The Test Case (web series)

The Test Case
Official Poster
Genre	Drama Web series
Created by	Ekta Kapoor Samar Khan
Developed by	Endemol Shine India
Written by	Ishita Moitra
Screenplay by	Mukul Srivastava Nagesh Kukunoor
Story by	Samar Khan Vinay Waikul
Directed by	Vinay Waikul Nagesh Kukunoor
Creative director	Nimisha Pandey
Starring	Nimrat Kaur Akshay Oberoi Atul Kulkarni Rahul Dev Anup Soni
Theme music composer	Tapas Relia (Background Music)
Opening theme	Sohail Sen
Country of origin	India
Original language	Hindi
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	10 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer	Mrinalini Khanna
Producers	Shefali Bandyopadhyay Akshay Mhatre Shravan Reddy
Production locations	Mumbai, Maharashtra
Editors	Abhishek Seth Shakti Hasija
Camera setup	Multi-camera
Running time	~30 minutes
Production company	Endemol Shine India
Budget	~4 crores
Original release
Network	ALT Balaji
Release	30 April 2017 (2017-04-30) – 26 January 2018 (2018-01-26)

The Test Case is a 2017 Indian web series, directed by Vinay Waikul and Nagesh Kukunoor and produced by Endemol Shine India for the ALTBalaji. ^[1] It stars Nimrat Kaur, Akshay Oberoi, Atul Kulkarni, Rahul Dev and Anup Soni in lead roles along with Juhi Chawla in a guest appearance. The web series is about the main character training to be the first woman test case in a combat role, within the Indian Army. ^{[2] [3]} The basic story of this web series is inspired from the 1997 American film G.I. Jane . ^[4]

Plot

Protagonist Captain Shikha Sharma (Nimrat Kaur) is the only woman in a group of Indian Army officers training to join the Special forces. ^[5] She is also the first woman to be undertaking the course making her a "test case" for inducting women into combat oriented roles in the Indian army. The storyline revolves around her journey of overcoming challenges at home to biases by her colleagues despite being an intelligent and a highly motivated individual. ^[6]

Shikha initially faces physical challenges when completing a demanding obstacle course. But she perseveres and overcomes them with grit. This results in making both friends and enemies among her colleagues. She manages to not only remain in the course but also moves up to the top-half of the team's leaderboard. During the final phase of training, which is in the form of a simulated sortie into harsh enemy territory spanning multiple days, Shikha is placed in command of one of the two competing squads in an effort to test her leadership skills. The exercise ends in disaster with the squad losing contact with the course instructors for a prolonged period of time. The squad eventually makes it back with Shikha and Captain Bilal (Akshay Oberoi) suffering severe injuries and unconscious. A medical examination reveals that Shikha's injuries were not as a result of combat injuries. But a follow-up interrogation by the lead course instructor Naib Subedar Kirpal Bhatti (Rahul Dev) and the course commanding officer Colonel Ajinkya Sathe (Atul Kulkarni) has Shikha and the members of her squad insisting that nothing untoward happened and the injuries were as a result of an accident.

In the meanwhile, an anonymous letter is sent to the Army command alleging that Shikha was sexually assaulted during the exercise. ^[4] Lieutenant Colonel Imtiaz Hussain (Anup Soni), a poker aficionado, is dispatched to investigate quickly and quietly. Using a series of unconventional tactics Colonel Hussain ultimately manages to piece together the sequence of events and identify the culprit. But Shikha refuses to press charges saying she wants to solve this problem without anyone else helping her. She explains to Hussain that she wants to set a clear example that women are not only just capable of joining combat units but also equally capable of defending themselves without help. She ultimately manages to get Captain Manit Varma (Suhail Nayyar) to confess while covertly recording his confession; And also manages to defeat him in one on one close quarter combat. He is ultimately arrested and led away by the Army police. ^[7]

The story ends on a happy note with Shikha graduating top of the training course.

Cast

• Nimrat Kaur as Captain Shikha Sharma (Corps of Army Intelligence, Para Probie)
• Juhi Chawla as Shraddha Pandit (cameo) - Minister of Defense
• Atul Kulkarni as Colonel Ajinkya Sathe - CO, SFTS (Parachute Regiment)
• Rahul Dev as Naib Subedar Kirpal Bhatti - Instructor, SFTS (Parachute Regiment)
• Anup Soni as Lieutenant Colonel Imtiaz Hussain (Parachute Regiment)
• Akshay Oberoi as Captain Bilal Siddiqui (Artillery Regiment, Para Probie)
• Manit Joura as Captain Avinash Walia (Mechanized Infantry, Para Probie)
• Bhuvan Arora as Captain Rohan Rathore (Brigade Of The Guards, Para Probie)
• Sumit Suri as Captain Ranjit Surjewal (Madras Regiment, Para Probie)
• Tarun Gahlot as Captain 'Tank' Chauhan (Para Probie)
• Bijou Thaangjam as Rifleman Tej Bahadhur Thapa (3GR, Para Probie)
• Saurabh Goyal as Captain Vishnu Soren (Bihar Regiment, Para Probie)
• Suhail Nayyar as Captain Manit Verma (Bombay Sappers, Para Probie)
• Shruthy Menon as Dr.Captain Aparna Rao - RMO (Army Medical Corps)
• Rio Kapadia as Major General M. Sundar Raman
• Arshia Verma as Captain Rohan Rathore’s Daughter
• Samir Kochhar as Shivalik Ahuja ^[8]
• Pawan Chopra as Subedar Major Devidyal (Capt Shikha Sharma's father)
• Rituraj Singh as General Bedi
• Sonal Jha as Captain Shikha's Mother
• Rajveer Singh Rajput as Tender

Episodes

• Episode 1: The Beginning.
• Episode 2: The Outsider.
• Episode 3: The Player.
• Episode 4: Heart of Darkness - Part 1.
• Episode 5: Heart of Darkness - Part 2.
• Episode 6: Down but Not Out.
• Episode 7: Mind Games.
• Episode 8: Prisoners of Conscience.
• Episode 9: The Confession.
• Episode 10: Season Finale: What goes around... Comes around.

Delay in episode availability

The first episode of the series was made available on the launch date over the ALT Balaji App. The future of the series appeared uncertain after successive episodes did not follow for a prolonged period. Reports of creative differences emerged between the director and the producer ^{[9] [10] [11]} as a possible reason for the delay. Eventually it was announced that from the second episode onwards, Kukunoor had been replaced by Vinay Waikul as the director. Waikul had previously served as first assistant director for the super-hit Bollywood films like Dangal, 3 idiots, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag and Ghajini. This web series was Waikul's directorial debut. ^[12]

In December 2017, an announcement from the show's producer confirmed the shooting having been completed for the remaining 9 episodes. These were made available for viewing on 26 January 2018 - to coincide with the Indian Republic Day. ^[13]

Reception

Bollywood actor Aamir Khan liked the series and appreciated the entire cast of the series for their efforts. ^[14]

Awards

Year	Award	Category	Recipient	Result	Ref.
2017	Indian Television Academy Awards	Best Director in a Web Series	Nagesh Kukunoor	Won	[15]
		Best Actress in a Web Series	Nimrat Kaur	Won
2018	IWM Digital Awards	Best Actress Drama		Won	[16]
	iReel Awards	Best Actress Drama		Won	[17]
	Streaming Awards - February Edition	Best Actress		Won	[18]

See also

• Women in Indian Armed Forces
• Indian Special Forces

References

1. "Ekta Kapoor's Test Case back with a bang; this popular actor to join the cast". India Today. 11 September 2017. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
2. "The Test Case trailer: Nimrat Kaur looks tough as nails in her upcoming web series. Watch video". The Indian Express. 7 April 2017. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
3. "ALTBalaji launches the inspirational trailer of Nimrat Kaur's 'The Test Case' - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
4. "The Test Case review: Nimrat Kaur's one-woman army show is the best thing to happen to Indian TV in years". hindustantimes.com. 1 February 2018. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
5. "The Test Case trailer: Nimrat Kaur plays an army captain in the upcoming ALTBalaji web series". Firstpost. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
6. "The Test Case Review: Nimrat Kaur's sublime showing, writers' grasp of material make for an Indian army soap opera". Firstpost. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
7. "'The Test Case' Review: B*lls, P*ssies & What They Signify". The Quint. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
8. "The Test Case: Samir Kochhar to star opposite Nimrat Kaur in ALT Balaji web series". Firstpost. 27 September 2017. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
9. Nathan, Leona (7 June 2017). "Is Ekta Kapoor's web series Test Case shelved after just one episode?". India.com. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
10. "What happened to Ekta Kapoor's 'Test Case'?". mid-day. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
11. "Nimrat Kaurs Test Case shelved after one episode? Ekta Kapoor reveals the real reason" . Retrieved 4 September 2017.
12. "Vinay Waikul Marks Directorial Debut with ALT Balaji's Web Series THE TEST CASE" . Retrieved 30 January 2018.
13. "Nimrat Kaur's web series 'The Test Case' to be back from THIS date". News Nation Bureau. 3 December 2017. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
14. "Aamir Khan Takes To Twitter, Appreciate Ekta Kapoor and Nimrat Kaur's Web Series: The Test Case". Headlines Today. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
15. "Winners List: 17th Indian Television Academy Awards,2017".
16. "Winners List: IWM Digital Awards, 2018".
17. "Winners List: iReel Awards, 2018".
18. "Winners List: Streaming Awards, February 2018 Edition". Archived from the original on 2 June 2021. Retrieved 10 November 2018.

External links

• The Test Case web series on ALTBalaji
• The Test Case at IMDb