29 December,2020 08:07 AM IST | Mumbai | Uma Ramasubramanian
Kirti Kulhari in Criminal Justice
While the digital platform has given opportunities to skilled writers to showcase their prowess, several shows in India have so far been relegated to being one-season wonders. So, when Rohan Sippy chronicles how he crafted Criminal Justice season 2 to successfully hold viewers' attention, we find ourselves taking notes.
"One of the appealing aspects of the show was the fact that the producer were ready to bet on the unspoken issue [of marital rape]," Sippy tells mid-day of the Kirti Kulhari-fronted drama.
Narration of a subject as critical as this one, says Sippy, could have only been done from a woman's perspective. He laments that his creative team did not have as many women as was demanded by the script, but reading sessions with his cast members enabled him to paint a promising picture. "[We had] a number of female characters
that were well sketched, and brilliantly essayed by actors like Kirti, Deepti ji [Naval], Mita [Vashisht], Anupriya [Goenka], Adrija [Sinha], and Khushboo [Atre], among others. During the reading sessions, their feedback was vital."
Disney+Hotstar's Criminal Justice: Behind Closed Doors showcases the pain that a victim endures before being compelled to kill her partner. Understanding the trauma was a novel experience for Sippy. "A show like this highlights what it feels like to be in a prison of sorts. So many women are in such situations. Often, we would head home and keep thinking about being in this system which one can't escape."
