Pankaj Tripathi: All my projects are pan-Indian

Pankaj Tripathi talks to usThe actor speaks about the his upcoming third season of his popular show ‘Criminal Justice’ season 3, his relationship with social media and the pan-Indian movement.

The first season of Criminal Justice came out in 2019, when OTT platforms had just emerged. At that time a lot of shows came out whose first seasons were celebrated but the successive seasons weren’t. Criminal Justice, on the other hand, had two super successful seasons and thethird season also has a lot of buzz around it. According to you, what do you think went right for you guys?

I think the writing was good, and that is why the audience could connect with the show. Writing plays a very important role, especially for titles that release on OTT platforms. The web show must have fulfilled the entertainment criteria. Criminal Justice was the first series on Hotstar, after which the idea of Hotstar originals began. The audience must have liked that, and that is the reason we are here today with the third season. Also, I think Madhav Mishra’s humour acted as a relief amidst this intense legal drama. It is rare to see humour in a crime drama. Madhav’s character has sarcasm and wit, and I think these are all the reasons.

These days there is a new streaming platform every day and a new legal drama every day. How does Criminal Justice stand out amongst all the competition?

I don’t really watch other content. I guess there might not be many shows on juvenile justice as well. In the UK, there were two parts to Criminal Justice. In India, we now have three. So this third part is not inspired from anywhere. The show’s legacy, its audience, and its platform separate it from other shows.

What’s new in this upcoming third season?

In season three, there is Madhav Mishra’s brother-in-law Deep, who has arrived from Patna. There are new challenges, there is a new case, and a new trial in which Madhav is entering. There are new characters as well. Madhav’s evolution from the previous two seasons will be visible in this new trial. It is an intense gripping drama.

Movies are two-and-half hours to three hours long whereas series are 10-12 episodes with each spanning 40-50 minutes. So there is much more scope for character development. How much do you get involved in that process? Do you cherish it?