Kajol on series debut with The Trial: Script will always be my hero

 Ahead of her series debut with "The Trial - Pyaar, Kanoon, Dhoka", actor Kajol says her creative choices are dictated by the story and not the medium.

The 48-year-old actor has two back-to-back OTT releases --  Disney+ Hostar series "The Trial - Pyaar, Kanoon, Dhoka" on July 12 and the second edition of Netflix's acclaimed film anthology "Lust Stories" on June 29.  

The actor, who made her OTT debut with the 2021 Netflix film Tribhanga, said she wants to collaborate with "good people" whether it is for films or for streamers.

"... I have always thought that whenever I work, I will do something, which I enjoy the most, work with good people and that script will always be my hero. Whether it is for an OTT platform or a film, for me a role is a role," the actor told reporters at the trailer launch of "The Trial...". 

Directed by Suparn S Varma, "The Trial - Pyaar, Kanoon, Dhoka" is the Indian adaptation of the popular American legal TV drama The Good Wife, which revolved around a woman who returns to being a practising lawyer after her husband, a former state's attorney, is imprisoned for a sex and corruption scandal.

Kajol said when she was offered the Hindi adaptation of the 2009 critically-acclaimed drama, she was curious to understand how the show will be adapted for the Indian audiences.

"The original show, I loved it. The character was amazing, the concept was fabulous but I did have a question about how it will be adapted in Hindi. That's when Suparn came in, the narration came in for the script. 

"For me, it's really about a script, the script is never about one character, it is always about everyone's character. And all the characters in this series, in the adaptation, is so well-rounded and well written. I loved the script. My script is my king," she said. 

Varma, best known for The Family Man season 2 starring Manoj Bajpayee, said the Indian series is completely different from the original CBS series, to suit the cultural landscape of India. 

He also said the team made a conscious decision to not have the similar title for the Hindi remake of the show. 

"We had the luxury of watching the entire seasons, so we could take that and start putting arcs of the characters and give more gravitas. The show is also different, the case needs to represent what's happening in society today and make it make contemporary. 

"There is no western gaze at the characters, so you see Noyonika in an Indian avatar, the challenges that she would face as a Indian woman, mother and wife are vastly different. That all led to making a lot of creative decisions in the writer's room, and gave a fresh perspective and gaze," the director said.

In the courtroom drama, Kajol will be seen as Noyonika Sengupta, a housewife who is forced to return to work as a lawyer after her husband's public scandal puts him behind bars. 

She said her character is complex and evolved and believes that most women will be able to resonate with it.  The actor also said the show gave her the opportunity to sink her teeth into a character, which she thoroughly enjoyed. 

"I also feel this character is better in a web series, as it has an arc. It is a beautiful arc from what she starts out and where she ends up eventually. It's really that part where you can sink in your teeth," she said.

Kajol said her co-star Jisshu Sengupta,  who plays her onscreen husband, has been perfectly cast as he looks like an ideal good man, who can do no wrong. 

"You actually feel bad for him. Not as a woman. You like him but also hate his decision.  "Similarly, you will like Noyonika but you would not like some of her decisions. It would look hypocritical that she is saying something, doing something else." Jisshu said he liked the character of Rajeev Sengupta, an additional judge, as it has many layers to it. 

"When I met Suparn, I had not seen 'A Good Wife', but when he narrated me the story of 'The Trial', I felt the character has so many layers, as an actor you jump into it. It is a very human show. All the emotions are very true, very human. The choices we make and what we don't, this show is about that," he added.

Produced by Banijay Asia, the Indian version also stars Kubbra Sait, Sheeba Chaddha, and Alyy Khan.