Does Black Warrant go soft on criminals and terror? – Beyond Bollywood

Though widely acclaimed, certain aspects of the Netflix series made us worry whether the makers were, in a way, being empathetic towards certain criminals.

By Mayur Lookhar

Two cop series are currently dominating the Indian digital space. Amazon Prime Video’s Paatal Lok Season 2 (2025) has been making waves, particularly for its lead actor Jaideep Ahlawat, who continues to raise the bar. The other is the Netflix series Black Warrant (2025). Released without much fanfare, the Netflix series is garnering praise from all quarters.  We are yet to watch Paatal Lok Season 2, but that show established itself with its very first season. We are more curious to know: why does Black Warrant (2025) warrant attention?

So, we binge-watched it in a day, and by the end of the final episode, it became clear why the Netflix series has received rave reviews. Created by Vikramaditya Motwane and Satyanshu Singh, the series doesn’t feature big names in its cast—Zahan Kapoor and Rahul Bhat. The show is an official adaptation of the book Black Warrant: Confessions of a Tihar Jailer (2019), written by Sunil Kumar Gupta and journalist Sunetra Choudhary. The title is self-explanatory, as a former jailer shares his experiences in South Asia’s largest prison, located in Delhi.

Zahan Kapoor plays the lead role of jailor Sunil Kumar Gupta, while Rahul Bhat portrays his senior, Tomar. Set in the late 70s and extending to the mid-80s, the book and show recount Gupta’s experiences in Tihar during the early years of his service. Like any fresh recruit, Gupta brings his set of principles and honour. In the opening meet, Tomar warns him that it’s not the officers, but the inmates who are truly running Tihar. The final episode is titled Double Umar Qaid (Two Life Sentences). The prisoners are serving their sentences, which will eventually end, but for those working inside Tihar, it feels no less than a double life sentence. That is the essence of the series, where viewers are stunned by then world in Tihar. We presume it to have its elements of fiction as well.

Two weeks later, a review may not be appropriate, but as much as we liked the series, certain aspects made us question whether the Netflix show was in any way sympathetic to the plight of criminals and a certain terrorist. 

The first four episodes are fine, but certain scenes in episodes 5 and 6 make you question the makers’ intention. In essence, there are two cases likely to raise eyebrows. The first case involves the death sentences of two poor men convicted of killing a doctor’s wife in front of him, while the husband just sat back in his car and watched. The honest, righteous Gupta feels justice isn’t served here, as the poor men killed the woman for a mere Rs500, while the instigating husband is only serving a jail sentence and still gets the privilege of meeting his paramour in Tihar. While this case may not fall into the rarest of rare categories, honoring the court’s verdicts is the duty of everyone in the judicial and police systems. So, why this empathy for the murderers? Today, we are a nation of 150 crore people, with many still living in poverty. Thankfully, most such people don’t commit crimes. While the series shows empathy for the convicts, there’s not much thought given to the murdered woman. What about her right to life, which was taken away by her killers?

The more bizarre case is that of Maqbool Bhat, the founder of the separatist movement National Liberation Front, now known as the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front. Today, this group is mostly disbanded, rightly held to justice for its crimes against the state and the innocent people of J&K. Maybe tackling figures like Maqbool Bhat wasn’t easy in those days, but he was still caught, tried, and convicted for the murder of a CID officer. Maqbool Bhat and his separatist party, with help from their arch-enemy Pakistan, radicalized youth in J&K. Surely, the Left Liberals may have a different view of Bhat, but he was, after all, a convicted murderer who was sentenced to death.

In the show, upon his arrival at Tihar, Bhat (Mir Sarwar) is portrayed as a warm personality, who tells Gupta that someday they should play badminton. Bhat does get his wish fulfilled, which turns out to be his last wish, a day before his hanging. Following the hanging, he is given a burial inside Tihar, with clerics called in to perform the rituals. While it’s jail, even the most heinous criminals deserve a funeral. We, however, were surprised to see Gupta also joining in praying for the deceased as he is buried. Surely, most jails in any civil society would do the same after a hanging, but should such scenes be shown in a movie or series, especially when the deceased was a convicted terrorist? Gupta praying for the deceased Bhat doesn’t send the right message to society at large.

Our third bone of contention with Black Warrant is an old Bollywood malaise. Often, some in Bollywood tend to make sweeping statements on contentious issues, like undertrials languishing in jails. In this series, it’s Gupta, in his humble capacity, who tries to bring in reforms. The problems are compounded due to a lack of space and staff, with many jails housing hundreds of undertrials. While the lack of space is a valid concern, are the show’s makers implying that most undertrials should be out on bail?

Making sweeping statements is easy, but one should never lose sight of pragmatism. Bail for undertrials must be viewed on a case-by-case basis. While people will have different views, but It’s for the court to decide whether an undertrial deserves bail or not. There are too many horrific examples where the court has granted bail, and the accused has gone on to cause further harm or even kill the victim. Sadly, we’ve witnessed this in sexual crime cases.

Bollywood tends to have a fascination with Charles Sobhraj-like characters. While Black Warrant doesn’t glorify Sobhraj, its leading character Gupta, and perhaps the viewers as well, are left in awe of the Bikini Killer. In fact, it is Sobhraj who is instrumental in Gupta staying in Tihar. No, the mastermind criminal didn’t influence Gupta’s recruitment, but the humble cop, despite having an offer letter, was advised by Tomar that he didn’t belong here and should go back home. It is here that Sobhraj, who apparently has clout inside the jail, is shown to have convinced Tomar and the Tihar top boss Mukhopadhyay to change their mind about Gupta.

While every jail has its own culture, surely the past and current custodians of Tihar won’t be pleased with criminals like Sobhraj getting a celebrity-like portrayal in cinema. Thankfully, the closing visuals of Black Warrant serve a reminder as to why Sobhraj is called The Serpent.

It is not Sobhraj, but the earlier points we raised that perhaps merit attention. These are just personal observations/reservations, but they don’t detract from the overall joy of watching a thrilling noir. Motwane, Satyanshu, and the other creatives on the show deserve credit for the brilliant writing and gripping screenplay backed by technical expertise. Most importantly, they are spot on with their cast, all who justify the creators’ faith.

We didn’t rate Zahan much in his debut film Faraaz (2023). Whoa, hasn’t he turned a corner with Black Warrant? At 32, he may be slightly late to cinema, but his early choices draw comparisons with cousin Ranbir. Here’s a short, wiry guy so thin that even the khaki pants look loose. And such a character ends up being the jailor of Tihar, known to house the most dreaded criminals in the country. His humility and righteousness make him vulnerable in this hostile environment, yet it’s these qualities that eventually help him not just survive, but also command respect. In Faraaz, we saw him play a privileged, largely English-speaking guy. Who would have thought this man would play a rooted character speaking in a humble desi tone? For a young actor, only in his second film (or series), to pull off such a role with such conviction is heartening to see. If he were alive, Shashi Kapoor would have been proud of his grandson.

Rahul Bhat is a seriously talented guy, but one who seems to be pretty choosy in his work. For all his devious designs, Tomar is still a survivor in Tihar. The personal life crisis makes you empathize with Tomar, but maybe it’s also karma for professional wrongdoings. The now-seasoned Bhat delivers a masterclass as Tomar in Black Warrant.

Like Zahan, Black Warrant’s other young cast members, Paramvir Singh Cheema and Anurag Thakur, also deliver excellent performances. Cheema portrays Mangat, a jovial yet tough Sikh cop, with the unrest in Punjab in the 80s adding depth to his character. Thakur brings his Haryanvi humour and swag to the role of Vipin Dahiya. The trio faces various challenges that affect their professional relationships, but Gupta’s most consistent and positive connection in Tihar is with the accountant Saini (Rajendra Gupta). The camaraderie between the real and reel Gupta exudes mutual respect and class.

Though this article isn’t a review, we couldn’t help but praise the brilliant cast, a credit that goes to Mukesh Chhabra and his team. All said and done, despite a few reservations, Black Warrant offers a unique experience for Netflix viewers across the board. Netflix India has another winner, likely to appeal to both domestic and global audiences.

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