Is 'Black Warrant' on Netflix Worth Watching?
The crime thriller series ‘Black Warrant’ came out on Netflix on Jan. 10, striving to be an intense crime drama series that would have viewers hooked.
Vikramaditya Motwane, Daniel Sharma, Satyanshu Singh, Arkesh Ajay, Ambiecka Pandit and Rohin Raveendran Nair have directed the series. Singh and Ajay have written the script for the show, which is based on the 2019 non-fiction book ‘Black Warrant: Confessions of a Tihar Jailer’. The book is written by former superintendent Sunil Gupta and journalist Sunetra Choudhary.
The series is set in Tihar Jail during the 1980s and is told from the perspective of Sunil Gupta. It features the stories of the police officers and prisoners inside the prison. The series also shows a series of executions that took place in Tihar Prisons.
The writers have shown the intricacies of the corrupt system and social hierarchies within the prison, which makes an interesting plotline. Various subplots are developed showing the dealings between prisoners and the police officers, which makes the series realistic and gritty.
However, the short nature of the series does not allow the writers to create more nuanced subplots and stronger character arcs. The stories of the executions are complementary to developments in the plot, instead of being the center of the story. The series provided an attempted in-depth view of the Billa and Ranga case, however, it is not detailed and holistic enough to make the expected impact.
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The rest of the executions are not given sufficient narrative space either, which defeats the purpose of the series. The execution subplots and the other prison events should have been developed side by side and with more nuance to create a more holistic narrative.
The actors have done a fine job with the script they were given. Zahaan Kapoor delivers as the rookie jailer Sunil Gupta who is always on edge, while Rahul Bhat is perfect as the corrupt DSP Rajesh Tomar.
Sidhant Gupta as the notorious Charles Sobhraj has done a fabulous job as well, but the script does not give him enough space for a proper character arc. Kapoor’s character also does not get a chance to flourish in the series except in the last episode; however, it is a rushed character growth, which is stunted throughout the series.
The subplot in the last episode should have been given two or more episodes because it does not make for a proper climax to the story, rushing the ending unnecessarily. The actors could have done so much more with these characters, but the rushed script does not do justice to their work.
The Director of Photography Saumyananda Sahi has perfectly relayed the dark and gritty atmosphere of Tihar. The production designer Mukund Gupta has diligently worked towards recreating the inadequate and congested setting of Tihar Prisons to complement the dark nature of the story.
Sahi and Gupta have worked hard to create a non-romanticized and realistic vision of Tihar for the story and they have delivered with their work. If the plot had been more nuanced, ‘Black Warrant’ would have served as the gritty crime thriller it strives to be.
This article was previously published on UAE Moments. To see the original article, click here