During one of the several times I have chit-chatted with Pankaj Tripathi, I remember one instance in which he had told me about how Sunil Gavaskar, when on the sets of the film 83 in London, had singled out Madhav Mishra, the Everyman lawyer that Tripathi plays in the Criminal Justice franchise, for high praise. “He started talking about a scene in Criminal Justice when a senior lawyer (Mandira Mathur, played by Mita Vashisht) walks into the room and my character, being a junior, bows down and moves away surreptitiously. I had done that deliberately in the scene but I hadn’t expected the audience to notice. Gavaskar saab was like, ‘Woh tumne khud se kiya tha ya director ne bataaya tha?’ I was so overwhelmed that Sunil Sir had noticed it, remembered it three months after the show and made it a point to tell me. What more can an actor want?” a beaming Tripathi had told me.
Over three seasons now, Madhav Mishra has remained the heart and the spine of Criminal Justice. Characters have come and gone, cases have been fought and lost, the morality compass of many have wavered, the messaging of the series has impacted less or more... but Tripathi has ensured that Madhav Mishra has consistently held our attention.
And that is perhaps because Tripathi — a superlative actor with the ability to slip into any character and wear it like second skin — is a lot like Mishra. The background is the same, so is the thehraav, the underdog rising to make a name for himself is a story the two share, and most importantly, the ability to pull a rabbit out of the hat when everyone around is least expecting it, is something that defines the journey of both. “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”, the man had told t2 last week.
In Season 3, Madhav Mishra finds himself in the middle of a case that involves a teenaged TV star, popular among millions, being brutally killed while on an outdoor shoot. All evidence points towards her stepbrother, a derelict given to drugs who never saw eye-to-eye with the victim, and soon the young man is sent to a juvenile home.
The only one fighting to save her son is the mother (played by Swastika Mukherjee) even as Mukul’s (Aaditya Gupta) stepfather (Purab Kohli) is convinced that the boy is the culprit. In walks Madhav Mishra, with everything stacked against him.
Disney+Hotstar has dropped only the first two episodes of Season 3, with a new episode dropping every Friday. In my opinion, that goes against a whodunit, whose genre DNA organically lends itself to binge-watching. The streaming platform possibly feels that this would build intrigue and curiosity week on week, but if the initial reviews are anything to go by, this move hasn’t really paid off.
This review, however, is based on all eight episodes of the season that t2 has been allowed access to. Like the previous editions, this season has Madhav Mishra being parachuted into a case in which the accused has become a social pariah. Juvenile justice is the overarching theme of the season, with the travails associated with the tricky terrain of social media usage by young people and its often dangerous repercussions, also being in focus.
Playing off against Madhav Mishra is a young London-educated public prosecutor (a confident Shweta Basu Prasad) who, along with fighting the case, is also battling prejudices because of the privileged background she comes from. The two face off in court, even as Swastika’s Avantika constantly works towards convincing the world that her son is innocent.
Director Rohan Sippy balances out the seriousness of the plot with some well-placed humour, all of which comes in from Mishra’s interaction with his wife Ratna (Khushboo Atre) and with his new assistant, who happens to be his brother-in-law.
Season 3 predictably leaves some red herrings along the way, with strong emotionality between its characters, a trademark of the show, being dominant. The fact that the victim and the accused belong to the same family, which is now facing a rift right down the middle, accentuates that.
I wasn’t quite convinced with how the final episodes played out. The reveal could work or not work depending on where you are placed on the thriller buff scale.
What works across the season, however, are the spot-on performances. Tripathi apart, Swastika has one of the meatiest roles and she, sans make-up and allowing her eyes to do all the talking, is incredible as a mother who is willing to fight till the end. Aaditya Gupta effectively conveys the angst and anxiety of a young, confused teenager, while Khushboo Atre’s presence lends the show an easy feel. Purab Kohli, however, has to rise above a one-note character. He succeeds, in parts.
Ever since the first two episodes dropped, a part of social media has been of the opinion that Criminal Justice has run its course. We don’t know what the fate of the show will ultimately be, but Madhav Mishra deserves to be on our screens. At least for another season or two.
