Vikramaditya Motwane discusses the portrayal of assassins Charles Sobhraj and Billa-Ranga in his upcoming Netflix series, Black Warrant.
Vikramaditya Motwane’s latest web series, Black Warrant, has received high appreciation from all sectors. The series has garnered critical acclaim since debuting on Netflix earlier this month. However, some viewers have expressed displeasure with some’sympathetic’ or glamorous representations of savage killers Charles Sobhraj and Billa-Ranga. In a conversation , Vikramaditya Motwane delves into the themes of the show and discusses the reasoning behind its portrayal of criminals.
The movie Black Warrant draws inspiration from the 2019 nonfiction book Black Warrant: Confessions of a Tihar Jailer by Sunil Gupta and Sunetra Choudhury. Featuring Zahan Kapoor as Gupta, the story follows his journey as a young deputy jailer in Tihar Jail during the 1980s. During this time, he encounters the mysterious serial killer Charles Sobhraj (Sidhant Gupta).
Vikramaditya Motwane discusses Charles Sobhraj.
Motwane addresses the larger-than-life image of Sobhraj, saying, “It’s always through Sunil’s vision. We see through his eyes. So Charles Sobhraj is a larger-than-life character, as seen through Sunil’s eyes. The first time he sees this towering guy, he worries if he’s an officer. So Sunil and Tihar must have felt Charles Sobhraj at that time.
The filmmaker, who helmed the two episodes that introduced Sobhraj and Billa-Ranga, says, “I don’t believe it is our responsibility as producers to pronounce judgment. That is something we will leave to the audience, if at all.
Billa Kush and Ranga (Jasbir Singh and Kulbir Singh) were hanged in 1982 for murdering siblings Geeta and Sanjay Chopra, just a few months after Gupta joined Tihar. The series portrays a conflicted Gupta grappling with challenges surrounding due process while facing Ranga’s heartfelt pleas of innocence. Motwane said, “With Ranga-Billa, Sunil is once again confused. We have never refuted the fact that the children were killed. Of course they were. We are simply asking whether the due process was performed correctly. Could the death penalty truly be the answer to this? We are only asking questions, not providing answers.”
There is no black and white in the show.
According to the filmmaker, the show does not deal with absolutes like black and white. “If anything, episode 2 is the most grey of the group since it lacks black and white. It is told through Sunil’s uncertainty, as he wonders whether there is a 0.1% chance of a minor misunderstanding regarding the due process and then if it is the right thing. That’s just the way it is. “Everything revolves around the story and the character,” Motwane explains.
The cast of Black Warrant includes Zahan Kapoor, Rahul Bhat, Paramvir Singh Cheema, Anurag Thakur, and Sidhant Gupta. The show can now be streamed on Netflix.
