This series is a hotstar special, and can be found in Disney+Hotstar
DIRECTED BY: Tigmanshu Dhulia, Vishal Furia
NO. OF EPISODES: 10 Episodes, 40 to 60 minutes each
Since the time India paved its way into the OTT Web series space, there has been a huge astounding wave of quality content being made by talented filmmakers with the backing of some extraordinary talent in the acting department as well. However, what’s surprising is that with respect to Indian content, along with big budgeted web series backed by massive platforms, some smaller platforms have also emerged with such innovative and unique content in spite of the budget strains that some of them, even make Netflix look lazy. The expectations were certainly high, from Tigmanshu Dhulia’s first directorial venture, with regards to web series ‘Criminal Justice’. Since the launch of its first look and trailer itself, the series had garnered quite an impressive response. Be it the talented star cast of the movie, or the revolutionary filmmaker, director and actor Tigmanshu Dhulia’s involvement, the series obviously had no lack in hype. So, did it live up to the expectations? Well, we’ll see…
Let us begin by speaking about the plot. It all begins on a fateful night, when Aditya aka Adi (Vikrant Massey) a taxi driver, meets a girl named Sanaya (Madhurima Roy) during one of his last rides that evening. Although, they have some bitter exchanges initially, they soon get comfortable, so much so that they eventually get intimate with each other. What starts off as a lustful night soon takes a dramatic turn when Aditya wakes up, to realise that Sanaya is lying in a pool of blood, lifeless on the bed. In spite of all evidences stacked against him, he says he doesn’t remember anything after a point of time. Is he really guilty or not? This is the basic premise of the series. What follows is a tale of mystery, confusion, chaos and agony, that in spite of all its complexities has only one resounding question. Who killed Sanaya? The premise set is certainly a very intriguing one, to say the least.
The performances are undoubtedly the next big highlight in the series, after the plot. The entire cast have done a splendid job, but some of the performances were simply astonishing and had me spellbound. The fascinating thing is that it is the side characters in this series, who steal the show from the lead in spite of the fact that Vikrant Massey has delivered a sensational performance as Aditya. The character arc of Aditya in the series is quite huge. From a suspect to a prisoner to learning how to survive at all costs, Vikrant’s character in the movie is undoubtedly one of his most challenging ones till date, but he makes it look so effortless and does a terrific job at it. He manages to change his attitude, body language and demeanour with ease as the series progresses, making his character more and more intriguing. Dibyendu Bhattacharya playing the menacing, sick minded prisoner Layak Talukdar certainly deserves a mention too. Whenever Layak comes on screen there is an aura of repugnance, that the viewers face which in turn is a testimony to his outstanding performance. In short, Dibyendu makes it easy for us to loathe the character. Third in the list comes Jackie Shroff, playing the character of Mustafa, a mysterious man who’s been in jail for 22 years and is the kingpin in there. Shroff undoubtedly is the perfect choice for roles like these and he nails every bit of it. The body language, dialogue delivery and attitude of a badass criminal, is embodied by him in a splendid manner. What’s special about this role is that in spite of being a hardcore, brutal criminal on the outside, he also has an underlying sympathetic and caring side to him which makes Mustafa, all the more likeable, in spite of his mysterious personality. Anupriya Goenka as Nikhat Hussain, the assistant lawyer to Mandira Mathur does an extremely praiseworthy job as well. However, this is undoubtedly Pankaj Tripathi aka Madhav Mishra’s show altogether. Time and again, Pankaj Tripathi has proven his versatility as an actor, with such polarizing and contrasting roles, and frankly it’s a mystery as to how he can get into any character’s shoes and make it look so effortless. It is indeed surprising that the same man who played the menacing, cunning Sultan Qureshi in ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’ can manage to play the role of a witty and heart warming character like Madhav Mishra while still retaining the same charm. His acting here, felt so natural, that it took no time to absolutely fall in love with Madhav Mishra, the money minded yet humble, simplistic and caring lawyer who is ready to go to astounding lengths to fulfil his moral obligations, even if that means hardship for him. The chemistry between Madhav Mishra and Nikhat is undoubtedly one of the most underrated highlights of the show. The selfless help he provides Nikhat at a time when she was left all alone, is a gentle reminder to humanity that kindness still exists in this selfish world. The relationship they share is beautiful, heartfelt and so very pure in nature.
The dialogue writing in the series can arguably be called a hit and a miss. While most of the dialogues are genuinely well written and thought provoking, some on the other hand really confuses the audience as to why it was written that way. In short, you get best of both extremes in this series. The good ones are ‘really good’ while the bad ones are simply ‘terrible’.
The set design and the locations shot at, deserve a mention too. Be it the central jail, the courtroom or even Sanaya’s house for that matter, a lot of detailing has been given to make the locations look as authentic as possible. This in turn, adds to the realism in the series. The portrayal of the state of criminals in jails, although stylized at times, is shown in an extremely raw and real manner for the most part. This realistic portrayal is a constant in many aspects of the series. The hypocritical and biased nature of media who preach about ‘freedom of speech’ on one hand but at the same time don’t even listen to points that don’t suite their agenda, the judgemental society which runs its own parallel justice system and gives verdicts with half-baked information and knowledge, the hardships the family of the accused have to go through even before the court’s decision, all these points and more are covered in the series with utmost realism and honesty. Hence, the writing of the show deserves due appreciation. This is because not only is ‘Criminal Justice’ about solving the mystery behind the murder, but at its core, it is also a brief case study about the journey of a person, his family and well-wishers, primarily in the time frame the accusation and arrest takes place. The series also has an impenitent portrayal of violence and gore and hence, this series is most certainly not meant for the faint hearted. There are ample examples of scenes where we see a lot of blood and torture, but honestly, a less intense handling would have definitely decreased the overall impact.
Also, a phenomenal aspect of this series is the use of creative montages to give a hint about what is going to happen in the future. There are some really noteworthy, subtle hints, both graphic and dialogue-oriented ones, which do stand out well.
The direction of the series is also quite appreciable for the most part. The constant back and forth in the locations and situations helps grip the audience better. The cinematography and camerawork in the series, are quite appreciable too.
Here are some cinematic shots among many others, that really stood out:
However, Criminal Justice certainly has its fair share of demerits as well. Firstly, at times the series loses track with the subplots. While the mystery of Sanaya Rath murder case is being solved, newer developments keep happening in the central jail and the family. It is understandable that the writer’s intention was to show us the all-round journey of a person and not just the case. However, unfortunately some of the scenes, really took us nowhere and could have easily been avoided. Hence, a tighter edit could have made the show much more gripping. This in a way, leads to the next demerit: A hushed up suspense reveal in the climax. Skip the next paragraph if you haven’t yet viewed the series as due elaboration of this demerit is given in it. However, the para that comes after the next one, can be read by everyone without reluctance, as there are no more spoilers.
So, in the climax we get to know that LFRDC a centre giving counselling to the mentally disturbed, ran a child prostitution racket secretly. Knowing this truth, and wanting to expose it cost Sanaya her life. How did they keep it hidden for so long? How exactly did the syndicate work? Which other people were involved in it? How exactly did Mrs Lakhani execute the murder? So many such questions are given very little to no context whatsoever. If some time was spent on covering such questions briefly, the climax would have felt even more wholesome and satisfactory.
Thirdly, the character of Mustafa deserved more depth than what he got. Mustafa was undoubtedly one of the most entertaining characters in the series, primarily because of Shroff’s performance. If the writers had done a better job in writing his character, then he definitely deserved a series of his own. His past is a mystery and his tale of survival and rise to power in the jail is not even touched. Including even a very brief portrayal would have definitely increased the depth significantly. Finally, the BGM at times felt very loud and the sound design could have been better.
Hence, to conclude with, Criminal Justice in spite of its flaws is a very entertaining watch altogether. The makers manage to keep the suspense of the show intact till the end, and the storyline is excellent. The series very brilliantly shows how the phrase ‘innocent until proven guilty’ is just a mythical statement in real life and gives a thought provoking take on the overall system and its effect on the victims. If not for anything else, the series is definitely worth watching for its powerful message and a fantastic set of performances to relish, due to which it totally deserves your time.
RATING: 3.5/5
