There are many web series featuring criminals, charting their criminal journey and even glamorizing lives of a few infamous serial killers. There are also few serials showing life behind the bars by giving a peek inside the prison life. However, most of these series primarily focus on the criminals and their backstories that lead them to this point and what happens next in their punishment journey. Having said that, there are quite a handful series or movies showing the side of the prison staff predominately alongside their prisoners and creating worthwhile content out of it. Netflix’s latest adaptation, called Black Warrant, falls in this last category.

The eponymous black warrant in the title refers to a death or execution warrant issued to a convicted criminal by the courts in India. It mentions the time and place of this state execution and the crime that led to such a warrant. So, viewers witness a few of the infamous executions and their no-so-infamous, heinous crimes in this series.

Based on a non-fiction book co-authored by journalist Sunetra Choudhury and the former superintendent of Tihar Jail, Sunil Gupta, this limited episode series remains true to its subject matter. It presents the inner workings of Tihar Prisons, one of the notorious and long-standing prisons in India, from the perspective of its new joiner, Sunil Gupta.

It successfully shows the power dynamics and hierarchical tensions among the prison employees by giving us an in-depth point of view of the newly appointed jailer, Sunil Gupta. He is accompanied by his colleagues Shivraj Singh Mangat and Anurag Thakur, who are also navigating this mysterious world of prison life. Collectively, they report to DSP Rajesh Tomar and are responsible for the day-to-day operations of this massive establishment. It’s fascinating to watch how the administration of such a large public institution is maintained and how employees cope with their stressful jobs.

Our main protagonist Sunil Gupta is introduced to us a simple minded, timid boy brought up by working class parents in New Delhi. They are as unaware about the prison life as the Thar Dessert is separated from the Arabian Sea. But they are the first witnesses to see the transformation happening in their beloved little baby from a silent child to an aggressive prison officer. Like his mother, his girlfriend is also not happy of his metamorphosis into this unknown, untamed egoistic prison overseer.

But it’s not only Sunil Gupta but his nation is also going through the most tumultuous time in its modern history during the timeline of this series i.e. mid 1970-80s. A new India is emerging after almost twenty-five years of independence with a rise of an aspirational middle class, chaotic political climate and societal upheaval in many parts of the country. We get to witness this from the ebbs and flows of the prisoners walking in and out of Tihar, from the backstories of characters like Shivraj Singh Mangat and multiple black warrants issued for growing criminal trajectory across the country.

Besides the prison officers and their staff, the prisoners themselves also provide a substantial plotline with twists, turn and manipulation to make this series entertaining. There are gang rivalries, upmanship, bribery and its gruesome consequences, manipulation and mishandling of infamous criminals by giving them almost a free rein across the prison campus. All these elements add a sense of intrigue and engagement to an otherwise ordinary tale. Especially for people who have lived through these incidents and had known about these stories first hand, it’s certainly going to take them down a memory lane.

This series is also a must watch to witness all the actors bringing their characters on screen who instantaneously form a connect with the audiences. Whether its return of Rahul Bhat as DSP Rajesh Tomar or the excellent hot-headed brute officer portrayed by Anurag Thakur, we immediately can relate to these characters by either hating them, liking them or merely understanding why-they-do-what-they-do. It was equally welcome experience to seeing veterans like Rajendra Gupta bringing the loyalty-stricken agony of Saini Saab to the screen and Paramvir Singh Cheema explaining so much agony through his body language with his nuanced portrayal of a son torn between duty and family.

Of course, we cannot complete this review without mentioning Zahan Kapoor who brings Sunil Gupta to the screen. The way he embodies that timid, shy Delhi boy and then brings forth his transformation as a self-assured, matured man is definitely worth seeing on the screen. I have to mention that his facial expressions and initial look in the series reminded me of his much beloved paternal grandfather from his early Merchant Ivory days especially in critically acclaimed films like  The Householder. This is one star kid we have to watch out for sure.

All in all, I would highly recommend this series for anyone who is looking forward to a worthwhile binge-watching session with Netflix.