothing and leave saying “You are blessed” ( for having his son alive) is fantastic. The track where he lets go and goes on the drinking binge with an old classmate is perhaps the only deviancy that he displays. After the wolf-whistle worthy performance that Neelam puts up in court, Shakhar tells Neelam in the car that she was incredible. As the car moves forward, Neelam is seen smiling in one of those rare moments but even here the sun control film of the car almost masks it as though the few moments of joy are fleeting in their quest for justice.
The brilliance of #TrialByFire is the quiet meditative grief that results in anger but never an outburst. The two scenes - one when the couple are informed about their children’s death and the other when its the birthday a year later and both parents do not know how to deal with the cake - both the scenes have zero dialogue and maximum impact. The story of the old man who loses his entire family to the fire and has to stand and watch them count and identify each member including a months old baby is painful. He does not have the means to even cremate the bodies. You are left with the disturbing thought that for some, grieving for their loved ones is a privilege!
I just wish that the last episode was not really part of the show. The actual day of the tragedy has been meticulously recreated and this is a challenging watch. The chaos is harrowing and the scenes of people choking over the acrid fumes is difficult to sit through.
#TrialByFire is a must watch. It is a classic underdog story and yet so difficult to narrate. I love the way the makers have exercised restraint all through. For example, there is no attempt to show any small time heroics inside the hall. The characters are sharp and relatable. The scenes are harrowing and yet engaging. My mind drifted to the peak of the covid pandemic when people were forced to cremate their loved ones without even a proper farewell. Three decades is a long long time and for the couple to stay focused and make this their life mission is not easy at all. Which makes you ask the question: what is heroism in this case ? Is it to do with victory and redemption or is it just the sheer act of rocking up every day and making sure it counts?
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