Netflix’s Black Warrant takes us deep into the heart of India’s largest and most infamous prison, Tihar Jail, where morality bends, ideals are tested and often survival feels like the only goal. Created by Vikramaditya Motwane and Satyanshu Singh — with Ambiecka Pandit, Arkesh Ajay and Rohin Raveendran Nair also directing the seven episodes — this is a gripping dive into a world where power, politics and humanity collide.
Black Warrant draws inspiration from the book by Sunil Gupta and Sunetra Choudhury. The story revolves around Sunil Kumar Gupta, a newly minted assistant superintendent of prisons, who steps into Tihar with a sense of purpose and an air of innocence that feels almost alien in the grim setting.
Played by Zahan Kapoor, Sunil is no swaggering hero. He’s slight, soft-spoken and awkward in his ill-fitting uniform. But there’s a quiet determination in him to do what is right even when everything around him screams otherwise. Watching him make way through the labyrinthine corridors of Tihar is like watching someone wade through quicksand. The harder he tries, the more the system pulls him down.
Zahan’s performance is a knockout. He makes you root for Sunil even as you recoil at the situations he’s sucked into. In an early episode, Sunil is splattered with another man’s blood and by the end of the series, the scars, both physical and emotional, are impossible to miss. Zahan channels his grandfather Shashi Kapoor’s understated style in several scenes and also nails the rustic lower middle-class Delhi accent with broken English. Though admirable, what feels convenient is Sunil’s idealism. The show’s tendency to portray him as a near-saviour figure undermines the realism that defines much of the series.
Then there’s Rahul Bhat as deputy superintendent Rajesh Tomar, Sunil’s immediate superior and perhaps his most formidable challenge. Tomar is everything Sunil isn’t — cynical, pragmatic, and jaded from spending years in the prison system. Bhat brings a rugged charm to his role and delivers a layered performance. You can see flashes of the idealist he might have been, buried under years of compromise and disillusionment. His interactions with Sunil crackle with tension, their opposing worldviews colliding and creating a dynamic that is as fascinating as it is frustrating.
As Gupta’s fellow ASP Mangat, Paramveer Cheema shows promise. Anurag Thakur brings depth and humanity to the role of the second jailer, Dahiya. Even the cameo appearances — Rajshri Deshpande as a formidable journalist and Tota Roy Choudhury as a no-nonsense jail superintendent — are impeccable.
What sets Black Warrant apart from other cop or prison dramas is its unflinching look at the incarceration system. This isn’t the glossy, action-packed world of Rohit Shetty’s cop sagas. It is disturbingly real.
The episodic structure allows the series to delve into different facets of this world, from high-profile cases like that of Charles Sobhraj (played with a chilling charisma by Sidhant Gupta) to the harrowing tale of Billa and Ranga, whose execution sent shockwaves across the nation in the 1980s. These stories are woven seamlessly into the larger story of Sunil’s transformation.
The technical aspects of the show also make Black Warrant an engaging watch. The production design — art decoration by Yogesh Bansode and set decoration by Deepak Kumar — captures the oppressive atmosphere of Tihar in painstaking detail. Saumyananda Sahi’s cinematography amplifies the tension and unease. Each episode is tightly scripted and Tanya Chhabria’s editing keeps you hooked without feeling rushed.