‘Black Warrant’ maker says the show doesn’t glorify violence despite being set against violent backdrop

Mumbai, Jan 13, 2025
Sameer Nair, the producer of the recently released streaming series ‘Black Warrant’, has said that the series tells a story set against the backdrop of violence without glorifying the latter.

The show, which is set in the 1980s, is based on true events, and is a dramatized adaptation of the book ‘Black Warrant: Confessions Of A Tihar Jailer’ by Sunil Gupta, a former superintendent of Tihar Jail, and journalist Sunetra Choudhury.

Talking about the show, Sameer Nair, MD of Applause Entertainment, said, “‘Black Warrant’ tells a human story set against a backdrop of violence without glorifying it. We were telling a human story; in the telling of that story, violence is part of it. Oftentimes you tend to use the tropes and milk them till they are sort of overdone. When you watch the series, it’s a story about real people leading their lives; they just happen to be in jail”.

He further mentioned, “Since it’s Tihar Jail, there will be some violence, but that’s not the point of the story. The point of the story is about the period… It also tells you about India as we go along, it tells us how we were before. So, it is not designed to titillate or shock or anything like that; it’s a story”.

The show follows Gupta and his two trusted jailers as they navigate the volatile world of Tihar Jail, confronting notorious inmates and the pervasive politics that define the prison system. While the premise suggests a world steeped in violence, the focus of the narrative, showcasing contemporary history told in a modern storytelling format, remains on the human stories at its core.

The series engages viewers but also sparks meaningful conversations about systemic issues and India’s socio-political landscape during the 1980s.

Produced by Applause Entertainment, ‘Black Warrant’ is streaming on Netflix.(Agency)