Sumeet Vyas who is going to slip into the character of Ram Jethmalani in ALTBalaji’s new show “The Verdict- – State Vs Nanavati’ talks about his preparation for his role in the show, which is based on the 1959 Nanavati Case.
Angad Bedi who plays barrister Karl Khandalavala in the web series has found his on-screen rival in Sumeet Vyas.
Sumeet Vyas who has already undergone several look tests for the role said “Since it’s a period show, we avoided making the actors look caricaturish. We used a few photos of Ram Jethmalani to draw inspiration for the costumes.”
Sumeet Vyas had to depend on material online as he has never met Ram Jethmalani, He added “He was in his 40s when he was fighting this case. There are no videos of him from the time. So, we decided to interpret the man rather than imitate him. I noticed how he looks now and tried to analyze how he would have been decades ago.”
Talking in depth about the character Sumeet said “For the actor, the complexities of each character was an interesting aspect to analyze. You can’t have an opinion of Jethmalani that is wholly complete. You can’t term him unfair, or even entirely fair either. So, it’s fascinating to play that.”
Despite six decades, the story of the trial which revolved around infidelity, cold-blooded murder and patriotism still grabs people’s attention. This 10-episode courtroom drama will be based on public records, newspaper articles of the time, interviews with people who have knowledge of the case. While the result of the trial is now a known fact, it is the unfolding of the case that remains a matter of interest to the nation. ALTBalaji’s The Verdict will have a whole host of theatre veterans playing pivotal roles. Stay tuned for more information on that!
