Criminal Justice: Behind Closed Doors, the second season of Criminal Justice, Disney+ Hotstar’s 2019 crime thriller web series, will focus on women who have been accused of committing brutal crimes, said Rohan Sippy, one of the show’s directors. The show stars Pankaj Tripathi, Anupriya Goenka, Kirti Kulhari, Shilpa Shukla, and Jisshu Sengupta.
Sippy, who was speaking at a virtual press conference at the trailer release for Season 2, said, “A lot of research has gone behind the making of Criminal Justice: Behind Closed Doors, and it was crucial for us to approach the storyline insightfully and sensitively. We don’t often see portrayals of women accused of brutal crimes, and this is definitely one of the few shows that probes this aspect deeply. The series will make you question the very reality of today’s time.”
The filmmakers said that Season Two had been made from women’s perspectives and would explore the “diverse connection of women characters who find a commonality”.
Director Arjun Mukerjee said, “It’s all about the greys of society, the greys of morality.”
What made Anu Chandra stab her perfect husband? Evidence aur confession toh saamne hai, lekin sach kya hai? All episodes of Hotstar Specials presents Criminal Justice: Behind Closed Doors, out on Dec 24.#CriminalJustice #BehindClosedDoors pic.twitter.com/6Dk3TkQk7X
— Disney+HotstarVIP (@DisneyplusHSVIP) December 10, 2020
In Season 2, Pankaj Tripathi and Anupriya Goenka will reprise their roles as advocate Madhav Mishra and his assistant Nikhat respectively. The show’s supporting cast includes Deepti Naval, Mita Vashisht, Ashish Vidyarthi, Pankaj Saraswat, Ayaz Khan, Kalyanee Mulay, Ajeet Singh Palawat, Khushboo Atre, Tirrtha Murbadka, and others.
The story revolves around the case of a wife (Kirti Kulhari) who is accused of her husband (Jisshu Sengupta)’s murder. Even though she pleads guilty, her lawyer Madhav Mishra along with Nikhat delve deep into what looks like an open-and-shut case, to find out the real motive behind the murder.
Crime shows have in the past focused on male serial killers, like Charles Sobhraj and Ted Bundy. Shows revolving around female serial killers and prisoners became more common in India after the 2019 case of Jolly Joseph from Kerala. Joseph was accused of murdering six people, all of whom were her relatives, over a period of four years. The case initiated a public discussion on the difference between male and female serial killers.
Alluding to this distinction, Kirti Kulhari said that the story in Season Two would be about not “who did it,” but rather “why it was done.”
Speaking about her character, Kulhari said, “Anuradha Chandra is a person who actually does not have a voice. I am very used to portraying characters who have a voice. I am generally known for such characters. So, for me it was like getting into an extreme space where I can’t even speak up for myself.”
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Criminal Justice Season One, which was directed by Tigmanshu Dhulia, was Disney+ Hotstar’s first and biggest drama. It is the Indian adaptation of the British series by the same name.
Season Two is bankrolled by Applause Entertainment in association with BBC Studios.
Gaurav Banerjee, President of STAR India, also announced that Disney+ Hotstar had two other projects in the pipeline. “Among the next set of shows that we launch, will be an animation series that we have been working on for a very very long time. We have another war drama which is based on the Indo-China war of 1962 and is inspired by true events,” he said.
Created by Rohan Sippy and Arjun Mukerjee, Criminal Justice: Behind Closed Doors will begin streaming from December 24 and will release in seven languages.