Director Randeep Jha opens up on the biggest challenge they faced shooting for 'Trial By Fire'

After arriving rather quietly on Netflix back on 13th January, Trial By Fire managed to instantly make an impression first on the critics and then on the viewers. Receiving a lot of acclaim, the series is now also one of the top viewed shows on the streaming platform in the past two weeks.

When it comes to topic of the series and while it is an intense one, the shooting process had its own struggles as well. Fascinatingly, the series was shot right during the worst period of pandemic and of course, the nature of the series was always tough to work with.

In an exclusive conversation with us, we had director Randeep Jha and we asked him what was the biggest challenge he faced while shooting and taking a more restrained and subtle approach towards the treatment of the topic instead of a louder one.

Q - How did you make sure to have a restrained and subtle approach towards the treatment of this topic where usually people have taken the louder or dramatic approach?

I try to see the silence of music and poetry in the situation and characters, be it love, hate, betrayal or injustice. I try avoiding the loudness and the drama around the characters and situations unless otherwise required, instead look for the most effective way to convey the scenes. That is my personal approach in general. 

I try to see the silence of music and poetry in the situation and characters, be it love, hate, betrayal or injustice. I try avoiding the loudness and the drama around the characters and situations unless otherwise required, instead look for the most effective way to convey the scenes.

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Q - What was your biggest challenge while making Trial By Fire?

We were shooting in the middle of the worst phase of covid (the 2nd wave). Especially the track of Kishan Pal was shot in crowded, narrow lanes on the bastis of Delhi. We had to follow very strict protocols in the exteriors. Thankfully, even though the whole series was spread over a period of considerable time due to covid and other situations, the team remained intact throughout. Kudos to Prashant who was persistent throughout the process and showcased the efforts of the entire team in a beautiful way.

Trial By Fire is based on the book Trial by Fire: The Tragic Tale of the Uphaar Fire Tragedy authored by Neelam Krishnamoorthy and Shekhar Krishnamoorthy.