We had reported back in December 2019 that prolific content creator Endemol Shine India is working on a series that will tell the story of the tragic Uphaar Cinema fire. The fire, in Delhi’s popular cinema hall, had killed 55 people and injured hundreds. Well, the series now has a stellar lead cast, and a platform that will stream the show. As per reports in the media, talented actors Abhay Deol and Shilpa Shukla will lead the cast of the show. Netflix, fresh from premiering Endemol Shine India’s latest show ‘Bombay Begums’, will likely pick up the upcoming show for streaming on its platform.
The Uphaar Cinema fire tragedy that took place in Delhi, way back in 1997, is a story waiting to be told. While the tragedy itself was terrible, it resulted in a 19-year-long struggle by the families affected by the tragedy, the loved ones of the dead and injured, before they finally received justice in court against the cinema owners.
Now, Endemol Shine India has taken upon itself to tell this moving story in the form of a web series. The web series will be directed by Prashant Nair, director of the hit Amazon Prime Video show, ‘Made In Heaven’.
The web series is based on the book by Neelam and Shekhar Krishnamoorthy, called ‘Trial By Fire: The Tragic Tale of the Uphaar Fire Tragedy’. The book recounts the couple’s struggle for justice for their kids, Ujjwal and Unnati, both of whom perished in the fire. The couple went through litigations and court cases for 19 years before they received justice and the cinema owners were sentenced to jail.
59 people died in that terrible fire and more than a hundred were laid down with debilitating burn injuries. Yes, it is definitely a story worth telling. And who better than Abhay Deol and Shilpa Shukla to play the aforementioned couple who fought for justice for their kids, and for their own redemption and catharsis.
Abhishek Rege of Endemol Shine India, and Sidharth Jain of StoryInk, the company that facilitated the book-to-screen adaptation, are on board as the producers of the series.
Stay tuned to Binged.com for further details on the upcoming show.