For Vikramaditya Motwane, 2025 began with his show, Black Warrant, winning praise. What added to his joy is that the prison drama gave its leading man Zahan Kapoor his big break. The creator-director is impressed that the actor is keeping a low profile despite the series’ success. “I love that. Everybody presumes things about him, and wonders where this guy had been. They forget that he has been working in theatre for the last 10 years. I feel he’ll be judicious about the [projects] he’ll pick because he has a firm head on his shoulders,” says Motwane.

The Netflix prison drama was praised for its storytelling as well as performances. But Motwane believes there is more to learn from Black Warrant. The creator hopes that it can serve as a model for the making of web series in India. He breaks it down, saying, “Satyanshu [Singh, co-creator], I and our team invested in the development process. We wrote a bible and two episodes, and then took it to Applause Entertainment. That way, you’ve already set the show’s creative tone. After Applause came on board, we made it and then took it to OTTs. This model offers a lot of independence and a correct creative approach.”