Trial by Fire review: Rajshri Deshpande, Abhay Deol show is riveting, heartbreaking masterclass in how to depict tragedy

Trial by Fire

Cast: Rajshri Deshpande, Abhay Deol, Ashish Vidyarthi, Ratna Pathak Shah, Anupam Kher, Rajesh Tailang, Shardul Bharadwaj

Director: Prashant Nair

Where to watch: Netflix

Rating: 5 stars

In depicting a real-life tragedy on screen, one has to walk a tightrope where it has to be entertaining and engaging while being sensitive. The story must resonate and show the horrors of what happened but still not feel exploitative. And in trying to tone down the gloom, it can never get into a sermonising mode. Most shows and films based on real life events end up doing one of these many things wrong. Yet, they are still watchable and sometimes even praiseworthy. But Netflix’s new show Trial by Fire amazingly manages to tick all these boxes. It’s a rare production that justice to its subjects, its plot, and the viewers all at the same time. It won’t be hyperbole to call it one of the best shows made in India in recent times, if not ever.

Trial by Fire is based on the book of the same name by Shekhar and Neelam Krishnamoorthy, who lose both their teenage kids in the Uphaar Cinema fire 26 years ago. The fire in the theatre led to the deaths of 59 people inside, who were watching the matinee show of Border, which had released that day. The seven-episode series tells the story of the Krishnamoorthys’ two-decade-long legal battle against the Ansals, owners of the cinema hall, and also shows us how the incident changed the families of those affected, both the victims and the ‘villains’.

Right from the start, what Trial by Fire gets right is how to depict grief. It shows how the emotion consumes people, getting them to behave erratically. It shows how the banality and logistics of death in our society, and more than anything, it holds up a mirror to the systemic failure of our institutions. The show is not to be binged. It is a difficult, taxing watch that takes a toll on you. But it is what the narrative of this story should do.

For the first six episodes, there will hardly be a shot or scene that you’d call loud or dramatic. There are no histrionics, no sermons, no long monologues about greed and corruption. Director and showrunner Prashant Nair masterfully crafts a subtle, slow-burn drama that never falters and keeps you engaged throughout. He does so without reorting to the age-old tropes like melodrama but still manages to keep the plot’s emotional core intact.

Through a non-linear narrative that makes sure the passage of time in a 20-year-journey is not jarring, the show tells the stories of people who lost loved ones in the fires, the management of the theatre trying to come to terms with their roles, lawyers who take up the case, and the ecosystem around the Ansals who try and protect their bosses. Every character earns their place in the narrative and most actors do justice to their roles. Rarely are shows or films so well cast and well performed, let alone well made. What is truly refreshing is the use of real names, right from the Ansals and the Krishnamoorthys to lawyer KTS Tulsi. That choice helps establish this story in reality, making the stakes that much higher and the pain that much more real.

If the script sets the tone for the show, the cinematography elevates it to another level. Some of the close up shots of Deshpande and Deol are exquisitly framed, allowing the actors to bring out their best. And the performances accentuate all the work put in behind the camera. Rajshri Deshpande is a tour de force as Neelam Krishnamoorthy, the middle-class crusader seeking justice for her kids. She manages to portray a wonderful balance of pain, vulnerability, resilience and grit in every scene. Abhay Deol as her husband Shekhar delivers yet another memorable performance. The entire ensemble is solid and what I liked the most is how the ‘big’ actors never overshadow the narrative or their co-actors. Names like Ratna Pathak Shah, Anupam Kher, and Rajesh Tailang bring in their A-game and some gravitas but in the end, blend into the narrative like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.

The two actors who really did stand out for me were Shardul Bharadwaj and the veteran Ashish Vidyarthi. Bharadwaj plays an employee at Uphaar who we see as a selfish, unlikable man in the beginning. Hats off to the actor for not just pulling that off but still managing to portray him in a way that the viewer manages to empathise with him in the chaos of the tragedy. Vidyarthi plays a character that is arguably the best of the show, with so many layers, tones to him and a graph that allows an actor of his caliber to unleash his full talent. And boy, does he do it in style!

It would be amiss to talk about the show’s depiction of the actual fire and the mayhem that ensued. It is a difficult sequence where the show has to depict a chaotic fire with multiple characters battling for their lives. It is the only part of the show that does not opt for subtlety and that works. Trial by Fire is not cathartic. But it is an important show for India. It is one of the rare productions based on a real incident that tries to keep it as real as possible, without using pseudonyms and fictionalising things. Yet, it isn’t a documentary. A must watch on all parameters!