Amazon Prime Video's first legal drama, The Guilty Minds looks hella intriguing in the trailer

Legal dramas always get our adrenaline pumping and Amazon Prime Video's first legal drama, Guilty Minds seems like it will have the same effect if its trailer is anything to go by!

Amazon Original's upcoming legal drama, Guilty Minds recently launched its trailer, starring Shriya Pilgaonkar (Mirzapur) and Varun Mitra (Jalebi, Tejas) in the lead. Created and directed by Shefali Bhushan, and co-directed by Jayant Digambar Somalkar, the legal drama follows the journey of two young and ambitious lawyers. While one is the epitome of virtue, the other is associated with a leading law firm, dealing with all shades of grey. The series also stars Namrata Sheth, Sugandha Garg, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Satish Kaushik, Benjamin Gilani, Virendra Sharma, Diksha Juneja, Pranay Pachauri, Deepak Kalra, and Chitrangada Satrupa in pivotal roles and features guest appearances from actors like Karishma Tanna, Shakti Kapoor, Suchitra Krishnamoorthi, Girish Kulkarni and Saanand Verma.

Launched at a prestigious law college in Mumbai in the presence of students and faculty from the institute, the trailer launch was accompanied by a panel discussion featuring lawyers, Monica Datta, Ravindra Suryawanshi, creator and director Shefali Bhushan, actors Shriya Pilgaonkar and Varun Mitra and moderator, Dr. Paritosh Basu - Senior Professor, and Chairman, MBA Law, NMIMS.

“At Prime Video, our endeavor has been to create and showcase content that is just as diverse as our customers. Amazon Original Guilty Minds is our first legal drama and exciting new addition to our library,” said Aparna Purohit, Head of India Originals, Amazon Prime Video. “The series is our first collaboration with creator and director, Shefali Bhushan, who has presented an authentic and realistic portrayal of Indian courts through a variety of relatable cases. And, the phenomenal performances by our actors have breathed life into the narrative, making Guilty Minds a truly thrilling and compelling watch.”

“Guilty Minds for me is more than just a series based on two prolific lawyers who fight for justice and their clients. It is a representation of all that I’ve learned about the law through my family. Growing up, the Law was a constant topic of discussion at the dinner table at my house and I have always been intrigued by it. So, I wanted to present a realistic take on the legal system and Guilty Minds does that through the varied cases it explores.” said Shefali Bhushan, creator, and director of Guilty Minds. “I couldn’t have found better collaborators than Amazon Prime Video for making this series and showcasing it to audiences worldwide. I hope the viewers will love it as much as I loved creating the series.”

Speaking on the research that went into the series, she said, “A lot of research went into making this series because we wanted very accurate arguments and references to the sections of the IPC. So whatever topic we have chosen, we actually read up a lot of law around that topic. We consulted with lawyers. Two bonafide lawyers were in our writer's room as well, Manav, Bhushan who studied law but not practicing, and Deeksha Gujral who is a practicing lawyer. So yes, we went into a lot of research.”

While Shriya Pilgaonkar and Varun Mitra accept that the creator of the show, Shefali Bhushan, who belongs to a family of lawyers, helped immensely in getting into the skin of the character, they visited real courts to understand the workings of the courts.

Shriya, who visited the High Court in Delhi, says, “I spoke to my lawyer friends and visited the high court a few times for research. It was important for me to understand their approach to their profession. Clearly, the courts are not always as dramatic as we have seen them represented on screen. While observing some lawyers, I realized that every lawyer brings their own persona and style while presenting themselves, and they are also performers in that sense. The challenge was to not play into the stereotype of a lawyer but to perform with authenticity and as realistic as possible without trying too hard. I didn’t want to be too cerebral about it. I completely trusted Shefali to guide me through the process. She said to me that I just have to trust that I am Kashaf and just go with the flow. I had so much fun.”

For Varun, however, the courtroom scenes were more animated than quiet. He reveals, “I went to the trial court in Mumbai with a lawyer friend before the shoot began. We entered many sessions that were ongoing and in one of the courtrooms my eyes fell upon a lawyer who I was told was known to be theatrical and animated and also loved by the judges. He walked into the courtroom with a swagger and came alive while arguing his case. What I took from him was that he was “enjoying” himself while arguing the case. I think I was destined to see him that day. That day was the birth of Deepak Rana.”

Co-directed by Jayant Digambar Somalkar, and produced by Karan Grover, Antara Banerjee, and Naved Farooqui, Guilty Minds will exclusively stream on Amazon Prime Video from April 22.

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