Criminal justice- Review

Criminal Justice stays true to the metaphorical exposition it tries to sum up in its two-word title. It is the story of a happy-go-lucky boy Aditya Sharma, played by Massey, who by virtue of association with the wrong kind of people, on an unfortunate night, gets sucked into the biggest trouble of his life. His fault is that he picks up a passenger, Sanaya Rath.

The aftermath of the incident induces changes in his personality, courtesy some hardcore mentorship inside the prison cell offered by Mustafa, as he tries to prove his alleged innocence with the help of a morally deviant lawyer Madhav Mishra, played by Tripathi, forms the bulk of the story line of Criminal Justice.

Inside the jail is where the real deal goes down. Low-life thugs run the place, and kill and rape, as per will. This has turned a reformation centre into a parallel outpost for heinous activities, in which the system also benefits as criminals are being killed off each day. This makes the series a grim state of affairs, almost entirely.

Aditya and Mustafa are better inside the prison. At least they have each other here and their seemingly warm, yet equally worrying friendship grows on the viewer that always appreciates an underdog winning, even in the most unpleasant of circumstances. The toll that slow justice takes on prison dwellers is rightfully manifested in their relationship and Aditya's coming into his badass own inside the prison.

Through cinematography and well-rounded direction, the series plays around with the characters and their emotions in shadows and highlights, close-ups and long shots, depending on the narrative at play. Tripathi is given the best of them. The rest of the characters, barring Massey who plays in silences, facial tics and occasional nervousness are given expository lines.

Criminal Justice drags a bit every now and then, but manages to save grace, courtesy actor’s performance.