Click here to follow Screen Digital on YouTube and stay updated with the latest from the world of cinema.
© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd
Tags:
Criminal Justice cast: Vikrant Massey, Pankaj Tripathi, Jackie Shroff and Mita Vashisht
Criminal Justice director: Tigmanshu Dhulia, Vishal Furia
Criminal Justice rating: Three stars
We know it’s a Tigmanshu Dhulia venture when you hear words like jung, tamanche and topp in the same sentence, and in the context of an urban crime whodunnit, which also doubles up as a legal drama. Proverbs like ‘honhaar birwaan ke hout chikne paat’ uttered by a stoic and authoritative Mita Vashisht, clad in an handloom sari during a trial, seem completely congruent with the narrative. Criminal Justice, which marks the digital debut of Dhulia, is available on Hotstar VIP and Premium. It’s a remake of the BBC series of the same name, and was also made into The Night Of, a miniseries for HBO. Dhulia has a winner on his hands. The writing blends in with the spot-on performances by the ensemble cast — this highly detailed 10-episode series is a must watch.
Set in Mumbai, Criminal Justice follows Aditya Sharma (Massey), a cab driver with a taxi aggregator, and how his life is turned upside down one fateful night as he picks up an errant and quirky rider, Sanaya Rath. One thing leads to another, and when Aditya wakes up, he has a bloody and dead Sanaya lying next to him. In comes the cavalry, and Aditya and us get a ringside view of the Indian judicial and criminal system. Pankaj Tripathi plays Madhav Mishra, the accidental defender of Aditya, who is riddled with eczema and is way out of his league with this murder. His usual gig is that of an ambulance chaser. We are taken through the various steps of police procedure — remand, judicial custody, hearings — with tenacious details. Jackie Shroff makes his appearance at the end of the second episode as a prison-overlord, who takes Aditya under his protection. Prison and its workings get ample screen time, and so do behind-the-scenes pressures, backhand deals that are often synonymous with the Indian judicial system.
Criminal Justice is a scathing comment on the apathetic nature of the justice system. “Kanoon andha hota hai ya nahin, yeh toh nahin maloom, par langda hota hai, sabko maloom hai,” says Tripathi wisely to a frustrated, incarcerated Massey. The toll that justice takes is manifested through the suffering of the family.
One really feels for Vikrant Massey as he goes through the churn, though there is a throwback to his Babloo bhaiya avatar from Mirzapur, with the innocence and boy-next-door bit. Tripathi is stellar as the street-smart lawyer, who is catapulted into the big league. The quirks of his character, replete with his ever-itching eczema, make for some welcome comic relief, but without taking away from the otherwise serious and grey tone of the show. It’s good to have Shroff in the digital space, and he seems to enjoy the character, which is very much in his ‘beedu’ wheelhouse. Mita Vashisht is a welcome addition to the tribe of actors who have successfully crossed over to the internet.
Criminal Justice is engaging, though at times we wish the pace picked up. It is a welcome change from the otherwise so called ‘gritty’ shows that are currently streaming. It doesn’t use unnecessary violence, strong language or sexual content to retain audiences. The impeccable writing and the wholesome characters take care of that.
ektaa.malik@expressindia.com
Click here to follow Screen Digital on YouTube and stay updated with the latest from the world of cinema.
