Season 1 |
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Episode Guide
Episode 1
Episode 2
Episode 3
Episode 4
Episode 5
Episode 6
Episode 7
Brutal, hard-hitting and thought-provoking, Netflix’s latest Indian crime thriller is certainly an enticing watch. Black Warrant’s strength lies, not just in its tense atmosphere and brutal violence, but also with the themes it tackles, which include justice, truth, honesty and betrayal.
Created by Vikramaditya Motwane, who is the same man responsible for Sacred Games, Black Warrant takes us back in time to the 80’s, right in the heart of Tihar Jail. The place is a brutal wasteland, a decrepit hellhole run by the inmates with the guards simply here to make up the numbers and try to keep things ticking over without too many problems. The trouble is, this prison is full to bursting, with overcrowding, awful conditions and an ongoing gang hierarchy at the heart of this.
At the center of all this is Sunil Kumar Gupta, a fresh-faced officer determined to make a change in this prison as a new officer. But of course, that’s easier said than done. It doesn’t take long for Sunil to realize what he’s got himself in for, as he gets acquainted with life as a prison guard, and tries to do the right thing in the wake of overwhelming corruption.
The catalyst for a lot of the drama that follows stems from a simple and seemingly innocuous case involving a snake. From here, the rippling effects of Sunil’s choice causes widespread issues to plague the prison, something that DSP Rajesh Tomar is quick to try and stop from spreading.
The hierarchy of the prison is explained in episode 1 and essentially breaks down to an ongoing rivalry between gangs. The Tyagi’s are the ones who run the show, with Sunny as their leader. They openly control and run the drug trade behind bars, and are directly responsible for the flow of money into the prison too.
However, the Haddi gang, run by Anil Rana, control the alcohol and they’ve risen through the ranks quite quickly inside the prison as the new kids on the block. They have their eyes on the Tyagi’s turf and contemplate trying to take it from them – with force if need be.
Stuck in the middle of this are the Sardar Gang, run by Gurtej Singh whom we learn more about as the series progresses.
Inmate Charles Sobhraj is the wildcard through all of this madness though, a man who sets out to help Sunil and also has blackmail material on a lot of the guards, allowing him favourable conditions compared to everybody else.
There ARE a lot of moving parts in this and the show does a commendable job in spinning these plates successfully while also building out its main ensemble of players alongside Sunil. He’s not alone in the prison of course, but similarly Sunil is not the only newcomer. The three opening spots for guards are taken up by himself, hot-headed Dahiya and the quietly reserved Mangat. The trio have their fair share of ups and downs across the 7 episodes, with personal issues and vendettas seeping into their roles as guards, and this is where Black Warrant’s themes come into play.
The show cleverly interweaves real events from the 80’s into this story, but it largely nestles itself in murky shades of grey. No event here is ever as simple as a binary black and white choice of right and wrong. Whether it be that aforementioned snake incident, or something as serious as the death penalty for violent inmates, Black Warrant has this uncomfortable way of worming itself into the parts of your brain doubting if this is the right course of action to take.
Nowhere is that captured better than through Sunil. He goes through quite the journey across the 7 episodes, progressing from a fresh-faced kid in over his head to a hardened officer across the several year timeline this series showcases.
There’s a nice ebb and flow to the way everything progresses, although one could argue that some of the subplots drag on a bit midway through the series. To be fair to Black Warrant, this isn’t another Prison Break or Wentworth Prison, and instead of crazy prison riots every week and mad betrayals abound, this plays out much more as a thought provoking examination of the bleakness and mundanity of life behind bars.
The drama that does rise up across the show’s run-time – with the exception of the final two episodes – largely center around character drama or work-related tension. This drama also plays out in a rather straightforward manner too, so don’t expect any big plot twists, with the exception of the finale which I won’t spoil here!
There are heavy scenes here that rely on challenging the notion of justice and what’s the right thing to do. Should those on death row be given the chance to hear their last rites? Should there be a fair investigation into a shady death? Or should it just be swept up to appease the gangs and keep order? All of these difficult questions are explored and this show is all the stronger for it. It also helps that no character is a straightforward “good guy” or “bad guy”, and even Sunil, with all of his wisdom and virtuous feelings, still ends up making some questionable decisions.
This is partly what makes this such an enticing watch. Indian dramas on Netflix are, generally, quite hit or miss but like the snake that domineers over a lot of this series, Black Warrant has one heck of a bite and when that venom courses through your veins, you’ll be hard-pressed to look away from the drama. If you haven’t already, you should definitely add this to your watch-list.
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Verdict - 8/10
8/10