OTT: 'Trial by Fire' on Uphaar tragedy, a dog hunt, Golden Globe winners

It was a fight that started 26 years ago. A fight for justice that couple Neelam and Shekhar Krishnamoorthy embarked on, after they tragically lost their teenage kids in a fire that broke out in Uphaar cinema in an upscale area in Delhi in 1997. Trial By Fire, a series that will stream on Netflix from January 13, is based on this couple’s tireless, long fight to get justice and to ensure the culprits involved in the fire don’t go scot free. The series itself is a screen adaption of the bestselling book, Trial By Fire: The Tragic Tale of the Uphaar fire tragedy, which was published by Penguin India in 2016.

The fate of the series hung in the balance since a plea was filed in the Delhi high court by Sushil Anand, one of the owners of Uphaar cinema, to stay its release. But, on Thursday (January 12), the HC refused to stay the release of the series based on the 1997 Uphaar fire tragedy in which 59 people had lost their lives and 150 people were injured.

According to Bar&Bench, in his plea, Ansal had stated that he has been punished both legally and socially for his association with the Uphaar tragedy, and that his family had also suffered extensively. He said that he had apologised to the victims’ families for the tragedy and had expressed deep remorse, but ought not to be made perpetually liable to be rebuked by the public time and again, especially after having served his sentence. He objected to the fact that the book portrayed him as a mass murderer.

It is not clear what tack the series has taken. But, Trial by Fire, showrun by Prashant Nair  (Umrika 2015 ) who has adapted the book to screen with writer Kevin Luperchio and co-directed it, is now all set to release on the OTT platform. The series focusses on Neelam and Shekhar’s fight for justice to bring those responsible for the tragedy to book. The court battle still rages but the couple refuse to give up and as Shekhar Krishnamoorthy (played by Abhay Deol) says in the trailer they are continuing the fight to ensure that this horrific tragedy does not happen to any other parent.

The blurb of the book says how on June 13, 1997, at 4.55 p.m., a swirling mass of thick smoke entered the balcony section of the well-known cinema hall located in posh south Delhi. With most exits unavailable and no ushers to help, the people seated in the balcony found themselves trapped. By 7 p.m., fifty-seven had died and 103 were seriously injured in the ensuing stampede. Trial by Fire is the story of how the system failed the couple one step at a time and how, despite the odds, they still refuse to back down.

Starring Rajshri Deshpande and Abhay Deol as Neelam and Shekhar, the series also stars Rajesh Tailang, Anupam Kher, Ratna Pathak and others. Rajshri Deshpande was in Pan Nalin’s Angry Indian Goddesses and played the titular role of Durga in Sanal Kumar Sasidharan’s Sexy Durga. If nothing else, the series will drive home the fact that in India, the wheels of justice move at a frustratingly snail’s pace.

Also read: ‘RRR’ frenzy back on social media after Golden Globe win for track ‘Naatu Naatu’

Varalaru Mukkiyam- Pongal release on Netflix

This is a Jiiva film and it is a rom-com. And, it is Pongal weekend, and if you are not headed to the theatres to watch Vijay’s whistle-worthy family drama, Varisu, then you can cosy up to this one. In Varalaru Mukkiyam, Jiiva is a middle-class youngster living a carefree life. While his father K S Ravikumar castigates him for being a wastrel, his mother ( Saranya Ponvanan) mollycoddles him. (Yawn, we have seen it from the time of MGR films)

Being self-centered, Jiiva’s character doesn’t bat an eyelid to even put his family members in trouble. There are two female leads Kashmira Pardeshi and Pragya Nagra who play sisters, and the hero falls for both of them, and chooses the “prettier” one. (gasp, can they get away with this kind of sexism?)  There’s also some stalking, and the film was slammed for being a sexist comedy. Yet, if you want to see it for Jiiva’s sake, go ahead.

Or, maybe, you can just check out Mari Selvaraj’s Pariyerum Perumal (2018) produced by Pa. Ranjith. It is a brilliantly handled film on caste and the first ten minutes of the film is arguably one of the best opening scenes of Tamil cinema. Karuppi, the protagonist’s dog is killed by members of another caste; there’s also his relationship with his dad – a folk dancer who performs in drag clothing.

It is a searing tale of how an individual, who wants to be left alone to pursue his studies and his life, is treated unfairly by a social system because of his caste. There are many elements and layers to the film which makes it a thought-provoking film. It is a must-watch if you haven’t seen it until now, and this long weekend is a good time to do so. It is available on Amazon Prime Video.

Dog Gone

This is a father-son movie as much as a boy’s love for his pet dog. The plot of Dog Gone, a Netflix drama, revolves around a father-son duo, who overcome their personal differences while searching for their dog. It is based on the true story of a father and son who repair their fractured relationship during a forced hike of the Appalachian trail to find their beloved lost pet, who goes by the name of Gonker. This touching story actually made headlines around the world at that time as people from a variety of backgrounds joined the search for the critically ill canine. The puppy had only days to live without his monthly medication, which was a major concern.

Also read: Disney+ Hotstar launch official poster of ‘The Night Manager’

Blade Runner 2049

Action-drama Blade Runner 2049 revolves around K played by actor Ryan Gosling who uncovers a long-buried secret thirty years after Blade Runner 1982 that could plunge what’s left of society into chaos. His discovery leads him on a quest to find Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), a former L.A.P.D. Blade Runner, who has been missing for thirty years. Directed by Denis Villeneuve, the film stars Harrison Ford, Ana de Armas, Sylvia Hoeks, Robin Wright, Mackenzie Davis, Lennie James, Dave Bautista, and Jared Leto. The film will premiere on Prime Video from January 13.

The Bridge

Ok, here’s one of those Nordic thrillers Indians love to binge on. The Bridge is about a dead body found on the exact borderline between Sweden and Denmark. Two police officers, one from each country, meet for the first time and what seems to be one murder turns out to be two. Both bodies are brutally decapitated at the waist and stuck into one – the legs of a Danish prostitute and the head of a Swedish politician. Sounds gory! But, Nordic noirs are often binge-worthy. This one is available on Amazon Prime.

Golden Globe winner: The Dropout

If you are not hard at practising Naatu Naatu, the song that brought India a Golden Globe, you can watch The Dropout in Disney+Hotstar, which is another Golden Globe winner. Reviews have not gone exactly ga-ga about the film but claim it has to be watched for the Mamma Mia! actress, Amanda Seyfried’s disquieting portrayal of Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes. (a role for which the actress won the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a limited series this year). The eight hour miniseries follows the dramatic downfall of a tech prodigy who duped investors, colleagues, and customers about her miracle medical device that never really worked.

She had claimed her company had developed technology that would revolutionise blood testing, and in 2015, Forbes named Holmes the youngest self-made female billionaire in the country, after Theranos was valued at $9bn. But, her downfall came swiftly as rumours of fraud started circulating. Holmes is now on bail awaiting sentencing for convictions for wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

According to Rolling Stone, Seyfried does an excellent job of unpacking how Holmes slipped into con artistry, step by step, and how she managed to fool so many people for so long. Check it out, if you enjoyed Inventing Anna.

Movie lovers, may, however have to wait till February 1, to watch Angela Bassett, who picked up the Best Supporting actress trophy at the 2023 Golden Globe Awards, as Queen Ramona in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. But, don’t miss to catch the moody, atmospheric drama set in Ireland, The Banshees of Inisherin, which is tipped to lift Oscar trophies too. A tale about a friendship between Padriac (Colin Farrell) and his buddy Colm (Brendan Gleeson), which suddenly goes sour as one of them realises that he wants to spend his time more meaningfully and leave something behind for people to remember him by. In this time of mediocre films that get eulogised with some clever marketing, this one is a beautiful film that haunts you with its impressions on loneliness, social misfits and friendships.

This film which took home best comedy or musical film and best screenplay, as well as best comedy actor for its star, Irish actor Colin Farrell at the Golden Globe awards recently is a definite must watch. It is available on Disney+Hotstar!