Showing posts with label The Good Wife. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Good Wife. Show all posts
I loved Mohit Suri’s Saiyaara, but that is also an adaptation of the Korean movie-Karanvir Sharma
9:32 AM
The Trial 2 Karanvir Sharma reflects on his journey, saying he has never got a bad review, and despite the critical acclaim, he has not been able to get out of the struggle
Letty Mariam Abraham (MID-DAY; September 23, 2025)
There’s a lot an actor has to train in before appearing on the screen. For Karanvir Sharma, besides learning how to write stories and assist directors, the bigger challenge was to overcome his speech impediment. He had a lisp. After working with speech therapists and dialogue coaches, today, he is often told to lend his voice as a voiceover artiste. It was the first thing that hooked us to this conversation with the actor. In a chat with mid-day, Sharma talks about The Trial season two, why adaptations have become an easy fix, and why he feels he is yet to get his due. Excerpts from the interview.
Did you see The Good Wife before you signed up for The Trial?
I had seen The Good Wife when it was released earlier. It had been quite a gap. My directors [Umesh Bist and Suparn Varma] specifically told me not to watch it; it was the first brief he gave me. He said he didn’t want me to get limited with what the character was doing there. However, I still caught a few glimpses of it.
Did you compare yourself to Michael Ealy’s character Derrick Bond?
Absolutely, because of the memory I had of the character. It is very similar. Whoever has seen The Good Wife will see the exact arc, but it is more consolidated. The international show had about 23 episodes, but in the Indian version, we have only taken the highlights and made six episodes from it.
Don’t you think six episodes is enough to explore your character?
I may lose out [on fleshing out the] character, but crisp storytelling is the trend. People have started exploring content vertically because maybe the attention span is less these days. I think six episodes of 45 minutes each is good enough to tell a story. However, I also felt some more of my scenes could be added.
Is it a good or bad thing for people to compare the two shows?
It could be both. Some time back, I did a show called 24 — one of the initial shows to be adapted from an international series. I feel nakal ke liye akal lagti hai. Somewhere they hit the right chord for the first season, so the second season of it would be highly anticipated, because when the season two of The Good Wife came out, it was the highlight of the series too. I feel Umesh Bist will fill up the gap. His last series Gyaarah Gyaarah [2024] was a Korean adaptation, and he did a good job with it. The rest is up to the audience.
Why is the industry veering so much into adaptations? Are we running out of original ideas?
Adaptations have been going on for ages, it’s just that we are noticing it now because it’s at the forefront. Even Hindi TV shows are adapting from regional shows. I was part of Shaurya Aur Anokhi Ki Kahaani, which was the adaptation of the Bengali show, Mohor. It doesn’t mean every adaptation is going to be successful. I loved Mohit Suri’s Saiyaara, but that is also an adaptation of the Korean movie, [A Moment to Remember]. It’s in the hands of the director to make it connect with the Indian audience. It’s not that we are running out of ideas. It’s so difficult for original scripts to get a pass these days. You have to be a salesman more than a creative in this industry now. I wish we had more originals because we have a rich culture.
How do you see yourself as an actor?
I always criticize myself. I feel if you get too comfortable with yourself, it will be your downfall. I feel that sentiment is unanimous among actors. I had done a scene which was mediocre in The Trial. It is a regret. I broke down and cried in front of the director. My mother was hospitalized and my uncle had undergone a surgery. [I had] too many things going on. As an actor you have to keep your personal emotions on the side, but it is not always possible. The next day, it was the climax scene of my character with the whole cast. It had a lot of give and take, and you cannot miss the beat, expressions, and movements. So, I had to switch off, I couldn’t repeat the mistake. I was nervous about it, but it happened, and my director loved it.
Do you think you’ve got your due in the industry?
Not at all. This was one of the reasons why I picked up The Trial. It was to show people that I can be part of all the mediums and I am a good actor. I will be very disappointed if people don’t appreciate what I have done. This is like a big comeback for me. For so many years, despite getting critical acclaim, I am not able to get out of the struggle. It’s been a decade or so since I have been acting, but I’ve never got a bad review. It has to account for something.
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Did you know?
Karanvir Sharma approached Rajkumar Santoshi to assist in direction, but was instead cast as an actor. However, the film never took flight.
We went into a lot of granular details, including Kajol’s outfits, how she should wear the collar-Priyanka Khimani
8:18 AM
Entertainment lawyer Khimani on how she vetted and chose the cases depicted in Kajol’s The Trial, in keeping with the Indian judicial system
Letty Mariam Abraham (MID-DAY; July 11, 2023)
Entertainment lawyer Priyanka Khimani remembers watching The Good Wife on its release in 2009 and instantly becoming a fan of Alicia Florrick, played by Julianna Margulies. She even wondered how interesting it would be to attempt a similar legal drama in India. Cut to 2021: creator-director Suparn S Varma, and writers Hussain Dalal and Siddharth Kumar began reimagining the legal drama to create The Trial.
With the adaptation rights of the original in hand, the makers needed someone who could simplify the legal jargon in the show and help them centre it on Indian judicial laws. Enter Khimani. “From day one, I was brought into the writer’s room. There was no doubt in their minds that I was a perfect fit for this because I come from both worlds—a lawyer and a writer,” she says.
The former model had written her first television show, the 60-episode thriller, Tamanna House, at 15. While she pursued her law degree, Khimani wrote scripts as a side hustle and was long ingrained in the glamour world.
In The Trial, protagonist Noyonika Sengupta—essayed by Kajol—resumes her law practice after her husband is put behind bars. Khimani assumed that she would be required to vet some cases and ensure the writing team got the legal jargon right. But that was only the beginning.
“We grew up watching [Sunny Deol screaming] Tareekh Pe Tareekh [in Damini, 1993]. No one has captured what really happens in a law firm. For most, the legal profession boils down to what happens in the courtroom. But there are so many interpersonal elements. The dynamics, the interpersonal equation, the emotions, and the final verdict are interesting to showcase,” emphasizes Khimani, who is now the co-founder and lead partner of Khimani & Associates. Some of her clients include Sonu Nigam, Anurag Kashyap, and Badshah, among others.
The writing team’s biggest challenge was to ascertain the series’ main conflict. In the original, Chris Noth’s character Peter Florrick, the Cook County State Attorney, is plagued by corruption and prostitution scandals. After being cleared of all charges, he successfully campaigns for election as State Attorney again to become Governor of Illinois later. Considering the judicial hierarchy in the US differs from that in India, it was important to determine the arc of Jisshu Sengupta’s character, Rajeev Sengupta.
The lawyer explains, “In India, we don’t have district attorneys. We have public prosecutors. Even then, why would anyone care about a public prosecutor’s scandals? I had to find an equivalent in India. So, we went with the post of an additional judge who is appointed to the High Court in Delhi. They don’t enjoy the immunity that a sitting judge of a High Court does.”
Since the legal system in India vastly differs from that in the US, they were unable to borrow the proceedings of the cases showcased in The Good Wife. She points out one glaring difference.
“We don’t have jury trials, which is where all the drama happens in American courts,” she highlights, before adding, “We don’t do depositions [a formal, usually written, statement to be used as evidence] with video cameras in India. The criminal and civil judiciaries and courtrooms are different. [We also had to] find cases that were close [to the original], but make sure that they were accurate in terms of the procedure in India. For example, in the American system, litigators could be partners, who also make the arguments in court. In India, the counsel, is a lawyer who advises clients and provides them with legal guidance, but does not represent them in court.”
It was a task to compress the proceedings of the original’s 23 episodes and showcase them in eight episodes of the Disney+ Hotstar offering. The entertainment lawyer zeroed in on the cases and its proceedings, which were then embellished by the writers.
“For each episode, we came up with individual cases. For instance, we shot in a juvenile justice court because the case entailed an underage kid.”
Khimani also had to go on set to ensure that the representation of a law firm was accurate.
“We went into a lot of granular details, including Kajol’s outfits, how she should wear the collar, the on-duty and off-duty look, the look of the high court, sessions court, and district court. I was quite hands-on.”
When I was a newcomer, people bet on me-Kubbra Sait
8:40 AM
Kubbra Sait does not make career decisions on the basis on the experience and popularity of a director; adds all that matters to her is the script
Rishabh Suri (HINDUSTAN TIMES; February 5, 2023)
After starting her career with a small role in the Salman Khan-starrer Ready (2011), Kubbra Sait’s current body of work includes shows such as Sacred Games and an international series, Foundation. But the actor hasn’t forgotten that it all began with someone taking a chance on her.
She says, “When I was a newcomer, people bet on me. So, after that, I never considered if a director is new or old. I look at the script as a whole and my part in it.”
The 39-year-old adds that she never looks at the name of the director while saying yes to a project. “You cannot say, ‘I will only work with people who have been here for some time’. Look at the (person’s) conviction. You learn along the way. At the end of the day, life and your career is an experience,” says Sait.
Having worked with known directors such as Vikramaditya Motwane and Anurag Kashyap, and being a part of director duo Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK’s upcoming project Farzi, she considers herself “very fortunate” to work with them. Explaining her process of choosing projects, she adds, “I love to do things for the first time and don’t discriminate. I love to give myself the option of having tried. I like working with people who work with the same sincerity that I put in.”
Sait was missing from the limelight for the majority of 2022. Clarifying her absence, she says, “I was filming. I have projects coming out and the dates are out too, so now I can talk about it. Among others, I will be seen in The Good Wife along with (actor) Kajol.”
Kajol to begin shoot for The Good Wife adaptation from August 11
8:40 AM
Uma Ramasubramanian (MID-DAY; August 6, 2022)
Last year, Kajol was seen in her first web original film, 'Tribhanga' (2021). It was only a matter of time before the actor would find a story compelling enough to make her web series debut. What better than the Hindi adaptation of 'The Good Wife', which has the female protagonist driving the narrative? After having wrapped up work on 'Lust Stories 2', Kajol has begun prep for the Disney+ Hotstar adaptation of the legal drama.
A source tells mid-day that a set is being created at Juhu Gold Studio, where a chunk of the drama will be shot. “With a significant portion of the show playing out in a legal firm and courtrooms, an office set-up is being created for the first schedule. Kajol, who will give her own take to the lead character of Alicia Florrick, is expected to begin shooting from August 11,” reveals the source. The streaming service has yet to announce the creator and primary cast.
'The Good Wife' won much acclaim on its premiere in 2009. The legal and political drama revolves around the life of Alicia Florrick — essayed by Julianna Margulies — who resumes her law practice after her husband’s sex and political corruption scandal.
Mallika Sherawat hires lawyers to adapt American legal drama The Good Wife
7:51 AM
Rachana Dubey (BOMBAY TIMES; August 3, 2018)
A few weeks ago, BT was the first to tell you that Mallika Sherawat has secured the rights for the Indian adaptation of the Emmy-winning show, ‘The Good Wife’. The actress had even told us that she will headline the cast of the show. BT now has it that the actress, currently in the process of casting for the show, has been approaching top lawyers in the city to get a perspective on the legal system and incorporate it into her court room drama.
“I’ve been watching shows across platforms and some of them have actually set the benchmark really high. So, I want my show to be as real as it gets. The idea is to make some strong statements with this show. We plan to take up contemporary issues like some of the rape cases that have made headlines in recent times. The legal system in India is very different from the one in USA. The idea is to add Indian context to the show and make it relevant to our audience. I’ve also appointed a legal researcher who can guide us on various things on our legal system,” says Mallika.
The actress has even approached top lawyers in the city for their inputs on high profile cases like the Kathua rape case, and a bunch of other social issues, which can help the writers put the story in perspective. “We will do our best because we’re adapting an Emmy-winner. It’s not easy. A lot of people have asked me how I managed to get the rights for The Good Wife and why I am headlining the cast. For me, this is reinvention. It’s is very important for an actress. At this stage of my career, I just can’t imagine myself running around trees,” she adds.
Elaborating on why she decided to adapt the show for the Indian audience, she says, “The Good Wife has aspirational value. It’s relatable for Indian women because the central protagonist here stands by her husband even after he goes wrong. It’s relevant to modern India because the country is brimming with strong, independent women who are running the show across various professional fields. In our adaptation, the central character faces humiliation when she starts at the bottom of the pyramid. That’s our reality, too. Many women will relate to this show because each one will find something familiar with the character. There’s no black or white, only grey shades, as the character makes mistakes and stands by them. She’s as real as any Indian woman.”
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