Bengali cinema's leading man Jisshu Sengupta has steadily built a pan-India presence over the years with acclaimed performances in films such as Shakuntala Devi, Piku, and Mardaani. Audiences first saw him alongside Kajol in the legal drama The Trial in 2023, where he played Rajeev Sengupta, the husband of Kajol's character Noyonika Sengupta. The series marked Kajol's debut in long-format digital storytelling, and the two actors' on-screen chemistry was instantly noticed.
Now the duo are back with The Trial 2, which premiered on September 19 on JioHotstar.
Kajol reprises her role as the determined lawyer navigating personal and professional upheaval, while Jisshu once again plays her husband, whose choices continue to impact her life. This time around, the stakes are higher and so is the comfort level between the two actors.
Speaking exclusively to NDTV about working with Kajol, Jisshu opened up about how his fanboy admiration turned into a warm friendship. “I grew up watching her movies. I was technically shaking when she walked into Mehboob Studio for our first photoshoot,” he remembers. “I didn't know how to start a conversation.”
That moment came courtesy of Kajol's mother, veteran actor Tanuja. “I had worked with Tanuja aunty in a Bengali film where we played mother and son, and I told Kajol "Ma'am. I have worked with Tanuja aunty". She instantly smiled and said, ‘Of course I know.' The best part was when she said, ‘Don't call me ma'am.' That was the icebreaker. After that, we were off and running.”
Their camaraderie soon became one of the biggest assets of the JioHotstar show. “She's a darling to work with and absolutely hilarious,” Jisshu says. “We were like Tom and Jerry on set. Our director Umesh Bisht would sometimes say, ‘Now should we shoot a little bit?' because we'd be joking so much.”
One moment stands out for Jisshu, an intense scene between him and Kajol that was expected to take several takes. “We were cracking bad jokes before the shot. Umesh thought the whole day would go into filming that one scene. But we pulled it off in one take. That's the power of the comfort level we share. It reflects on screen.”
As a lifelong Kajol fan, “It's unfair to ask a 90s kid to choose a favourite Kajol film. Any Shah Rukh-Kajol film is my favourite,” he laughs. Jisshu says working with her is both a thrill and a learning experience. “She pushes you during a scene to get the reaction she wants. It's incredible.”
Kajol, meanwhile, loves keeping him on his toes. “She teases me by asking for details about characters she's played in her films, just to test how big a fan I really am,” he smiles. “Because of my terrible memory, I usually stumble, and she pulls my leg about it.”
With The Trial 2 streaming now, Jisshu believes viewers will see the evolution of both the story and their on-screen partnership. “We know each other's rhythm now. That familiarity elevates the performances,” he says.
