~ Sameer Nair spearheads yet another thrilling premium drama series by Applause ~
Mumbai, 28 April 2018: The content studio from the Aditya Birla Group - Applause Entertainment - has been grabbing eyeballs for a row of exceptional digital series announcements, and will now be making the official Indian version of the multiple BAFTA winning BBC UK crime drama ‘Criminal Justice’. The Indian adaptation of Criminal Justice was announced earlier this year and will be produced by BBC Studios India.
Criminal Justice’s US adaptation was the critically acclaimed show called ‘The Night Of’, which featured John Turturro and Riz Ahmed. ‘The Night Of’ won four Emmys out of ten nominations in 2016, and overall won nine out of 23 global award nominations.
Helmed by media veteran Sameer Nair, Applause Entertainment has signed up celebrated B-town actors- Jackie Shroff, Vikrant Massey, Pankaj Tripathi, Mita Vashisht and Anupriya Goenka.
Critically and commercially acclaimed film director Tigmanshu Dhulia has directed films like Paan Singh Tomar, Bullet Raja, Sahib Biwi aur Gangster, Electric Moon and Haasil amongst others. This is the first time Tigmanshu will be working with and directing Jackie Shroff. Having entertained audiences since the past four decades, Jackie recently also won the Filmfare Award for the Best Actor in a short film and will definitely be a treat to watch online.
The format has been adapted for India by Shridhar Raghavan. Shridhar is known for his writing work on films like Khakee, Chandni Chowk to China and Bluffmaster! amongst others. Director Vishal Furia has directed the Marathi horror film ‘Lapachappi’, which received many accolades for his work and will also be debuting as series director in the digital space with this show.
Along with Jackie Shroff, the ‘Criminal Justice’ team has an ensemble of hugely talented actors including Vikrant Massey & Pankaj Tripathi. Vikrant Massey has impressed audiences with his performances in films like ‘Dil Dhadkane Do’, ‘Lootera’, ‘A Death in the Gunj’, ‘Lipstick Under My Burkha’, and plays a central role in the series. Pankaj Tripathi is known for his breakthrough performance in ‘Gangs Of Wasseypur’ and has recently received the National Award - Special Mention for the film ‘Newton’.
Sameer Nair, CEO of Applause Entertainment, expressed “We are elated to announce this heady mix of a powerful story and a fabulous team of actors and story-tellers for Criminal Justice. Curating an exceptional adaptation, combined with talent like Jackie Shroff, Tigmanshu Dhulia, Vikrant Massey, Pankaj Tripathi, Shridhar Raghavan, Vishal Furia and others is a coup for Applause Entertainment. The team is looking forward to creating and providing more such quality content to the digital world.”
Myleeta Aga, SVP and GM of South and South East Asia at BBC Studios, said “We are very excited to be working with Applause Entertainment on yet another iconic series. The Indian version of Criminal Justice is going to be brilliant with the amazing team of collaborators and actors we have on board”.
Tigmanshu Dhulia, director, said - "‘Criminal Justice’ is a show that has been appreciated extensively across the world. As the Indian audience have evolved in terms of the content they want to see, it gives directors like me more opportunity to experiment with our projects. The story of this show engulfs you and preserves the mystery by withholding information and keeping you in the lurch, gasping for more. It constantly undermines what we think we know and makes one question every single thing one sees. I'm extremely glad to work with Sameer Nair and some of the finest actors in the country."
Jackie Shroff commented, “After working in films for so many years, when BBC & Applause Entertainment approached me to work in the digital medium, it had to be something that was striking and different and that is exactly what Criminal Justice is! The day Shridhar narrated the script and my role to me, I knew this was it! The script brought out a host of emotions in me and I hope it does that to the viewers too. It is mysterious, heart-pounding, unpredictable, thrilling and keeps you hooked and at the edge of the seat waiting for answers you thought you knew."
Vikrant Massey added, “I’m ecstatic to begin work on a project like ‘Criminal Justice’, I've been a huge fan of the original series. What I liked most about my role, was the intensity of the character. And with an outstanding Director like Tigmanshu behind the camera, I am looking forward to see this character unfold."
Pankaj Tripathi said, “As an actor, I want to keep experimenting with the characters I play. ‘Criminal Justice’ challenges me once again with the character I portray. I’ve worked with Tigmanshu in ‘Gangs Of Wasseypur’ where both of us were actors but with this project I’m really looking forward to be directed by him.”
Applause Entertainment has been regularly making announcements on a stellar bouquet of shows that they have begun work on. With a deadly combination of Tigmanshu Dhulia, Jackie Shroff, Vikrant Massey, Pankaj Tripathi, Shridhar Raghavan, Vishal Furia and Sameer Nair, the studio surely promises its audiences must-watch binge worthy content. We can’t wait for Criminal Justice to start streaming!
About Applause Entertainment
Applause Entertainment Pvt Ltd is a Content & IP Creation Studio with a focus on films, digital series, television, animation, music and live events. The company focuses and invests in content creation and then partners with varied distribution platforms in an equitable manner to get its creative output to consumers globally. Applause Entertainment is a venture of the Aditya Birla Group - a US $43 billion Indian multinational conglomerate with an extraordinary workforce of over 120,000 employees and operations spanning 36 countries.