Noyonika Sengupta(Kajol) is an experienced lawyer who has left her job to be a full time homemaker. She is married to Rajeev Sengupta, an Additional Judge(Jisshu Sengupta) and has two kid daughters. Their untroubled life is suddenly ruffled when a video gets leaked about Rajeev taking sexual favours from his clients. He is arrested and his bank account is frozen.
Noyonika has to now support her family and kids. She takes help of her erstwhile friend, Vishal Chaubey(Alyy Khan) to get a job in his law firm. Vishal is one of the partners in the firm. His co-partners are Malini Khanna(Sheeba Chaddha) and Kishore Ahuja(Kiran Kumar). Noyonika is put on probation. She has to compete with Dheeraj Paswan(Gaurav Pandey) who is a co-lawyer also on probation. It is very clear that Dheeraj can go to any length to get permanent in the job.
In the meantime, with the help of Illyas(Aseem Hattangadi), a loyal family friend and a power player, Noyonika manages to bail Rajeev out. She again enlists Vishal’s help to fight for Rajeev, as she being emotionally attached to the convict, cannot fight the case and Rajeev’s erstwhile lawyer recuses himself from the case midway. Rajeev, after coming back home, tries very hard to woo Noyonika’s trust but fails. At the same time, Noyonika cannot extricate herself from the marital bond as she realizes that the children still love their father. Rajeev, in turn, is also attached to his kids.
Noyonika gives a sterling performance as a probationer. She wins a few pro-bono cases and impresses Malini who at first is skeptical of her and does not leave one single opportunity to taunt Vishal about his past with Noyonika but later praises her work. Noyonika is assisted by Sana Sheikh(Kubra Sait) who used to earlier work with Rajeev. Sana is an enigma who does not believe in emotional commitment. But she proves her loyalty to Noyonika. They almost become friends. Later, when Rajeev’s case is being heard, Sana, one of the prime witnesses, turns hostile and the table is turned. Rajeev wins the case.
In spite of her promising output, Noyonika lags behind Dheeraj as she is unable to bring in new cases to the firm. The firm is in dire need of money as the sleeping partner Kishore Ahuja suddenly decides to quit and open a separate office of his own.
However, Illyas, who knows about Noyonika’s predicament comes to her aid and promises to give high profile legal cases of political allies to Malini and Vishal’s firm.
However, Noyonika has to be ready for another shock when Rajeev, on the pretext of a public apology to his wife, declares that he is aspiring for joining politics. Noyonika is spellbound and cannot voice her disagreement or disapproval as she is on stage with him before the audience.
In the meanwhile, Vishal re-confesses his love for Noyonika and asks her to leave Rajeev and marry him. However, he leaves this message on Noyonika’s mobile which Illyas is carrying as Noyonika is on stage with her husband.
However, in the final game, Rajeev has to contend with Sharad Jhadav(Rituraj Singh) who has taken a pledge to destroy the Sengupta family. One of the charges against Rajeev is the kickbacks he has taken from Jhadav. Dheeraj readily joins him because he is also bitten by the same ill - revenge!
The Trial Season 1 ends on a cliff hanger.
Will Noyonika ever come to know about Vishal’s profession of love for her because Illyas has seen the message?
Does Illyas, who shows unquestioned loyalty to Rajeev’s family, have an ulterior motive because in the final analysis he takes pride in being a kingmaker?
Will Rajeev be able to win back Noyonika’s love and faith after all the financial setbacks and social stigma she has to face because of his misdeeds?
Will Sharad Jadhav ultimately succeed in taking his revenge?
What will happen to Dheeraj?
What is Sana’s hidden agenda?
The good and bad of the series:
The bad first:
Though Noyonika shifts to a "smaller" flat after Rajeev is jailed but seen pubbing and dining in posh joints, However, she is unable to pay the children’s school fees for months.
Noyonika has a covert glamour quotient which is unexpected and unneeded given the situation. A sterner and more sterile look may have done justice to the character and the circumstances she is in,
A betrayed wife still protecting her husband. Why? To keep the family united? For the sake of the children?
Her mother-in-law(Bina Rai) still has oblique comments and barbs for her, Not unusual but sounds unsympathetic in the face of everything. An older woman not understanding the feelings of a younger woman because she is blinded by her love for the son and his children.
Noyonika is upright but she does not object to Illyas backing her up to get her reinstated in the job.
Dheeraj, a middle class boy, with a score of liabilities at home, is sarcastic at Noyonika’s victory over him. He comes up with his sad stories but is snubbed off by Noyonika. Its plain rude and unsympathetic and not expected the way her character is built up.
Noyonika should have gauged that there must be a greater axe to grind behind the ploy of public apology as she knows Rajeev through and through. But she is taken in. After all what is the need of a public apology?
The good:
Kajol makes a comeback with a bang. She delivers with maturity and grace - a show stealer. Extremely convincing, she comes up as transparent as water. There is no doubting her integrity and passion for what she delivers with utmost sincerity and total honesty.
Jisshu is a mixed bag. He is a loving father, unfaithful husband, greedy and corrupt judge and obviously does not aim to join politics to serve the public. In the role of a sophisticated villain Jisshu excels. His shades of grey spills through. You don’t know whether to hate or feel sad for him.
Alyy Khan is a heart stopper. He has matured in age and acting. His eyes speak more than his lips. He infuses graciousness and gracefulness both in his character. He is a good human being but also a dispassionate lawyer who spectates a legal case with neutrality and holistically.
Kubra Sait makes her presence felt. She is mysterious. She does her job of collecting information with suave and subtleness. But nobody knows what she is actually going through or thinking or aiming at. She does not reveal much about herself. Kubra gets into the mould of the character with ease and elan.
Direction by Suparn Verma is not flawless. The episodes are a bit jumpy and sometimes it is difficult to follow the narrative. Basically, the characters evolve through a series of law suits which is an interesting way of presenting a narrative. But the connects between episodes are a bit lost here and there.
The endeavour of a betrayed woman to make her kids face harsh realities at the same time maintain sanity and earn their faith and respect is inspiring and heartwarming. Her inner conflicts are her own which she has to deal with in her own way and at the same time balance work and family lives with courage and dignity.
Trivia:
The Trial on Disney Hotstar is an adaptation of Robert King and Michele King’s The Good Wife.