Cast: Pankaj Tripathi, Kirti Kulhari, Anupriya Goenka, Deepti Naval, Mita Vashisht, Jisshu Sengupta, Shilpa Shukla

Directors: Rohan Sippy and Arjun Mukerjee

Rating: ***

The production of 'Criminal Justice: Behind Closed Doors' is a slow progression. It's a web series that centers around a woman who has been suffering from the psychological projection for too long, and she can hardly begin to face the reality of what has been done to her. In the story, you'll come to find out some various uncomfortable questions, such as 'could a daughter's ideal dad abuse his wife behind closed doors?', 'Will, in the confines of her house, a professional and strong woman falls victim to a male chauvinist?' The unlikely responses to all these awkward questions are yes, and the survivor herself is sometimes ignorant of the facts.

Actually, the story begins in a courtroom, where a reputed and affluent, Mumbai based lawyer Bikram (Jisshu Sengupta) who has just won a case, and to celebrate it with his wife, Anu (Kirti Kulhari), he brings a bouquet for her and while watching this scene, you might feel awful about his love. On the other side, Anu looks very depressed and seems to lie to her husband. But on the other moment, your thoughts will just swap as his sneaky and mysterious ways show that he is not the "great man" or the gem as he is considered to be. The actions of Anu show she's at the tip of the knife. She rolls over, wounding Bikram grievously by pushing a knife through his abdomen.


We can see this happy family disintegrating at the end of the earliest episode when Bikram is seen stabbed by a knife, and Anu is seen on the streets in a bloodshed nightgown. Of course, it's the point when your attention is aroused, and you'll think to see what will happen next.

This eight-episode Disney Hotstar Special edition, led by Kirti Kulhari, proceeds slowly, showing the open-and-shut crime case. The plot is simple, that her 12-year-old daughter, Rhea (Adiraj Sinha) is the only witness when the lady stabs her ideal husband. Actually, Rhea, who saw the aftermath of the murder of her father, is momentarily considered as an accused. To save Rhea, Anu signs a confession under the supervision of a violent police officer, Harsh (Jeet Singh Palawat). In order to await her hearing, she bounds in remand. There seems to be no reason behind Bikram's murder until the state prosecutors Pankaj Tripathi and Anupriya Goenka, begin to scratch away the secret aspects. The two continue to attempt to grasp why Anu murdered her husband considering their uncooperative client. The mystery behind what happened behind closed doors between Anu and Bikram unfolds slowly in what follows in this slow-paced but gripping series.


Jumping to the screenplay, there are some flaws that make you feel like some part of the story is shattered. A few starting episodes might bore you but after 4th episode, the story moves forward with slow progress. If you were expecting an angular, left-footed legal thriller then Criminal Justice: Behind Closed Doors isn't the one. Instead, it's a super slow burn, where the details and the small parts of the puzzle all fall together in a gratifying way, slowly and gradually. It takes its time in this season, but it unfolds placidly. Yeah, it's a murder mystery, but rather than a who did this, it's a why-did this. Thus if you are looking for a proper thriller, then it's not for you.
Some shots will take you to the first season of Criminal Justice, especially those scenes of prison. The storyline could have been better in some cases to make the audience stick to the seat because, in some parts, you may feel bored and want to fast forward the series. In fact, the visual effects in the first few episodes are not good, you need to stress your eyes to watch that dark theme.

But a few laughs and smiles are contrasted by the frightful climax and the overall gloomy atmosphere of the film. Madhav Mishra and his wife, Ratna, are the root of these light moments. It is a pleasure to watch the newlywed and who bring in some laughs. With her emotionally heavy scenes, Kirti Kulhari leaves a mark. Her character will stick with you for a while, longer if you finish watching.


Other performances include Deepti Naval, Tirrtha Murbaadkar, Kalyanee Mulay, Ajeet Singh Palawat, Jisshu Sengupta, Shilpa Shukla, and Mita Vasisht are also fine. But Pankaj and Kirti have stolen the show.

Moving towards the dialogues, they are fine, not that impressive to leave a mark on you but they could have been better by adding much masala in them. Moreover, there should have been some crisps in the story according to its runtime. And some shots to give you goosebumps as per the story could also have helped, but directors failed to showcase such scenes to you. Because it's a unique story that can portray everything with thrill and suspense.

Anyhow, it's a smooth storyline for which you need to be patient to know what will happen next. But yes, if it's not the perfect one then also not a bad one making up for a good concept to watch. It's a nice step to showcase a different issue related to women. The story delivers a great message but it lacks the ingredients of a perfect thriller. So, you can book your weekend for Criminal Justice Behind Closed Doors, if you're a Pankaj Tripathi fan, and don't expect many thrills in the story.