What Is the Story About?
Contrasting ideals force lawyers Niharika Singh and Puneet to part ways from Juris Associates. After healing from his family trauma, Akshay returns from London and makes an effort to mend his relationship with Niharika. Caught between ambition, conscience and love, Niharika has to make tough choices that would alter the course of her career and personal life.
Performances?
Neha Sharma makes full use of her juicy character graph to deliver a compelling performance that helps us root for Niharika Singh despite her problematic decisions. The tone in the portrayal across seasons is appreciably consistent and she handles the crests and the troughs in the drama with ease. Piyush Mishra, playing the advocate-turned-politician, is a natural as the wily, modern-day Shakuni, who would do anything to protect his family and drive his personal interests forward.
There are notable performances all around – from the dependable Satyadeep Mishra to the ‘OTT expert’ Akshay Oberoi. Neil Bhoopalam could’ve done with more restraint in bringing Dushyant Rathore alive, while Achint Kaur’s role as Mrinalini Singh is dull and one-dimensional. Zayn Marie Khan as Zoya Ahmed has a fiesty screen presence though her role lacks a distinct identity beyond her profession. Asheema Vardaan’s Shanaya is another character that merited more depth, though the performance is decent. Kriti Vij, Sonali Sachdeva and Anshuman Malhotra do what’s expected of them.
Analysis
Illegal, in its third season, encapsulates the moral ambiguities an unapologetic modern-day woman faces in pursuit of her professional ambition, where she loses sight of right, wrong and her purpose. If there’s a workplace pal who bats for idealism in her profession, an ex returns to her life to remind her need for companionship. What if the line between her professional and personal life blurs?
The legal drama, while staying true to the times and making a commendable effort to capture the travails of a career woman without judging her, offers a compelling upgrade to an old-world tale of morals, greater justice, and ambition. From a father-son dysfunctional drama to a notorious industrialist’s abusive marriage to a political battle and a plea for euthanasia, there are a handful of subplots to keep the narrative busy and tense across eight episodes.
It’s another matter that Illegal has too many cinematic coincidences and is exaggerated to be realistic. Strangely, it’s the messiness in the setup that keeps it afloat – it’s convoluted, incestuous, juggling many subplots at once. There’s adequate variety in the interpersonal relationships to hinder monotony. Additionally, the creators purposely heighten the angst and anxiety in the drama (even in mundane situations) for a viewer to take the proceedings more seriously.
While in the previous seasons, Niharika consistently blamed her senior JJ (now a CM) for his cutthroat approach to work, the season showcases her transformation into the very demon she had once confronted. Niharika is deliciously flawed – she loses her moral compass, sensitivity and friends, and sensationalises cases beyond necessity in her desperate ascent to the top. The plot keeps taking vicious turns, placing her in a spot of bother regularly.
Niharika handles several cases through the show and she alters her stance conveniently to facilitate her professional growth. The best part of Illegal is the breakneck pace at which it operates, it doesn’t quite offer viewers the time to take stock of the proceedings. The storytelling is not of a golden standard always, but it has conviction and is bolstered by the arresting performances.
Beyond Niharika and JJ, most of the characters feel like cardboard pieces that deserve a more fleshed-out persona. If Puneet is a good-old idealist, Akshay is a man-child with ‘daddy’ issues, while Zoya Ahmed feels like the younger version of Niharika and Dushyant, the power-hungry, problematic industrialist. While you can argue that the show has meatier conflicts to handle, the little details in their lives would’ve helped Illegal become more worthwhile and not just engrossing.
The most riveting episode in Illegal has to be the domestic abuse between Dushyant and his actress wife Atisha, where Niharika, despite being on the wrong end of justice, makes progress with the case. The political drama isn’t all that convincing in comparison and so is the subplot around Sue’s abortion. The drama gains momentum
in the penultimate and final episodes. By the finale, an ideal foundation is laid for a new season with Niharika and JJ trapped behind bars. Sahir Raza makes the most of the material at hand and sustains the momentum of an underrated show that continues to impress crowds despite not boasting of heavyweights in its cast.
Music and Other Departments?
Soutrik Chakraborty utilises the busy screenplay to his advantage and provides a new dimension to the sequences with his intense background score. Radhika Anand, the story writer, is certainly a much-needed voice in the digital space, who displays a fine understanding of modern-day storytelling while offering a hat-tip to yesteryear cinema in terms of drama. Sudeep Nigam and Bharat Misra’s screenplay is worthy of praise, backed by impactful dialogues. Vivian Singh Sahi’s cinematography and Satya Sharma on the editing front, contribute their bit to add zest and flavour to the proceedings.
Highlights?
Performances of Piyush Mishra, Neha Sharma
Impressive screenplay
Variety in the interpersonal relationships, drama
Drawbacks?
Exaggerated beyond necessity in parts
Needed more depth in characterisation
Pointlessly convoluted at times
Did I Enjoy It?
Yes
Will You Recommend It?
Yes, primarily for drama enthusiasts
Illegal Season 3 Series Review by Binged Bureau