Ekta Kapoor ropes a fresh set of versatile actors for The Verdict - State Vs Nanavati

The trail of outings of 'The Verdict - State Vs Nanavati' has made the right noise ever since the series has been announced. The trailer of the series which was released sometime back successfully created a nail-biting wait amongst the audience for the series.

Later the makers started unveiling the character posters to further pique the curiosity of the audience.

Today, the makers of the series have released three more character posters from the show. The latest unveilings include actors Saurabh Shukla, Swanand Kirkire and Makarand Deshpande.

Saurabh Shukla will be seen playing the role of Rustom Khurshedji Karanjia, the Founder/Editor of the popular weekly tabloid, Blitz. In an era when newspapers were the go-to source of information, he shaped the public opinion with his articles on many important issues in India. 

He was a patriot and also shared a great relationship with Pandit Nehru. In 1959, he changed the narrative of the Nanavati case in order to establish a fellow Parsi as a hero, and protect the Navy’s reputation. Of course, his paper also saw the price bar move from 25 paisa per copy to 2 rupees per copy. His stories initiated a media trial outside the court that influenced the entire country, and the jury’s opinion, on the case.

Swanand Kirkire will be seen essaying the role of Justice R. B. Mehta, a highly respected among the legal fraternity, for his stance on correct facts, irrespective of consequences and his no-nonsense demeanour. In 1959, he presided over the high-profile ‘K. M. Nanavati vs. The State of Bombay’ (now Maharashtra) case, where pressure from the media & public to pardon the accused was at its peak. 

He went against the legal norm and turned down the jury’s verdict after they pronounced Nanavati not guilty. In a historical movement, this led to the review and consequent removal of the jury system from the Indian judiciary and helped define the modern judiciary system of India.

Makarand Deshpande will be playing the role of Chandu Trivedi, as a practicing law as the state’s public prosecutor, he was not known to be either a brilliant lawyer or a good orator. In 1959, while the Indian constitution was going through its 8th amendment, he was assigned a case that would change his life. 

He mistook it for an open-and-shut case but the case turned out to be a bigger war than the one he had ever prepared for. It turned into a war between Sindhis and Parsis, and his family was caught in the crossfire. It turned into a war of moralities, and his morals were at risk in order to win it. The case, which was going to change his life, turned around and changed the face of the Indian judiciary. 

Directed by Shashant Shah, the 10-episode series is based on the real-life incident of 1959 and follows the trial of naval officer KM Nanavati who shot three bullets from his revolver at a businessman and later confessed his crime to the police. Even after six decades the infamous story of K.M. Nanavati Vs. The state of Maharashtra is still one of the most sensational criminal cases in India and marks a landmark judgement in the history of India.