Black Warrant web series review: A gritty insider account into the functioning of Asia’s biggest prison— Tihar

For those who are not aware Vikramaditya Motwane’s latest work is based on the novel of the same name Black Warrant.

It was written by a jailer about the notorious functioning of the Tihar Jail set in the 80’s.

The novel explores the intricate power structure and the various hierarchies based on both caste and religion.

Synopsis

In this web series adaption of the novel Zahan Kapoor plays Sunil Gupta, a shy and confused man starting off as a meek person who eventually grows in confidence and becomes a determined jailer wanting to bring reform. And he eventually does succeed as well.

Sunil Gupta is credited with starting Tihar’s first legal aid cell. The series showcases the various experiences of Sunil starting from his meeting with the enigmatic Charles Sobharaj (a charming Siddhant Gupta).

Then you have also got the killers of PM Indira Gandhi among many others. Rahul Bhatt plays the morally grey deputy jailer Tomar. The other important characters are played by Paramveer Cheema and Anurag Thakur.

Strengths of the series

Zahan Kapoor in Black Warrant
Zahan Kapoor in ‘Black Warrant’. (X)

A strong aspect of Black Warrant is the authentic depiction of the prison world with no artificiality. The division of the prisoners based on their caste, religion and money has come out strongly in numerous scenes.

The operation of the numerous gangs within the prison makes the viewers think about the flawed system where there isn’t much scope for reform. The web series also touches upon the plight of innocent prisoners, the category who are a victim of some malicious police officers.

Black Warrant also dwells on how the prisoners are often viewed as inhuman by the jail authorities. There is a brilliant scene involving a research scholar. This person comes to Tihar jail to get a psychological insight into the minds of prisoners. As a response an inmate says “Why do you want to do research on people like us struck in a cage are we animals?”

To this, the character says, “I am researching to prove you people are not animals.” This perfectly sums up the general attitude of the jail authorities. There is a deeply disturbing portion when Sunil along with his colleagues finds out about a senior jailor making money by depriving the prisoners of their basic needs.

Strong characterisation

Another big strength of Black Warrant is the characterization of Zahan Kapoor. The character of Sunil starts off as a vulnerable young man who in no way looks like a tough jailor capable of controlling the prison inmates but as the series progresses we see Sunil getting more confident.

Black Warrant is a jail drama
‘Black Warrant’ is a jail drama. (X)

There is a palpable determination in the way he wants to bring out prison reforms. Zahan does a very good job of bringing out these nuances. The young actor proves that he is truly worthy of the illustrious Kapoor lineage.

The web series also dwells on how the lives of Jailers aren’t very glamorous at least back in the 80’s. There is an important scene where Sunil’s father tells his son to not reveal his profession while seeing a prospective bride, however, Sunil doesn’t follow his father’s advice, instead, he talks about his profession with absolute honesty.

Black Warrant also works due to the way the other important characters have been written with utmost care. Both Anurag Thakur and Paramveer Cheema also have solid graphs. The camaraderie shared between the characters isn’t hammered in; still, it works strong when required.

Many of the subplots in the web series are inspired by real-life incidents from the times of Indira Gandhi’s government. Certain capital punishments reflect deeply entranced class and casteist biases.

Then you also have the prisoners belonging to a more affluent part of the prison. A serial killer is seen roaming free; there is also an instigator of murder getting plenty of time to have romantic meetings. Apart from these you also have the arrest of JNU Students. There is a hilarious scene exposing the incompetent nature of jail staff.

Technical aspects and performances

Saumyananda Sahi’s cinematography is another major plus. He does a very good in recreating both the 80’s atmosphere and also the grittiness of the prison portions.

Apart from Zahan Kapoor’s breakthrough performance the show also benefits from Rahul Bhatt’s stellar turn. As a mostly self-serving boss with moments of genuine empathy for his fellow men Rahul Bhatt is simply fantastic.

Sidhant Gupta in the role of Charles Sobhraj has brief screen time but the young actor makes his presence amply felt. He perfectly captures the body language starting from the accented dialogue delivery.

The women characters in Black Warrant are mostly relegated to the background except for Rajshri Deshpande— as the firebrand reporter. This is only the slight flaw of the web series.

Final take

Overall Black Warrant is a must-watch for those who like gritty stories based on real-life incidents.

(Views expressed here are personal, edited by Sumavarsha)

CTRL: Ananya Pandey leads a gripping thriller/drama on the side effects of AL which includes deep fakes and breach of personal data

Vikramaditya Motwane delivers a racy movie keeping things crisp for the most part. He does a fantastic job in showcasing how Gen Z rely more on an internet bot for seeking genuine advice rather than a living person.

  • Starcast: Ananya Pandey, Vihaan Samrat, Aparshakti Khurana (as the AL voice) and others
  • Director and writer: Vikramaditya Motwane
  • Additional writers: Avinash Sampat and Sumukhi Suresh
  • Producers: Nikhil Dwivedi and Arya Menon
  • Production companies: Saffron Magicworks and Andolan Films
  • Music: Sneha Khanwalkar
  • Cinematography: Pratik Shah
  • Running time: 1 hour and 39 minutes
  • Streaming site: Netflix

In certain ways Vikramaditya Motwane’s CTRL feels like an extension to last year’s Kho Gaye Hum Kahan which also dealt with the younger generation. Kho Gaye Hum Kahan skillfully explored the aspect of loneliness in digital age, the need of validification from complete strangers. Easily one of Ananya Pandey’s better performances in her short career so far. Vikramaditya Motwane in CTRL also explores the side effects of social media, but this is darker in tonality. CTRL is more of a cyber thriller leaving the viewers disturbed

In certain ways CTRL feels like an extension to last year’s Kho Gaye Hum Kahan

CTRL focuses on two social influencers Nella (Ananya Pandey) and Joe (Vihaan Samraat). They run a YouTube channel called NJoy. Their seemingly perfect relationship goes totally downhill when Nella catches Joe with another woman. Her plan was to surprise Joe by celebrating their fifth wedding anniversary in a live stream unfortunately for Nella things go completely downhill. A lot of chaos happens leaving Nella’s professional and personal life in shatters. In an attempt to resurrect her social media presence Nella comes across an AL platform featuring a digital bot, Allen. Allen becomes a big help for Nella in erasing Joe completely from her digital life and also planning her big comeback. Slowly this AL platform becomes a major influence behind every decision of Nella. He starts taking over her personal chats along with manipulating her into signing more brand deals. Things take a very dark turn when Joe goes inexplicably missing. Soon Nella finds herself in a lethal web of manipulation as she starts investigating the misuse of AL. This is the story in brief.

As already mentioned, CTRL is a racy thriller, Vikramaditya Motwane doesn’t waste any time in immersing the viewers into the world of Nella and Joe. The viewers see them curate every moment of their personal lives giving their followers the impression of them being the perfect couple. Motwane has used the technique of alternating between the real world and the digital landscape. This mood shift doesn’t come across as jarring thanks to the director’s handling of the subject and also Pratik Shah’s fantastic cinematography. Yashika Gor’s production design also adds to this seamlessness. Sneha Khanwalkar’s experimental score adds to the movie’s edgy atmosphere.

Nella and Joe give the impression of them being the perfect couple

A strong aspect of CTRL is how Vikramaditya Motwane makes the viewers ponder on certain things without becoming preachy. For example, whether sharing a glimpse of our personal life is more about seeking validation and in process gaining more followers and how much sharing on social media becomes too much sharing. There is no preachiness in the way these questions are asked but still the impact is hammer strong. There is an important scene when Joe questions Nella about whether her reasons for wanting to surprise him came from genuine love or the need to make a statement on social media. This scene perfectly captures the essence of the movie.

The movie is also successful in creating a sense of personal connect particularly for those who are heavily into AL. The personal harm that AL apps are capable of doing leave the viewers disturbed. Having said that the thriller aspect of CTRL could have done more exploration. The underlying conspiracies of AL in controlling our lives feel a little rushed as the movie focuses more on Nella’s personal struggles in regaining control of her life.

It goes without saying that CTRL is primarily an Ananya Pandey showcase, and the young actress doesn’t disappoint. She delivers a first-rate performance perfectly capturing the journey of Nella from a happy college student to a social media star and ultimately a broken soul. As a social media influencer, she goes over the top on occasions, but it goes perfectly with the tonality of those portions. Apart from Ananya’s performance the character sketch is also a big winner.

Ananya Pandey delivers a first-rate performance perfectly capturing the journey of Nella from a happy college student to a social media star and ultimately a broken soul

Vihaan Samrat as Joe also makes his presence felt more so in the monologue scenes at a critical juncture. Aparshakti Khurrana as the AL voice is also efficient in bringing a certain amount of eeriness.

To sum it up CTRL holds a perfect mirror to the Genz’s obsession over social media. The thriller aspects needed sharper writing but still there is a lot to enjoy.

Jubilee: A Gripping Saga That Transports Viewers To The 1940s

Incredible performances by actors and strong technical aspects add to the immersive experience of the audience in director Vikramaditya Motwane’s latest offering.

The show shines the brightest in the technical aspects.
Jubilee (Hindi)
  • Cast: Aditi Rao Hydari, Aparshakti Khurana, Prosenjit Chatterjee, Ram Kapoor Wamiqa Gabbi, and Sidhant Gupta
  • Director: Vikramaditya Motwane
  • Producer: Dipa De Motwane
  • Music: Amit Trivedi
  • Episodes: Midseason 1 to 5
  • OTT platform: Amazon Prime Video

Filmmaker Vikramaditya Motwane’s web series Jubliee is out on Amazon Prime Video. The ace director has once again proved his directorial capabilities with this complex historical saga.

Period dramas have always been a safe bet to draw in the audience, primarily because of the curiosity of the viewers, as they know very vaguely of the periods which these dramas deal with.

The viewing experience becomes greater when a director like Vikramaditya Motwane helms the project. He already proved his capability with the likes of Udaan (Flight) in 2010 and Lootera (Robber) in 2013. He also co-directed the first season of Sacred Games (2018-19).

The show is set in the 1940s with the main focus on the film industry (Bollywood) with the backdrop of the independence movement and the partition.

For example, you have a refugee from Pakistan who wants to make it big in cinemas. It is a complex plot filled with several themes.

The director does a good job of sustaining the audience’s interest. As a viewer, you look forward to the next set of episodes.

The web series is broadly inspired by the lives of yesteryear film personalities like Himanshu Rai and Devika Rani.

Synopsis

Srikant Roy (Himanshu Rai’s role played by Prosenjit Chatterjee) is a filmmaker and also the head of a studio called Roy Talkies in this fictionalised version.

Sumitra Devi, also a star (Devika Rani’s role played by Aditi Rao Hydari), is the wife and co-owner of his production company.

he plot revolves around Srikant Roy who is on the hunt to launch a new face for his next film. After numerous auditions, he narrows upon a Muslim boy by name of Jehangir Khan (Nandish Singh Sandhu).

But conflict arises when Sumitra has an affair with Jehangir Khan. They even make plans to escape to Karachi.

Binod Das (Aparshakti Khurana) is the most trusted aid of Srikant. He is given the responsibility of making sure that Jehangir Khan doesn’t elope with Sumitra.

The situation takes a drastic turn when Jehangir Khan completely disappears and no one is aware of whether he is dead or alive.

There is also the parallel track of Jay Khanna (Sidhant Gupta), a Pakistani refugee who is desperately searching for work in Bombay. Courtesan Niloufer Qureshi (Wamiqa Gabbi) is also in the same city hoping to land a film role.

They both are street-smart and end up striking a friendship. They want to find their footing in the city as well as in Roy Talkies.

Performances

Most of the characters have been written with many layers and this makes the web series more nuanced. Particular mention must be made of the characters essayed by Sidhant Gupta, Wamiqa Gabbi, and Aparshakti Khurana.

The interaction between Niloufer Qureshi and Jay Khanna and the progress of their relationship gives the show some of its best moments.

Niloufer is a courtesan who has big aspirations. To fulfil those dreams, she takes all the possible routes. Some of it is questionable as well but at no point, Niloufer comes across as compromising.

Wamiqa Gabbi as Niloufer effortlessly portrays all the shades of her character. Her dances are also wonderful to watch. The best example of her dancing skills comes in the mujra titled “Woh Tere Mera Ishq Ka”.

Jay Khanna as Sidhant Gupta gets the best character of his career so far. Sidhant perfectly portrays the pain and also the spirit of a young man who has suddenly become a refugee in what recently was his own country. As viewers, you root for Jay.

Till now, Aparshakti Khurana has been seen in light-hearted roles. But here, he does a complete U-turn.

Binod Das who starts as a spot boy lands up in an unexpected new situation. It is a role that is filled with grey shades and the actor aces it.

Prosenjit Chatterjee also deserves a mention for his performance as the head of the studio. He plays his part with a certain panache.

Technical crafts

The show shines the brightest in the technical aspects — the sets are authentic, and Vikramaditya Motwane does a great job of recreating the 1940s. He has assembled a first-rate technical team and has drawn some solid work from them.

The art direction by Priti Gole and Yogesh Bansod is top-notch.

Similarly, Pratik Shah’s cinematography adds to the immersive experience of the viewers.

Amit Trivedi’s music is also in perfect sync as his tunes instantly take you back to those times.

The flaws

Jubilee has also got its share of flaws. One of them is the not-so-powerful characterisation of Aditi Rao Hydari’s character. Her interactions with Nandish Singh Nandu needed to be written far better.

The character of Jehangir Khan also comes across as mostly flat. As a result, his disappearance doesn’t register strongly.

Some cuss words don’t gel with the show.

Verdict

Above all this, Jubliee is worth a trip down memory lane.

(Views expressed are personal.)