'Trial By Fire' Proves Good Story & Right Emotions Take Precedence Over Bollywood Vs South Debate
If you are one of those who¡¯s tired of the whole Bollywood vs South debate, then you are not alone, my friend. For any true cine buff, the language, medium and genre isn¡¯t important - An interesting story is what drives them to give a movie or series a try. Recently released web series starring Abhay Deol and Rajshri Deshpande is a classic example of this.
If you are one of those who¡¯s tired of the whole Bollywood vs South debate, then you are not alone, my friend. For any true cine buff, the language, medium and genre isn¡¯t important - An interesting story is what drives them to give a movie or series a try. Recently released web series starring Abhay Deol and Rajshri Deshpande is a classic example of this.
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Revolving around the true incidents that took place back in 1997, Trial By Fire narrates the tragic tale of the Uphaar Cinema Fire tragedy that shook the entire nation.
On the afternoon of June 13, 1997, a fire caused by a faulty transformer broke out in Delhi¡¯s Uphaar Cinema, which led to wild spread of smoke in a packed auditorium which was showcasing ¡°Border¡± at the time. The room soon got filled with carbon monoxide which led to the deaths of 59 people and left many injured in its wake.
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A stampede occurred as people trapped inside the auditorium flocked towards the exit gate to flee from the scene but unfortunately they couldn¡¯t make it as the doors were locked from outside.
In the show, one character can be heard saying that it didn¡¯t look like a cinema hall but a crematorium. Among the deceased were two siblings, who couldn¡¯t make it out alive. Trial By Fire is a story of a couple Neelam and Shekhar Krishnamoorthy who take it upon themselves to seek justice for their dead children.
The show chronicles their mission and captures minute details of their journey to justice and their battle with influential property developers - the Ansals.
For a lot of us Delhiites, #TrialByFire is personal. The deceased Ujjwal, son of the Krishnamoorthys, was my age and my schoolmate. And as I was reading the review by @shubhragupta, I learnt that she was at Uphaar that day to watch the same movie, but at a different time.. pic.twitter.com/1OrqShvrDs
¡ª Shounak (@shounakray) January 17, 2023
Abhay Deol and Rajshri Deshpande have played their roles to perfection. On one hand, Abhay plays a defeated father who is fighting with his helplessness and grief and on the other hand, Neelam is on a mission to get justice. She is unable to make peace with reality and runs from pillar to post to find out the truth. Her motivation is unrivalled and it remains so for 24 years without fail!
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There is an aged chacha who loses his family of 7 and he doesn¡¯t even have the means to do their cremation but he still stands up with the couple in their battle. Apart from the victims¡¯ families, we also get to see how a poor DVB (Delhi Vidyut Board) is framed as he was made the scapegoat for fixing the transformer before it malfunctioned.
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The makers Prashant Nair and Sandeep Jha gave a fictional spin to the story as they tried to humanise the victims and their stories. Even though there are some stark loopholes which are difficult to ignore, Trial By Fire has turned out to be a more than decent attempt to show the tragedy which faded into oblivion with time.
Apart from the lead duo, the series also has Anupam Kher, Shilpa Shukla, Ashish Vidhyarthi, Ratna Pathak Shah, Rajesh Tailang and Shardul Bhardwaj among others playing pivotal roles.
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Many factors contribute to the show¡¯s success. First and foremost, the choice to narrate the horrifying tale and not changing names is a brave move. Secondly, instead of overly dramatising courtroom scenes or the couple¡¯s journey, the makers chose to give a glimpse of what could have gone down inside the locked auditorium in those last minutes before many succumbed to their horrifying end.
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The honesty and simplicity struck a chord with the audiences which made Trial By Fire a hit from the word go. It also kickstarted discussion around fire safety practices and highlighted the amazing social work that the Krishnamoorthys did for the nation. The timing couldn¡¯t have been better as the accused cinema owners Sushil and Gopal Ansal were convicted in November 2021 but they only served a jail term of 6 months proving once again that money and power can easily influence the justice system of our country.
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Interestingly, the brothers returned to the courts recently to seek a stay on the show¡¯s release but the High Court rejected their plea.
This brings us to a fair conclusion - while the country still indulges in the Bollywood vs South Film Industry debate, it's the stories that make a huge difference not the makers. It¡¯s not like Bollywood has a dearth of strong storytellers. What they seem to be lacking is the selection of the topics and the treatment. I¡¯m sure by this point, many would start assuming that this is a white-washing piece sponsored by Bollywood stalwarts but it comes from a genuine place of love for cinema.
(To read more such stories related to movies and shows released on OTTs, keep reading Indiatimes BINGE)
Bhavya Sadhwani heads Indiatimes OTT section - Binge. She calls herself an entertainment ninja and OTT content sucker. She loves to write on web series, movies, documentaries, reality shows and everything else that releases on digital platforms. She forms a special bond with those who share her love for cringe content.
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