Trial by Fire (2023) User Reviews

Eye-Opener

[ketgup83 · 9/10 · 13 January 2023]

Trial By Fire is an eye-opener of the famous case which is intriguing and disturbing.

Based on the horrific incident of 1997 Upahar Cinema case where 59 people were choked to death due to smoke caused by fire during the screening of Border film. Trial By Fire is the chronical of the case filed by Krishnamoorthy couple seeking justice for their children who lost their lives in the tragic incident.

Directed, researched and created by Prashant Nair and Kevin Luperchio, Trial By Fire is not easy watch but is an important web series that will keep you hooked to the detailed investigations. Each and every scene has executed appropriately and accurately.

Trial By Fire has been told from the Krishnamoorthy couple's point of view - how their lives got impacted along with other families. The web-series details out the struggles and challenges faced by the families mentally, physically and financially.

Trial By Fire boast off some strong technical support. I should start with an outstanding editing work. The background score is haunting and yet mesmerizing. The cinematography is brilliant, portraying a real-life crime with aplomb. Screenplay is fantastic, though it becomes little sluggish towards the end.

Coming to the performances, it is #Abhay Deol and Rajshri Despande who stands tall with her at each and every moment. They will make you believe with utmost natural performance.

On the whole, Trial By Fire is not easy watch but it will expose the harsh reality of what happened on the fateful day and it will definitely make you angry.

Thank you Makers!

[arpit-mishra · 9/10 · 16 January 2023]

It is heavy and intense. The tragedy is heart breaking and it is very well depicted in the series. The makers have used liberties to add some fictional characters to make it in an episodic form but totally justified. You will never feel anytime that anything has been taken lightly and genuine respect is given to the victims. I am glad that Netflix is giving importance to such events and producing a show like this. All the actors have done great job and the way the story unfolds is great. I wish more and more people watch this show as it is an important one. Trail by Fire is a great example how to make a real event show.

Marvelous Storytelling!

[ankit-imsnoida · 9/10 · 15 January 2023]

This series MOVED me A LOT!!

After a long time, Netflix has come with something original and completely brilliant. I expected this series to be good but it turned out to be Marvelous.

This series is beautifully written and very well directed. From the first min, the series is able to build much needed tension and hooks the audience. The series is paced so well..& nothing is exaggerated.

I have seen some of the best performances in a long time.. all the actors did a great job. But Abhay Deol and Rajshri Deshpande stole the show.. the did complete justification to their role and helped the audience in connecting with the horrifying pain of the actual parents who went through this.

More and more people should watch this. These people are real heroes and should be celebrated.l more.

Makes you feel the languish, pain and suffocation

[sb584012 · 10/10 · 15 January 2023]

Netflix

At one point of time in the last episode, it felt like my living room is filling up with smoke and I could smell the acrid fumes of the burning theater. The series waits until the very last episode to actually depict the tragic event and completely focuses on languish of the grieving parents, and their toil through the court case with a foregone conclusion through its first six episodes.

The parents grinded away for 25 years fighting the losing battle through the gut-wrenchingly prolonged delay when the rich and the powerful were afforded privileges of tampering with evidence, skipping court dates and pushing dates further and further away at their will. The listless melancholy that envelopes the series and the languid pace that is maintained is tactfully designed for the viewer to actually experience some of the drudgery in the comfort of their living room. It is not a court room drama; it is not a series that ends on high note or preach any social message. It takes you on a time-travel ride to 1997 and lets you be a bystander outside Uphaar cinema as the fire rages on and people perish. And while your outside escapes the fire, your inside smolders to black charcoal. It numbs you to hopelessness and you feel indifferent to the sheer absurdity of locking people in the balcony seats of a theater and the gross unaccountability of the several failures that culminates to the entire tragedy.

In one scene, when some of the hapless victims are trying to push the theater door trying to escape fire and others are pushing back because there is no room on the other side, the series will actually suffocate you. Every thump on the door will be felt inside your gut...

I wish to comment on so many other things, from acting, direction, cinematography, story, dialog etc. But my feelings about the series can be summed up in just one sentence: "Maybe some things last forever after all" (Luke Combs). It's a product of so much love, care, heart and courage by the whole team, especially by Neelam and Shekhar Krishnamoorthy, the parents of the two children who are credited with the story, that the series will live inside every viewer for their lifetime.

It doesn't soft land any blow.

[saptashreet · 10/10 · 14 January 2023]

Trial by fire is soul stirring blow by blow account of the Uphaar Cinema Tragedy that rocked New Delhi on the fateful day of June 13, 1997. I must be only 1-1.5 years old then and did not have any knowledge on this issue until I started off my career as a journalist. 59 people died of suffocation due to a fire in an overly packed cinema hall where all the exit points were closed. Rest is history.

The series leaves no stones unturned and is quite unapologetic about the matter at hand. They makers have not sugar coated anything and have given space, time to all the factors that led to this massive travesty of justice. Even the milords of this great nation and their sense of justice isn't spared. Abhay Deol is a terrific actor and proves it again. Rajshree Deshpande with her poignant portrayal of Mrs. Neelam Krishnamoorthy who continues to fight for her kids and 57 others even after 26 years will move you to tears of despair and helplessness. It is a must watch for everyone of my gen, older and younger to know how your life doesn't matter in this country if you're not filthy rich. Like I was told once, some lives matter more than others.

Outstanding performances

[johnmerzetti · 9/10 · 21 January 2023]

This was one of the best series (or even movies) that I have watched in a long time. I remember hearing about the incident back in the 90s, but really do not recall much aside from that. This drama told the story in such a great way... uncovering details at an excellent pace, and really making one feel they were watching things unfold in real time.

Rajshri Deshpande is absolutely incredible as the grieving mother, who lost her only two children to the avoidable tragedy. She goes on to lose herself in fighting against very rich, powerful people in an effort to find even a speck of justice.

Her portrayal of a grieving mother is as good a performance as you are going to see almost anywhere. Absolutely riveting! She should win awards for this. She does an incredible job!

While a sad, frustrating series to watch, I cannot recommend it enough. Outstanding!

What an intense love for their children!

[UmeshAditya · 8/10 · 14 January 2023]

A great watch! Based on the true story of 'Uphaar Cinema Fire ' of Delhi that took place in 1997 killing about 59 people leaving many others injured. A couple who lost their both the children in that tragedy fought the case in court for 25 years for justice against most powerful industrialist until 2022. This is based on the book written by them in the same name. This powerful couple fight for the unconditional love of their children is very inspiring. More powers to them!

My ratings 8/10!

A great watch! Based on the true story of 'Uphaar Cinema Fire ' of Delhi that took place in 1997 killing about 59 people leaving many others injured. A couple who lost their both the children in that tragedy fought the case in court for 25 years for justice against most powerful industrialist until 2022. This is based on the book written by them in the same name. This powerful couple fight for the unconditional love of their children is very inspiring. More powers to them! My ratings 8/10!

An unimaginable journey!

[Movies-On-Weekend · 6/10 · 13 January 2023]

It is an unimaginable story of the victims of a great tragedy. Abhay Deol and always acted very well. The characters, events etc. Are nicely depicted. The first episode is heart-wrenching.

The series started out well but then just went south. It felt as if it was dragging for no reason. Some of the sub stories were half baked. One keeps wondering what happened to those people or why did that happen.

If they had to drag it to seven episodes then many characters needs a closer. It seemed that the writer got tired of writing so stopped developing the characters.

However, if you can handle the pain, especially what the parents went through then do watch it.

Only parents can fight with the "Mighties"

[Rajit_thebingewatcher · 9/10 · 16 January 2023]

The biggest grief a person has to bear is their children's demise. The grief will intensify if they are killed from the negligence of the "untouchables" whose power is so much that they are beyond their reach. But as people say "Love" is the biggest strength this is the parents love towards their children that keeps them alive, their fight alive. The worst thing is the story is truth.

The performance of Abhaya Deol and OMG..RajShri Deshpande (never saw her before but you can feel her anguish, she matches every beat ,every step of the mother, Her body language will give you the chill) in the month of January we may have watched the best series of 2023.

SLIGHTLY ABOVE AVERAGE!

[sunildaswaney-63642 · 6/10 · 18 January 2023]

TRIAL BY FIRE would have been better suited if it was presented in the form of a documentary.

Everyone's acting (except the actress who acted as Neelam Krishnamoorthy) was average while she was very good. Anupam Kher and Ratna Shah were totally wasted and there were only there to add some recognition to the cast list. Screentime was really wasted on the personal lives of the security guard who worked at the burnt cinema and the foreman who had the ill fated transformer repaired on the morning of the fire. What do their personal lives have to do with the tragedy?

Looks like the contract was signed for 7 episodes and the makers ran out of proper material to fill same Somehow the web series should have been edited much more tighter thus reducing it to 5-6 episodes,and thus making it more palatable.

All in all at best, a slightly above average web series.

6/10.

Rajshri Deshpande has arrived!!!

[Ahmad-Imran · 9/10 · 15 January 2023]

The bleak, hopeless, heartbreaking but realistic and blunt portrayal of a real-life tragedy specifically, but in general, it is the depiction of the deep-rooted and systemic corruption of our institutions and the insensitivity, indifference, and callousness of our people. Trial by Fire is an excellent show.

Rajshri Despande, I first noticed her in Angry Indian goddess, then in Sacred Games, but I must have seen her in other movies or Series because she is credited with 43 projects on her IMDb page, earliest in 2009. Most of them were small and forgettable parts (at least, I don't remember seeing her, not even in Talaash or Kick). It took her ten years since her debut to get widely noticed and a little bit of fame in Sacred Games. But neither the Angry Indian goddess, Manto, nor Sacred Games did justice to her talent. She got her due in Trial by Fire.

Her portrayal of a mother who lost her children and is fighting for justice is nuanced and layered. She displayed the whole gamut of emotions with ease and believability but without being melodramatic. She is heartbroken, shocked, distraught, hopeless, vulnerable, strong, resilient, determined, stubborn, focused, and unforgiving. She played the part with sensitivity and maturity and depicted rare mastery of the craft. She is phenomenal.

What a fight

[sameerlodaya · 6/10 · 13 January 2023]

Sameer lodaya

What a fight by krishnamoorthys worth watching it

The series is based on novel trail by fire where they narrated the tragedy of uphaar theatre fire incident..as the series is based on true events prashant nair has showed minute details and pain of victim families in real deep dark scenes

Rajshri played as a mother fighting for justice was tremendous..the expressions without hard hitting words were top class makes you feel as she is the real person and not a actor..Abhay being a Bollywood lead actor played his normally both leaded the series quite well with galaxy of stars

The series is of 7 episodes with very slow pace and a lot of time has been wasted showing on pre and post life of victims rather they could had showed more of court room drama and lackings of authorities to investigate the tragedy

This kind of series emphasises the truth of system which a common person suffers in his daily life and the viewers gets to know what kind of pain and loss people have faced due to negligence.

Terribly slow, has irrelevant content

[vv_ajay-242-63251 · 2/10 · 8 May 2023]

I had high expectations with this one, but the execution of incident is damn slow and stretched. There is 60% content which wasn't needed at all. It's a waste of time, electricity and internet (to watch), and is really superbly and utterly boring.

It could have been fit it max 3 episodes. Seven episodes are too much.

There is no doubt in anyone's acting, everyone acted extremely well.

But what the director was thinking that if it happened in 90s, let's make it super long like 90s (it was more like 70s).

Don't watch, better see news, Wikipedia or watch some YouTube videos on this. This is total waste of time.

No words.... Masterpiece.

[gangeshgnair · 10/10 · 18 January 2023]

I really don't have words to express how amazing this mini series is. According to me "delhi crime season 1" is the best indian series ever made and "trial by fire" Really reaches close to that.

The way this team has taken up and handled this story is really marvelous. The whole series is mainly focused on the court Porocedurals, but it never feels slow or lagging at any point of time, because the writing is so amazing. Even the small characters are so well written. Such in depth and compelling writing. What I really liked about this series is the way they explore the perspectives, of one event and all the main people associated with the event. Some scenes are so emotional and the narrative or the way they approched the story is something really different and nice. The performances were just amazing. Abhay deol gives his career best performance according to me. Rajshri deshpandes performance is just marvelous. Prashant nair and his whole team deserves a very big salute to have made such an amazing and extraordinary series.

David vs Goliath

[Biswas_ · 8/10 · 14 January 2023]

The Uphaar cinema tragedy and the subsequent legal battle fought by the Krishnamoorthy family was a clear case of David vs Goliath and this series is exactly here to highlight the David vs Goliath that exists in our system.

Rich powerful people commit mistakes and the blame falls on the rather lower caste people . They get away from court proceedings as the weaker ones keep fighting for justice . This series is not about an investigation into the Uphaar cinema tragedy but it is a showcase of the indomitable spirit of the Krishnamoorthys who fought for years to get justice but still failed .

The series is pretty well made. It follows a Sardar Udham style meaning it first shows us the aftermath then the tragedy at the end . Yes at times it gets a bit repetitive or slow, but overall, it's pretty well made one. I didn't really understand what Ashish Vidyarthi had to do in this series.

Time to time we are shown how our society differentiates between common and the VIPs. We get to see how a vip is given first hand evacuation from the cinemas while the common people battle their lives finding an exit. This is all the series wants to showcase, the gap between the vip and the commons.

A must watch series! Performances are terrific as well.

Trial by fire is a meticulously crafted show that is still relevant in today's India.

[shivnarang · 10/10 · 15 January 2023]

Trial by fire is a meticulously crafted show that is still relevant in today's India.

Set in the backdrop of the real world tragedy of Uphaar Cinema fire of 13 June 1997, the show is about the resilience of two parents, seeking justice for their two children who died in the tragedy, along with other victims' families and survivors, for over 26 harrowing years.

The show never once feels exploitative or over melodramatic. Actors Abhay Deol and Rajshri Deshpande, along with Writer Director Prashant Nair have delivered a sensitive, yet thought provoking show that is a Must Watch!

I'm so glad that 2023 has started on the right foot. More shows like this please.

Heartbreaking, touching

[moulshree-78808 · 9/10 · 14 January 2023]

Trial by Fire depicts the sad tale of the infamous Uphaar cinema fire tragedy. It narrates how the story of how this tragedy took place, the negligience of the cinema owners and the involved athorities and the aftermath. The story revolves around the lives of various fire tragedy victims and their families mainly Neelam and Shekhar Krishnamoorthy and their struggle to seek justice from the system. It was very sad to know that the relatives of victims are struggling for justice till date. The movie is gripping and a must watch. It could have been better if they would have also included few real videos of instances that happened.

A tragic drama over a bigger tragedy

[rehmankhilji · 7/10 · 19 January 2023]

Behind every fortune there is a crime. This series is based on a tragic event, where due to greed leading to carelessness resulted in the lost of many people, including children and the elderly. It shows how a little mistake can lead to a bigger disaster.

It's a story about how the rich and powerful can abuse the system, how they can twist the law, how they can influence everything. It also shows that the greed in the society is never ending, how some of the families took the money and remained silent.

This is a story about two parents, who lost their both kids in a cinema fire, how they stood up, raised their voice, from door to door to a never ending legal battle, how they have dedicated their life for the one cause and that was justice.

It also highlights the shallow justice system where the rich will use every dirty trick in the book to prolong the proceedings, so long that the truth dies somewhere in the between.

A must watch.

A masterpiece..

[phatakshraddha · 9/10 · 14 January 2023]

I am stunned after watching the series. Its a masterpiece. I Feel sorry for the victims of Uphaar tragedy. The series goes on with the same pace but keeps you stuck. Excellent work by all the actors, editor and the director. It definitely haunts and make you think over the tragic incident. It is a must watch series.

Hats off to AVUT and specially mrs. And mr. Krishnamurthi. Rajashree Deshpande and Abhay Deol, your work took the whole series on another level.. Ashish Vidyarthi, Ratna Pathak and Anupam Kher were amazing as usual.

Also i want to add, the Flash backs and different time periods are shown amazingly.

Fire your editor

[Jay_Ash · 7/10 · 18 February 2023]

A really good series capturing the Upahar tragedy. Everything is perfect except the way the episodes are. "Episode 7 - Border" should have been your first episode. Acting is good but that cry, pain of loosing thier children was missing from Abhay Deol and especially Rajshri Deshpande. Abhay Deol is a fine actor but in first 2 episodes I felt the those were his step kids. The level of pain, sorrow was missing from the lead couple. Apart from these pointers, its a good series. I would have given 8-9 stars if the editing was done correctly. Speacial mention for the shot of Veer Singh anf his family setting, the continuation of the shot is awesome, especially the one from wash basin.

Unforgettable Characters and a Gripping Plot: A Must-Watch Series

[adityapandey1996 · 10/10 · 13 January 2023]

This series is one of the best I have ever seen. The writing is top-notch, with well-developed and relatable characters that are easy to root for. The plot is both thrilling and thought-provoking, keeping me on the edge of my see at until the very end. The acting by the child artist is top-notch, especially of Unnati. The pacing is perfect, balancing intense action sequences with moments of reflection and character development. The cinematography is some of the best I have ever seen, adding to the overall immersive experience. If you are looking for a well-written, well-acted and well-produced series, this is the one you should definitely check out!

Story of a real event that is poorly told

[qui_j · 3/10 · 26 January 2023]

From the start of this series it is very clear that it would have interest only for a specific target audience. One that perhaps is familiar with the incident. The way the story is told is very disjointed. There is little or no context provided, so as the story unfolds, there is a profound lack of continuity. Each episode seems to be made up of a series of vignettes, some of which are not connected but just following on one another in a random manner. As the series progresses, it just becomes more and more confusing with some events that are relevant only to an Indian audience, without global appeal. While each streaming platform has to seek to find content for each country, there seems to be a pattern emerging where not the best productions are being funded by Netflix. Perhaps Netflix should review the method used to determine which series gets the "green light" to go ahead to production.

Awesome and different from all

[gurchet-57452 · 8/10 · 13 January 2023]

After long time watch different and good web series , Story so good vfx , sound all awesome, A murder mystery which may have come from a TV series but which stands alone satisfactorily. The acting is very good from all the characters A murder mystery which may have come from a TV series but which stands alone satisfactorily. The acting is very good from all the characters A murder mystery which may have come from a TV series but which stands alone satisfactorily. The acting is very good from all the characters A murder mystery which may have come from a TV series but which stands alone satisfactorily. The acting is very good from all the characters.

Reality check

[shriyaniit · 8/10 · 15 January 2023]

Wow what a nice portrayal of everyday story of common people. It's just another story narrated in the best possible way. It's not gruesome or it didn't try to poke your emotions unnecessarily but still somehow nudge you. It let me ponder about the real question of our life; god forbid if some accident happens first of all will that be at all accident or just mere negligence of everyone?

Can we identify the guilty people and punish them to let others know if you are doing something wrong you will be punished, stripped off of your power position and so called respect.

Has there been any such example? Any hope?

What needs to be done to change this age old society and mindset?

Emotional and true story

[ankitannsa · 10/10 · 14 January 2023]

Truth shown around the uphaar theater fire. This a real story please watch this and boycott ansal plaza or nay sushil ansal related building because such kind of people never get what they deserve only way is to boycott their properties. Such negligence should not be avoided by anyone. So many families suffered the loss of their loved ones. This web series is the best way to depict the pain and reality that the people have suffered in reality which we don't even know about. Young children died because of their greediness and negligence and they faced the least punishment possible. Kindly watch the web series.