Pankaj Tripathi
Actor Pankaj Tripathi, who returns as powerless lawyer Madhav Mishra with the latest season of "Criminal Justice", says he relates a lot with his character as they both have struggled to make it big. The show is the Indian adaption of the hit BBC produced series of the same name, which was previously adapted into the Emmy Award-winning HBO show "The Night Of".
The new season, titled "Criminal Justice: Behind Closed Doors", will see Tripathi and actor Anupriya Goenka reprising their roles as lawyers.
The actor, who struggled for almost a decade before getting a breakthrough in "Gangs of Wasseypur" in 2012, is one of the most talked about stars of recent times, with winning performances in films and shows like, "Stree", "Mirzapur", "Sacred Games" and "Ludo".
During the virtual trailer launch of "Criminal Justice" on Thursday, Tripathi said there is a lot of unmissable similarity between Mishra and his own journey as an actor.
"I relate a lot to Madhav Mishra, he's like me. If he was an actor, he would've been how I was five years ago -- a 'jugadu' person, roaming around, searching for work. Like how he was not getting a big case, similarly I was not getting interesting, prominent roles.
"Madhav looks like a street smart man, one who would know how to survive but he has a pure soul," the 44-year-old actor told reporters.
Produced by Applause Entertainment in association with BBC Studios, the the eight-part Hotstar Special is directed by Rohan Sippy and Arjun Mukerjee. The show is written by editor-screenwriter Apurva Asrani.
"Criminal Justice: Behind Closed Doors" will be led by "Pink" star Kirti Kulhari, who features on the show as a woman who has confessed to stabbing her husband.
The show aims to put spotlight on the life and ordeal of women in prison. Kulhari said the character of Anu Chandra, a woman who is already guilty in the eyes of law, was the most difficult role of her life.
"I was apprehensive getting into this territory which had a lot of pain... On the face of it, she seems to have a perfect life -- a devoted husband and a wonderful daughter. And yet she stabs him one day, which changes the entire story.
"I am used to playing characters who have a voice and known for portraying them. But here I had to go into this extreme space, where I can't even speak up for myself," she added.
The series also features an ensemble cast of Shilpa Shukla, Deepti Naval, Jisshu Sengupta, Mita Vashisht and Ashish Vidhyarthi, among others.
The show is set to launch on December 24 on Disney+ Hotstar VIP.
