‘The Trial pays homage to Gulzar’
Suparn Varma also praises the talent of Bengali actors who have been making a significant impact on OTT
A huge fan of the legendary Gulzar, Suparn S Varma always wanted to explore the intricacies of relationships and marriage. So he didn’t think twice about adapting the popular US legal drama ‘The Good Wife’ for the Indian audience. He knew talented actor Kajol would be the perfect fit for the lead role. In the Indian adaptation ‘The Trial: Pyaar, Kanoon, Dhokha’, Varma has tackled themes of love, betrayal, ambition and personal growth and the show has struck a chord with viewers.
“I have retained the soul of ‘The Good Wife’. I loved the show. The skeleton is the same, but the cases and the characters are different in ‘The Trial’. If something goes wrong in the life of an Indian woman, she is victim-shamed. In the West, it’s not like that. However, men always get a free pass anywhere. ‘The Trial’ explores the complexities of marriage. I am a huge fan of Gulzar saab. I don’t think anybody does poetry in relationships like him. So, this is my humble homage to Gulzaar saab,” said Varma, the director of ‘The Trial’.
Recently, one of his productions - ‘Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai’ - a courtroom thriller starring Manoj Bajpayee, has also been garnering a lot of praise. But Varma said while ‘Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai’ is a complete courtroom drama, he said, “ ‘The Trial’ is 20 percent about the courtroom and more about complexities of relationships. This story starts where love stories end. And that’s why the fun of casting Kajol. Raj and Simran in ‘Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge’ got married. But this story begins 20 years later when Raj cheats on Simran. So, Kajol was a natural choice for the role of Noyonika Sengupta. Nothing is black and white. At times, we choose to overlook certain issues and stay, while on other occasions, we find the strength to walk away. Also, with social media ruling our lives, today fidelity has a different meaning. Today sliding into someone’s DM is emotional cheating. Life has become easier and falling in love is tougher. The show questions relationships and marriage in today’s context,” said Varma, who is behind hit web series like ‘The Family Man’ and ‘Rana Naidu’.
Though Varma has tasted enormous success in OTT, his work on the big screen like ‘Ek Khiladi Ek Haseena’, ‘Acid Factory’ and ‘Aatma’ didn’t impress many viewers. “The more you fall, the more you mature, learn and appreciate life. So, everything was an educational process. Some people taste success early in life and for some, success arrives late. As long as you are persistent and work hard, it will fall in place,” said Varma, who was a film critic before he ventured into filmmaking.
Also, a prolific writer, Varma has tackled a range of subjects in series like ‘His Storyy’, ‘The Family Man’, ‘Rana Naidu’ and now ‘The Trial’. So, how does he choose his subjects? “I like being challenged. I don’t seek safety. I have failed enough times in my life, so all I do is keep pushing myself,” he smiled.
In ‘The Trial’, Jisshu Sengupta plays Kajol’s husband, who has cheated on her. Though this is the first time he is working with a Kolkata-based actor, Varma keeps a close watch on the Bengali film industry. An ardent admirer of director Srijit Mukherji’s work, he has watched ‘Jaatiswar’ and ‘Vinci Da’.
“Rituparno Ghosh is an institution. Srijit is also doing some excellent work,” he said. He also wholeheartedly praises the remarkable talent of Bengali actors who have been making a significant impact on the OTT.
“Paoli Dam and Raima Sen are terrific. Swastika Mukherjee is magical. The passion with which Swastika performs is outstanding. I am eager to work with talented actors and Bengal has many amazing talents,” he said.
