“Kanoon Andha Hota Hai”/ “The law is blind”
A proverb much exploited by some lawyer demanding justice for his convict in a typical Bollywood movie. However, even after so many years, the proverb has lost its steel neither in dramatic thriller movies nor our real lives.
Cases are kept pending while generations pass, and if at all justice is granted in the garb of “Ba-izzat Bari” the society seems to have been timelier on giving its verdict.
‘Criminal Justice’ by Hotstar raises some of these very critical issues that are bound to question the status quo and make you feel uncomfortable in the comfort of your couch.
‘Criminal Justice’ deals with the other aspect of rape cases that goes completely un-noticed and unquestioned by the judicial wing of the society.
Did The Rape Actually Happen?
While we are fighting the battle against rape and trying to save the rape survivors from the wrath of the society, there is another important issue that is almost never questioned. Was it rape or consensual sex between two adults?
I am not trying to demean rape victims by questioning their credibility but when the society and the police officials unanimously perceived Aditya to be a rapist and eyed the case with a preconceived notion, it rang a bell.
The story of Adi shows how our outrage against rapists and our sympathy for rape survivors pushes us into wearing a glass that forbids us to believe that the opposite side of the story could be true.
Hence, the society without its black court and hammer declares the convict as guilty through the other side of their television screens while the proverb “innocent until proven guilty” somewhere dies in the corner of a newsroom debate.
The good cop here is simply trying to seek justice for Sanaya for he is scared that his daughter might not suffer the way million other victims do. Yet, his honest intention blinds him in his investigation.
The fear and insecurity is as real as the actors could portray and so can we blame them after all? If at all, we can, we would let hypocrisy smile.
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What does a world inside the jail look like?
I wish I were talking about a Barbie world but this world of jail as portrayed in the ‘Criminal Justice’ is a description closer to hell.
From prisoners trying to eat each other alive, to Aditya’s struggle for existence, his life in jail would make you thank God for yours.
However, what’s more disturbing are the illegal businesses and gangs running inside this miniature model of hell.
To think that you are least safe inside police custody and you can be raped or murdered for the pleasure of another is an unknown dark alley none would want to visit.
The major hit of the show was the character development of Aditya inside the jail.
An innocent young boy, imprisoned for an offence he did not commit, is turned into a dark character capable of murdering or being a potential gangster to ensure his survival inside the jail. The show depicts the birth of a criminal inside the jail.
Black spots on white collared people
Through the development in the storyline, we come across corrupt superintendents who despite being well aware of the illegal transactions inside the jail, seek for their own share in the business.
(Spoiler Alert) The story progresses to reveal that highly “respectable” people of the society are not so white and pious after all because ‘All that glitters is not gold’.
In a parallel plot, we see how the family struggles to save his son from the wrath of the society and itself becomes a victim to it. ‘Criminal Justice’ is a well-framed story with strong characters.
Set aside from the usually ‘court-centric’ drama, this show mirrors the society and depicts the harsh reality of the ‘Justice’ that is sold to us.
Image source: Google Images
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