‘The Trial Season 2’ web-series review: Kajol returns as a fierce lawyer in a watchable but inconsistent show

Cast: Kajol, Jisshu Sengupta, Kubbra Sait, Sonali Kulkarni, Asrani, Alyy Khan

Director: Umesh Bist

Language: Hindi

For the second season of The Trial, the makers have tried to make the show a lot more palatable. So they have infused every possible element and emotion into the plot and sub plots. The central character played by Kajol still gets flashbacks about the trial she went through herself after her husband’s scandal who’s now a politician. Here comes the drama. We then get a victim who accuses an influential personality of sexual harassment. At first, her claims are dismissed but the law firm she approaches, and everyone gets to do the digging. here comes the thriller. We are then told she was indeed speaking the truth. An emotional song follows. Here comes the commentary.

We then quickly move on to another case of hit and run and attempt to murder that involves a social media influencer. These scenes play out as if the makers were keen to take the Jolly LLB franchise ahead themselves. Here comes the comedy. Poor Akshay Kumar and Arshad Warsi. But the episode ends with a twist nobody sees coming. Here come Abbas Mustan. Kajol is now used to the nuances of Noyonika, she has done most of the heavy lifting the previous season. So at least for the first two episodes, she goes through the motions like how she has been making endless appearances due to her endless projects. But it’s also encouraging to see a female star from the 90s relish and savor the opportunities that are landing at her doorstep.

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But there’s a problem. Unlike Guilty Minds, which shall never be renewed for season two, The Trial is unable to assimilate multiple conflicts together to form a coherent narrative. There’s a fresh case every episode but the way we began with that helpless victim and her story of sexual assault, she’s completely forgotten for the next three episodes. It’s the inconsistency of The Trial that stops it from being a fully watchable and enjoyable show. And even refined actors like Sheeba Chaddha keep popping in and out of the frame when the story demands or wishes. Ditto for Sonali Kulkarni, a rival politician that suggests pure evil.

The Good Wife continued for seven years and seven seasons as the viewers were gripped and held by the gravitas of the story and the central character. I’m all for Kajol as the recurring and rousing lawyer since she has enough balls to kick some in the show. She battles a deceptive husband, corporate politics, misogyny, complex cases, and a crumbling marriage. And yet, she holds her own. But both Noyonika and the actress are in dire need of meatier stories. Stories that can add more dazzle and depth to her indefatigable persona. Till then, the trial ends.

Rating: 2.5 (out of 5 stars)

The Trial season two is now streaming on Jio Hotstar