Pankaj Tripathi returns as the Everyman lawyer Madhav Mishra in Season 3 of Criminal Justice, dropping on Disney+Hotstar on August 26. Titled Criminal Justice: Adhura Sach, the Rohan Sippy-directed series focuses on juvenile justice and pits Shweta Basu Prasad opposite Tripathi’s Mishra in the courtroom. The season also stars Swastika Mukherjee and Purab Kohli in pivotal roles. Over a video call, TT chatted with Pankaj Tripathi and Shweta Basu Prasad on the show and beyond.

Pankaj, does coming back to playing the same character the third time bring on a feeling of comfort but also fatigue?

Pankaj Tripathi: There is still comfort. I think fatigue starts setting in from the fourth or fifth season. The good thing about this season is that apart me from and the character of my wife (Ratna, played by Khushboo Atre), the other players are new, the situations and incidents are new and the case in question is also new. In this season, we are talking about juvenile justice. That was interesting for me. I know the character very well and recreating Madhav Mishra has been easy for me.

Shweta, what were the biggest highs of being a part of Season 3 of Criminal Justice?

Shweta Basu Prasad: For me, the primary and the foremost reason for taking up any project, including Criminal Justice, is always the script. I am an audience first, and an actor later. I like to work in projects that I can watch... if I am not investing my time and money in a film or a series, I will not ask my audience to do that.

I was always aware of the popularity of Criminal Justice and I watched the first two seasons of the show in the lockdown. But even before that, my family and friends always spoke about the show. Madhav Mishra is practically a household name (smiles).

It’s a very well-written script. The third season is an original... it’s not an adaptation. I found the case very interesting and the script was watertight... I read it in one go. I read the script 150 times before I went on set!

I love my character... I had never played a lawyer before this. She’s a public prosecutor and that gave me a lot of scope to perform. And I was pitted against Pankaj Tripathi, so... win-win! Great working opportunity!

What were your biggest learnings observing him on set and then going head-to-head in your scenes together?

Shweta: This is the second time we worked together... we had done a film (The Tashkent Files) earlier. I am a huge fan of his work, but I am also a great admirer of him as a person. He is one of the most graceful co-stars I have had... so matured and so well-read. I would go home making mental notes on the way he is, the way he carries himself.... He is very sensible and he questions things on set. He always tries and finds logic behind what he’s doing in front of the camera. The logical application to his performance was my greatest takeaway from him.

Pankaj, have you always been the kind of actor who questions everything that you are made to do in front of the camera?

Pankaj: No, I was not like this before. It has evolved gradually. If I am not convinced about what I am saying as an actor, how will I bring conviction to my performance? There are also some projects where I am able to build the conviction ki yahan sense nahin chahiye, yeh nonsense hain! (Laughs) But to make that nonsense convincing, you need to have a certain sense.

Pankaj, you have played so many memorable characters. Where does Madhav Mishra figure on the recall scale for the viewer?

Pankaj: There are some seniors in the industry who have told me that among my most finely written and acted performances, Madhav Mishra is up there... it’s a very controlled character, one that has a lot of layering but isn’t loud. Aagar yeh guni log — jo acting ko mujhse behtar samajhte hain — yeh keh rahein hain, toh sahi hoga. I have got a lot of compliments for this character.

Do you think this is one of your most relatable characters? I was reading an interview of yours where you have said that till about a decade ago, you were the Madhav Mishra of acting, in terms of the struggles you have faced like he does...

Pankaj: Correct, correct! Fifteen years ago, I was definitely like Madhav Mishra! (Laughs) He is always thinking of some kind of jugaad or the other. The way he thinks of using tricks to solve a case... I was doing that as an actor 15 years ago. Uski ladayi bahut hi parichit hain. Staying in a one-room-kitchen set-up, struggling to survive every day... I am very familiar with that kind of a life... I have lived it.

Madhav has a lot of physical impediments and mental blocks. He learns to overcome them over time. I am well-versed with the kind of world Madhav hails from.

Madhav Mishra is the kind of person who you will not notice in a crowd... Kaaleen bhaiya (Pankaj’s character in Mirzapur) is someone who you can’t ignore even if you want to. Lekin Madhav waali duniya Pankaj Tripathi ki apni waali duniya hain.

Were you as good at jugaad as he is?

Pankaj: No, no, not at all! (Laughs) Mujhe jugaad aati hain lekin maine zindagi mein kabhi jugaad ki istemaal nahin kiya hain. I have always ensured that whatever I have got till today has been only through my hard work and talent. But I see so many people around me doing jugaad (laughs)

Shweta: Madhav Mishra is not book-smart, he’s street-smart. He applies his life experiences and observations to his cases. He has a very high emotional quotient and he uses his emotional intelligence to argue his cases.

How does playing Madhav Mishra impact and influence you as a person?

Pankaj: An actor is privileged because along with our own life, we have the opportunity to experience the lives of all the characters that we play. When you experience the pain of a character, as a person, your ability to understand pain increases. Madhav Mishra has added a certain sensibility within me. He treats women with a lot of respect, no matter which part of society she comes from. I have learnt that from him.

Criminal Justice meshes many genres, but in broad strokes it’s a courtroom drama. Are you fans of the genre?

Shweta: I do enjoy courtoom dramas a lot. A recent favourite is The Trial of the Chicago 7. There’s Better Call Saul Ek Ruka Hua Faisla....

Courtroom drama works as a genre for most viewers because fighting for survival is a primal emotion. Fights bring out the ugly side of a human being... aap jab lad rahein hain aur aapko jeetna hi hain, then you can get to your ugliest point. This genre keeps the audience constantly guessing and on its toes.

Pankaj: I had done a play during the third year of NSD (National School of Drama). It was called Kabootar khana. It’s a very interesting play because it shows the players shifting ideologies and loyalties as it progresses. I don’t watch too much content, so if you ask me about a courtroom drama, I can only remember a little bit of Damini... taarekh pe tareekh! (Laughs) And yes, Chaitanya Tamhane’s Court was a very good film... it’s one of my favourites in recent years.

Shweta, I know you are a bibliophile and have interests in art, classical music, yoga, history.... As an actor, what do you gain from these interests?

Shweta: I love my job as an actor, and though it’s an integral part of who I am, it’s not my whole life. I have a life beyond films. It involves a lot of reading, I paint... all these paintings (points to artwork on the wall behind her) are mine. I enjoy writing, sketching.... I love travelling. I just got back from Istanbul and I just switched off my phone when I was there, and I was interacting with strangers, observing life there. Somewhere, all these experiences get registered in my subconscious mind and it comes out at some moment in front of the camera.