Justice, Complicity and Privilege Unfold in ‘Illegal’ Trailer

“Everyone is entitled to a defence? Only the entitled fucking get the defence,” says advocate Niharika Singh (Neha Sharma) through grinded teeth in the trailer for Voot Select’s forthcoming series Illegal.

In a broken system, power is currency and justice is hard to find. Starring Neha Sharma (Tanhaji), Piyush Mishra (Gangs of Wasseypur), Akshay Oberoi (Selection Day), Kubbra Sait (Sacred Games) and more, Illegal questions the moral compass of the judiciary in India. 

The clip opens with Janardhan Jaitley (Mishra), the man touted as India’s best criminal lawyer, scrambling to find an advocate who can win over both the court and the media. Amidst scenes of flurry and strife, Jaitley zeroes in on Niharika Singh (Sharma), an advocate the press has anointed as the “mad lawyer” because of the cases she’s helmed previously. Singh gets involved in a case that’s been stretching for over a decade, investigating the imprisoned woman (Sait) behind a series of notorious killings called the “quadruple murders.” As the judgment inches towards capital punishment, Singh tries to turn back the clock and navigate the murky waters of evidence and justice while the accused woman turns to Singh in the prison’s medical ward, voicing her only request: “Maut meri rihai hai. Dilwayegi? (In death is my freedom. Can you win that for me?)”

Exploring what makes and breaks cases that lead to landmark judgments in criminal law, Illegal dives into high-profile criminal cases at the number one law firm in the country. Written by Reshu Nath (Bose: Dead/Alive), the courtroom drama charts how greed and ambition make mercenaries out of some advocates while pushing others to lead defining verdicts. What does the judiciary do when the legislative is complicit? The series drops next week on May 12th.

Watch the trailer for ‘Illegal’ below: