Pankaj Tripathi: More than an actor’s, this is a writer’s show

Criminal Justice

In the third season of Criminal Justice, Pankaj Tripathi's character Madhav Mishra describes the show's intention simply. "To celebrate the triumph of justice," he says to the prosecutor played by Shweta Basu Prasad. Four years and three successful seasons later, as we sit down for a roundtable with the show's actors across seasons comprising Tripathi, Jackie Shroff and Aaditya Gupta, that's where we begin our chat. "In the third season (episode five) Madhav talks about how justice is the first ray of hope for change. That encapsulates the overarching vision of our show. The beauty and challenge of a web series is that the character stays the same each time, but the experience of the last season piles on," starts Tripathi.

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In 2019, Tripathi, Jackie Shroff and Vikrant Massey introduced Indian audiences to Criminal Justice, an official adaptation of the 2008 British television series of the same name. Shroff, who played dreaded gangster Mustafa in the first edition, says that the initial idea was to develop it as a mini-series. "We never thought the effect the show would have. [That said] we worked very hard on fleshing the characters out. I followed my instincts; there wasn't prep per se. Mustafa is a Bombay guy, just like me. I have grown up in chawls, so my subconscious knew Mustafa. There was some wisdom and some anger. Tigmanshu [Dhulia, director] gave me a free-playing field to explore the character. Three seasons later, I am proud of how the show has panned out. It is our baby," the senior actor beams.

While the first instalment of the Disney+ Hotstar offering focused on Indian judiciary system and prison as seen from a young man's viewpoint, the subsequent edition brought the subject of marital rape to the fore. The recently concluded third season studies the juvenile justice system. Shroff says the show's two wins are its relevant subjects, and legacy factor. Tripathi echoes his sentiment, adding, "We started the show at a certain standard, and we have to maintain it. This is a writer's show, more than an actor's. Sometimes, when we don't feel a scene, we pause and regroup. In this season, we were getting stuck at a few courtroom scenes. We stopped shooting for two hours and did what we call a ‘scene surgery'. The legal expert, writer and creators from Applause Entertainment reworked the scene."

Gupta, who plays a minor accused of killing his child actor-sister in the third season, admits that he felt the pressure of matching the show's standards. To essay the part of a guy dealing with anger management issues and trauma of coming from a broken home, Gupta had to exhibit a wide range of emotions. "I divided the character into two halves - I had to understand the psyche of an addict, and the second part was to understand how someone who hates a sibling would respond. I read Nic Sheff's Tweak: Growing Up on Methamphetamines to understand the mind of an addict."

In Madhav Mishra, Tripathi has delivered what is considered one of his finest performances. The show united a method actor like him with Shroff, who is a lot more unrehearsed. How was the confluence? "I have not shared screen space with Jaggu Dada, but I have seen him work. He brings life experience to his performance. The technical knowledge he possesses is [unmatched]. He knows the lenses and changes profile without checking the monitor. He can change his voice effortlessly," Tripathi says. Shroff adds, "Dev Anand saab used to tell me, ‘Camera ko mat dekho, camera tumhe dekh raha hai.' An actor should know such technical details. I am lucky to have great co-actors from Anil Kapoor to Om Puri and Naseeruddin Shah."

The third part of the show carries forward another integral element - balance in the depiction of those who have committed the crimes, showcasing how society plays a role in pushing them against the wall. With each story, Tripathi says, the idea is to make a social impact. "At no point can we villainise the criminal. Badlav ki umeed [drives] the show. We're discussing how society, police and the judiciary system view crime. Our idea is to continue the healthy discourse that qualifies as justice."

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