Actor Karanvir Sharma opened up recently about preparing for his role in the second season of the legal-drama series, The Trial and said that he interacted with real-life lawyers to make sense of his character and imbibe mannerisms.
Speaking about his process, Karanvir said, “For me, it always begins with understanding the basics of a character. When you’re playing a lawyer, you can’t just rely on dialogue delivery. You have to know how they think, how they observe. I had the opportunity to interact with some brilliant criminal and civil lawyers who were kind enough to give me their time. Whenever I got stuck, I would ask them, ‘If you were in this situation, what would you do?’ Those conversations shaped a lot of how I approached the role.”
He admits that stepping into The Trial Season 2 came with its own set of challenges. “What helped was knowing the small things the language lawyers use, the way they stay composed, how they never break eye contact while arguing or being questioned. These details give them an air of quiet confidence, and that was important to bring on screen,” he said.
Recalling his earlier stint as a lawyer in A Thursday, Karanvir adds, “There was a very beautiful scene where Atul Kulkarni puts his gun on the table. I say, ‘Your safety is off.’ He realizes that I know, because I’m a lawyer. The audience might not know what a gun’s safety is, but as a lawyer, I should know. Those details matter.”
Karanvir also credits the show’s director, Umesh Bist, for pushing him to dig deeper as he added, “He has an eye for detail. He would say, ‘Find out where this came from and why it exists in law.’ That pushed me to research and understand the intent behind every legal reference.”
The Trail also stars Kajol, Jisshu Sengupta, Sonali Kulkarni, Sheeba Chaddha, Alyy Khan, Kubbra Sait, Gaurav Pandey, and Karanvir Sharma in pivotal roles. It is set to premiere on JioHotstar on September 19.
