Illegal Web Series Review: Positive verdict for this courtroom drama

A still from Illegal

Illegal
ON: Voot Select
Dir: Sahir Raza
Cast: Neha Sharma, Piyush Mishra, Akshay Oberoi
Rating:

Voot Select's latest release Illegal will remind legal drama fans of the memorable Star One serial Siddhant. The 2005 courtroom drama was beautifully understated, discarding the histrionics that were then synonymous with TV soaps.

Headlined by Pawan Shankar, it was a revelation for a generation raised on Sunny Deol's tareek pe tareek in Damini. The obvious parallel is that both shows follow their lawyer leads who find themselves oscillating between right and wrong. Legal dramas are a tough genre to pull off without falling prey to its tropes. On that count, it's commendable that Reshu Nath's script examines the flaws of the Indian legal system with an insider's perspective. The protagonist Niharika (played by Neha Sharma, who is in fine form) is brimming with righteous rage, like most woke doe-eyed legal graduates who come out of the top law schools of the country with the hope of creating an ideal India. The reality, we would believe, is different as mediaries of law use the well-elucidated Constitution of the country to play to the advantage of those in positions of power. It is established at the start that Niharika would go to any lengths to back the truth and is, hence, referred to as "the mad lawyer". As the narrative advances, we see her at a law firm that brings her face-to-face not only with her former flame, but also her estranged father Shekhawat (played by Dipak Tijori).

Watch the trailer of Illegal here:

Illegal is an earnest attempt by director Sahil Raza and creator Vikram Bhatt. They, along with Nath, make politically correct statements; some even bold, like their argument for passive euthanasia. However, the urgent cases - one of them being about consent in sexual relationships - eventually get lost in the series' overcrowded plot that includes incompatible marriages and infidelity, power-hungry lawyers with political aspirations, daddy issues and hidden murders waiting to be solved.
In the acting department, Akshay Oberoi is pitch perfect as he portrays his angst with subtlety. If Piyush Mishra brings the necessary gravitas to top lawyer Janardan Jaitley (which seems to be inspired by the late politico Arun Jaitley), Kubbra Sait as Mehr Salam offers a heartbreaking performance. A special word of praise for Satyadeep Mishra, who we need to see a lot more of.

The show's biggest win probably is that it has its heart in the right place, though the narrative is occasionally manipulative. If the show takes itself a little more seriously and doesn't fall prey to uneven plotting in the second season, it might even have the potential to be the Indian equivalent of The Good Wife.

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