Black Warrant: En sursis

After long time, watched an indian web series that made me binge watch it to complete season non stop... Art direction, screenplay, the direction, cast all is... Too good!!!

The acting and the story fabricated with the real life cases of Tihar jail.

As foretold in many movie and series that How Prison itself is a world of its own. The place has its own charisma, rules and order that needs to be followed in order to survive.

The series beautifully narrates the lives of people connected with a prison. Some scenes felt like a poem and some felt like a ruthless scene of crime drama.

It was set in 80s and it truly delivered the time era to its audience. The color, telephone, mail, bus etc everything take one back to the time.

It was raw and real. The main protagonist who due to lack of job joined a job to be a jailer and how he never gave up on the idea to become a good one despite the society not in good terms with a jailer's family.

And most of all, The Charles character who speaks English was way ahead classy. I assume the next season (Hopefully) revolves around his lifestory.

Performances, chemistry, and drama are all present in Vikramaditya Motwane's Netflix series, Black Warrant. The characters are initially introduced with care, and their stories gradually unfold. While all episode directors have done a commendable job, the ones helmed by Motwane truly stand out. These episodes carry a raw, authentic feel that resonates with the audience, making it easy to relate to the characters and their pain.

Zahan Kapoor has shown notable improvement compared to his previous project. Paramvir Cheema delivers a standout performance, proving he's here to stay. Rahul Bhat is exceptional as DSP Tomar, bringing a natural and irreplaceable depth to the character.

However, the pacing dips slightly in the middle, making the series feel a bit lengthy at times. Thankfully, the narrative picks up momentum in the final two episodes, delivering a satisfying conclusion.

All in all, Black Warrant is a good watch with stellar performances and impactful storytelling.

Black Warrant kicks off 2025 with a firework of tremendous performances, brilliantly directed by a visionary showrunner on the solid base of some terrific writing. This is a show which excels in every aspect as it transports its viewers back to the 80s and right into the middle of Delhi's infamous Tihar Jail. The series follows the transformation of a young and naive Jailer as his principles and identity are challenged by the diverse grey characters and situations that encircle him.

The story feels very realistic and is further grounded in reality by the splattering of real life criminals and incidents through the season. The authors of the original novel have done a great job in capturing the working of Jailers, the operations of the gangs, the divide between the poor, rich and famous behind the walls of Tihar. The social isolation of the Jailers both within and outside Tihar has also been captured really well.

Every actor in the series has done a great job and fit very well into their characters even if they have a small appearance as a Journalist, an accountant, a gang member, a lawyer or Tihar's most infamous prisoners like Ranga, Billa and the one and only Bikini Killer AKA Charles Sobhraj. Siddhant Gupta is just phenomenal as Sobhraj as he charms his way through every scene and showcases how the Serpent exerted his influence over almost everyone who came across his path.

Rahul Bhat is exceptional as the DSP in charge of the 3 new Jailers. His character is very nuanced and well written as he juggles multiple gangs, influential individuals and his family while walking the thin line between right and wrong. Paramvir Cheema and Anurag Thakur do justice to their well sketched out characters as the Jailers who are much better suited for their jobs as compared to the the main protagonist of the series.

However the breakout performance of the series is the completely unexpected and brilliant portrayal of the fragile rookie Jailer Sunil Kumar Gupta by Zahan Kapoor. Sunil Gupta starts the series as a complete misfit in this hostile prison surrounded by an unforgiving mix of grey characters on both sides of the law. Zahan is a Kapoor unlike all the generations of Kapoors that have entertained audiences for almost a century, yet there is something about him that feels a lot like the artistic and experimental side of his grand father Shashi Kapoor during his early collaborations with Merchant Ivory. Zahan doesnt look like the stars Prithviraj, Raj, Shammi, Shashi, Rishi or Ranbir Kapoor but he feels like artists Prithviraj, Raj, Shammi Shashi, Rishi and Ranbir Kapoor.

Zahan channels his character's inner anxiety and lack of confidence so effectively that the audience quickly start to feel for him and come on board on his challenging journey. Zahan masters the accent, his character's mannerisms, his fragility, his innocence, his inner strength, his wisdom, his resolve and desire to make things better.....he becomes his character.....he is Sunil Kumar Gupta. His performance is so good that I wished that Shashi Kapoor was still alive to see his grandson shine in this exceptional role. A really tender, emotional and transparent performance. Loved it. A must watch Series. 9/10.

Its well made with new talents who can really get the audience with their emotional coastal ride, the struggle between good ethics corruption then survival is shown, with little abrupt ending, The last episode is rushed, but the acting for the cast members pull of the show very well, its a conflict between humans with ethic and human who sell their ethics just to survive the harsh reality of jail life, the corruption the tiredness of trying to do something good in harsh society life behind the bars is shown in an authentic way. These series are thousands time better than what Bollywood sells as movies.

Black Warrant is a thrilling and real-life series that presents our justice system and prison system in detail. It tries to explain in depth the complex psyche of criminals and the conditions inside and outside the prison.

Crime is a complex process which is difficult to control, but extremely important and commendable. The definition of crime may be different for every person, but understanding the basic nature of the criminal and taking responsibility for rehabilitation after punishment is an important part of the justice system.

All the characters in the film have their own contribution, but Sunil Kumar Gupta ji's presence is impressively visible in the entire story. Every episode of the series keeps the audience engaged from beginning to end.

The first episode reveals the identity of the snake killer and shows how capable Gupta ji is in understanding criminals. The depth and sensitivity of the death penalty is a highlight of this series. Gupta ji's investigation process is commendable-whether it is getting students out of jail, creating a legal setup for prisoners, or finding solutions for the poor and prisoners who have completed their sentence.

Gupta ji's personal life, especially failure in love, is a serious aspect of his challenging job profile. Teamwork is essential for jailers, as without it, criminals can dominate and jailers become puppets in their hands.

The episode "Kambal" shows that criminals can be on both sides- inside and outside, who can sacrifice anyone due to corruption. The episode "Double Life Imprisonment" highlights the misery of the jailers, where they also feel as if they are serving a prison sentence themselves.

Black Warrant is a highly impactful series that brilliantly presents the realities of society, justice and crime. It is a must watch.