Jackie Shroff, Vikrant Massey, Mita Vashisht and Pankaj Tripathi star in Criminal Justice Hotstar Specials new spine-chilling thriller
Soon on the heels of itsdebut show Roar of the Lion which has taken the internet by storm, Hotstar has announced the launch of its second Special ‘Criminal Justice’, a scintillating drama marking the debut of director Tigmanshu Dhulia along with Vishal Furia. The show features a powerhouse of talent from Pankaj Tripathi, Vikrant Massey to Mita Vashisht and Anupriya Goenka. The surprise package in the newly launched trailer is Jackie Shroff who makes his digital debut with the show.
‘Criminal Justice’ captures Aditya Sharma’s (Vikrant Massey) journey, as one incident completely turns around his life. 24-year-old Aditya Sharma, lives with his middle-class family in Mumbai.He is ambitious but is aware of his middle-class roots, a decent boy who drives his father’s cab to add to the family income. But life turns upside down for him when his last trip for the night ends with him being accused of the brutal murder of his female passenger. As skeletons tumble out of his closet, one begins to wonder whether Aditya Sharma is innocent or guilty of a gruesome crime?
The show is the Indian adaption of the hit BBC produced series Criminal Justice, which was also later adapted into the Emmy Award winning HBO show “The Night of”, which is set in NYC and features Riz Ahmed.
Vikrant Massey who plays the lead says, “The intensity of the character, required great preparation and research. From the nuances of Indian prisons to the life of criminals locked inside, every little detail was important. There were days when it got me emotionally drained, but that’s what all powerful stories do. Hotstar Specials is the fresh new label for such stories, and Applause Entertainment & BBC Studios India have ensured that audiences will be guessing till the very end if my character “Aditya Sharma” is guilty or not.”
On his OTT debut Jackie Shroff says, “Criminal Justice has been an amazing experience for me. It is a legal crime drama, bold and edgy but takes you on a journey that will keep you hooked till you finish the series. It is commendable how smoothly every scene was shot and now I am waiting to watch the magic on Hotstar that Applause Entertainment and BBC Studios have created. I’m thrilled that my digital debut has been so intense and enriching.”
Pankaj Tripathi, who plays a key role in the series says, “With Criminal Justice, Hotstar Specials is sure to change the way storytelling is done in India and I am thrilled to be a part of this original content progression. It has been an amazing experience working with an amazing team at Applause & BBC; their immense understanding of the craft has enabled bringing out the best in me.”
Tigmanshu Dhulia, said, “When I watched ‘The Night Of’, it moved me and affected me in a way no other show has. That was the driving factor behind working with Hotstar and Applause Entertainment to direct this show. We tried to stay true to the original but have reimagined it enough to truly make it our own. Great content has universal appeal and travels very well.”
Hotstar Specials presents “Criminal Justice” will be streaming from 5th April and will be available in 7 languages.
Hotstar Specials, the new label launched by India’s biggest OTT player – Hotstar- brings big, bold, authentic stories created by some of the biggest storytellers, the first of which was ‘Roar of the Lion’, a story on Chennai Super Kings amazing comeback under the leadership of M.S.Dhoni. Hotstar Specials will be available exclusively as part of the recently launched Hostar VIP service. Featuring some of the most unconventional stories, every show on Hotstar Specials will be available to crores of consumers across India in 7 languages i.e. Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam.
Produced By: Applause Entertainment and BBC India productions, Directed by: Tigmanshu Dhulia and Vishal Furia