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Tag: Criminal Justice

  • Vamsi Murthy wraps up his Disney+ Hotstar journey

    Vamsi Murthy wraps up his Disney+ Hotstar journey

    MUMBAI: Call it a season finale worth bingeing. After an unforgettable four-season run, Vamsi Murthy has announced his exit from Disney+ Hotstar, wrapping up a chapter that reads like a streaming hit, complete with plot twists, high stakes and creative cliffhangers.

    As executive director and marketing head, Murthy helped script some of Hotstar’s most successful campaigns, cementing its reputation as India’s home of entertainment and sport. From building massive originals like Aarya, Criminal Justice, Special Ops and Taaza Khabar, to steering cricket fever through World Cups, his marketing playbook turned content into cultural conversations.

    Under his leadership, the platform revamped its entertainment marketing model, driving growth across brand love, viewership and subscriptions. The results showed improved ROI, award wins at Promax Asia, Kyoorius and Indian Telly Streaming Awards, and a brand that consistently set the tone for pop culture moments.

    Before Hotstar, Murthy’s career reel rolled through BookMyShow, ZEE5, Myntra, MakeMyTrip and Reliance Communications, marking a two-decade journey across India’s biggest consumer brands.

    Signing off, Murthy called his time at Hotstar “nothing short of a blockbuster,” thanking colleagues and mentors who made the ride special. As for what’s next, he’s keeping the suspense alive, promising a new chapter soon. Because in true entertainment style, every great show deserves a thrilling sequel.

  • Criminal Justice scores a killer debut with record OTT opening

    Criminal Justice scores a killer debut with record OTT opening

    MUMBAI: It’s official, Criminal Justice: A Family Matter has taken the law into its own hands… and the top spot on India’s OTT charts. According to audience estimates for the week of May 26 to June 1, 2025, the gripping legal drama clocked an explosive 8.4 million viewers, making it the biggest OTT original opening of the year across pay and freemium platforms.

    The numbers don’t just hold court, they rule. This marks the best opening for any original on JioStar (previously Disney+ Hotstar and JioCinema) since January 2023, making it a rare case of a sequel delivering more punch than its predecessors.

    Backed by a tight script, returning fan-favourite characters, and a family-centric twist on its signature justice narrative, the show has managed to strike the perfect balance between suspense and sentiment. And clearly, audiences across India are here for it.

    In a landscape brimming with crime thrillers and family dramas, Criminal Justice: A Family Matter has carved out its niche by fusing both genres with legal intrigue and numbers suggest the strategy is working. With 8.4 million Indians tuning in to at least one episode, it’s not just a courtroom drama; it’s a cultural phenomenon in the making.

    Gavel down, this verdict is unanimous: Criminal Justice is 2025’s hottest trial yet.

  • BBC Studios considers shuttering Indian operations: Economic Times report

    BBC Studios considers shuttering Indian operations: Economic Times report

    MUMBAI: Is BBC Studios set to exit India?

    If a report in The Economic Times is to be believed it is strongly considering the possibility. Recently, its general manager Sameer Gogate quit the content production arm. 

    It is also considering other options like zooming in on a strategic investor who will share some of the challenges that have emerged in the severely  tested media and entertainment industry. Another option being toyed with is doing co-productions with Indian producers – something which has not been a huge hit in the Indian scenario as yet. 

    Sources indicate that consolidation and shrinking budgets from television broadcasters and OTT platforms have intensified competition for limited projects, significantly squeezing producers’ profit margins.

    Known for popular shows like Criminal Justice, The Office, Out of Love, and Nach Baliye BBC Studios, produces approximately 2,000 hours of content annually and operates in over 20 countries. It  also maintains a robust content licensing business in India, licensing British formats such as Dancing with the Stars* and Luther.

    Faced with a more selective landscape of OTT platforms and broadcasters, the pressure to maximize output under reduced budgets is prompting a re-evaluation of BBC Studios’ production strategy in India. A company spokesperson confirmed to The Economic Times that the management in the UK  is currently reviewing its  production operating model to enhance efficiency.

    The Indian M&E sector has experienced significant consolidation, with recent major mergers like the Star India and Viacom18 deal and discussions involving the acquisition of Tata Play by Bharti Airtel’s DTH arm, Airtel DTH.

    Experts suggest that BBC Studios’ production arm could be among the first casualties of this trend as margin pressures continue to mount.

    This potential shift comes as the BBC Group maintains its presence in India through various digital news platforms and joint ventures, including Sony BBC Earth and the recently launched BBC Player and BBC Kids on Prime Video.

    Additionally, BBC itself in the UK is under pressure. An audit report of the BBC  by the National Audit Office  expressed  this in no less words when it said: In 2023-24, BBC Studios’ income fell by £253 million (12 per cent) to £1,837 million and profits fell by £50 million (20 per cent ) to £202 million. This was partly due to challenging market conditions, including a reduction in spend by commissioners, including the BBC and global streamers, on the production of programmes and the ending of some high-value contracts which generated significant income in 2022-23. In addition its profits were reduced by higher costs as BBC Studios invested in its digital services such as BBC.com and BritBox International to support its future growth

    The audit report was also critical of BBC Studios and its inability to generate too many new IPs and for being dependent on BBC’s catalogue of shows before the production arm was set up in 2016. The report said: “In our 2020 report, we identified that BBC Studios had been less successful than planned in winning new commissions and generating IP.
    Since then, although generation of new IP has grown, BBC Studios has not met its targets in this area and remains reliant on the IP from BBC programmes created before it was first established in 2016. In 2023-24, of the 10 titles from its production business which provided the most profit to the BBC, only one was from new IP
    generated by BBC Studios.”

    Additionally, the Beeb is  on track to lay off close to 500 staff by March 2026 and generate savings of 200 million pounds sterling, according to reports.

  • #Retrace2021: Decoding BBC Studios’ giant OTT leap in India with Sameer Gogate

    #Retrace2021: Decoding BBC Studios’ giant OTT leap in India with Sameer Gogate

    Mumbai: Sameer Gogate has been leading BBC Studios’ production business in India as general manager since 2019. In the last two years, he has played an instrumental role in steering the internationally renowned brand to its deserved status in India.

    Smartly leveraging the OTT boom in the country, he was able to earn a reputation for BBC Studios beyond just being the producer of ‘Jhalak’. Through the pandemic years the studio produced over 11 shows for OTT including ‘Criminal Justice’ (three seasons), ‘What the Love’, ‘Out of Love’ (two seasons), ‘The Office India’ (two seasons), ‘Rudra’, ‘Guilt’ and ‘Sons of the Soil’. This year, they ventured into the regional markets with scripted formats. 

    Gogate has spent over 16 years in the Indian media and entertainment industry across the TV and film businesses. During his stint with Viacom 18, he oversaw the commercial function for the GEC Colors and managed co-productions and acquisitions for the Studio business at Viacom18 Motion pictures. He also set up the film business at Endemol. As chief development officer at Eros International, he managed their in-house productions and the regional slate of films.

    In this exclusive interview with Indiantelevision.com, Sameer Gogate talks about his two years journey with the brand, the ‘BBC Studios advantage’ which made British formats such as ‘Criminal Justice’, ‘The Office India’, ‘Out of Love’, and ‘Luther’ runaway success in the India market, and upcoming plans for 2022.

    Edited Excerpts:

    On looking back at 2021, and how it was for BBC Studios

    BBC Studios has come a long way from being known just as a producer that made ‘Jhalak Dikhla Jaa’. In that same time period, we have picked up ten commissions in the OTT space. I think we are largely OTT-skewed today, and that’s because of our premium dramas like ‘Criminal Justice’, ‘Out of Love’, ‘Guilt’, and ‘Rudra’. The demand for scripted content in the market is high, and by virtue of our quality formats and the British talent that’s associated with them, it’s easier for us to work with certain clients in the OTT space.

    On the “BBC advantage”, and the kind of content being created

    We have got great and relatable stories to tell at BBC Studios, and our biggest advantage is the ‘premium-ness’ of BBC Dramas that has two reasons for it. First is the synergy with British formats which have themes that are easily adaptable for the Indian market. This ensures a quicker turnaround (right from the development to the execution stage) due to the already established success of the show.

    The second advantage is the quality of dramas that are coming out of the UK, all associated with top British writers. To have access to these dramas that have been through numerous stages of development, checks, and balances, and discussions, just make it easier and quicker for us to adapt them for the Indian audience while maintaining the ‘premium-ness’ i.e. the high quality of writing and the higher production value that BBC is associated with. By virtue of this ‘premium-ness’, we have further been able to attract quality talent, whether it’s the directors, writers, or actors.

    On the genres most in-demand in 2021

    In principle, crime and thrillers always do well. But at the same time, we were also able to produce a ‘Sons of the Soil’ for Amazon which is a factual content piece. Going forward, you will see more factual content from us in India. We are currently working on another docu-piece which is likely to be announced by the middle of next year and our first scripted original. Apart from that, there is demand for premium dramas (non-crime genre), and I see that going up as we move ahead. Streaming services also want more regional and local content today.

    On the economics of producing content for OTTs, including films

    At BBC Studios we are not saying ‘no’ to movies, but the focus has been on scripted dramas.  Regarding OTT economics, I’d say it’s important to be flexible and yet not compromise on the ‘premium-ness’ of the content. The cost consideration for us is two-fold; one is the price in terms of the time required to produce these premium drams, and the second is the actual cost of making them. We want to remain adaptable on both fronts to win the trust of our clients.

    On the production and other challenges that spilled over from 2020

    There are two parts of our business; production and development. The production part did suffer because teams were working from home during covid, there were far too many challenges on-ground especially during the second wave.  But the last one-and-a-half years have taught us a lot on how to be flexible, nimble, and yet not compromise on our quality. Even though India witnessed a very bad second wave and it did affect things on-ground we used the time effectively for developing our content slate, and are now looking forward to 2022 with a strong pipeline.

    On OTT content growing as a full-fledged ‘industry’ in India

    We are at that point if we haven’t crossed it already. India is a unique market that has the same audience watching ‘Anupama’ and ‘Out of Love’ on the same platform. So, clearly, TV and OTT are going to coexist, even as more and more people consume media on OTT even after the pandemic. 

    On looking ahead to 2022, and plans for BBC Studios India

    2022 will see new genres come to the fore. There will be a lot more factual entertainment and new formats in the unscripted reality content space as well. On the scripted side, India is almost there in terms of our quality but the ‘premium-ness’ of dramas can only go a notch higher from here. This being another Covid year we could deliver only two shows, ‘Guilt’ and ‘Luther’ (Rudra), but the pipeline for next year, including regional, is almost three times this.

  • Criminal Justice: Behind Closed Doors is a ‘whydunnit’

    Criminal Justice: Behind Closed Doors is a ‘whydunnit’

    NEW DELHI: Innocent until proven guilty. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch passionately upheld this legal principle while defending a Black man who had all the odds, and prejudices, stacked against him. And in the first trailer of Criminal Justice: Behind Closed Doors, lawyer Madhav Mishra is seen firmly reminding us of this inalienable tenet in the age of media trials.

    At a virtual press conference, Disney+ Hotstar has released the first look at the new season of its investigative legal drama Criminal Justice. The intense video clip shows Pankaj Tripathi reprising the role of lawyer Madhav Mishra and becoming embroiled in another gripping murder case.

    The second chapter of Criminal Justice also stars Kirti Kulhari (Pink, Four More Shots Please!) as Anuradha Chandra, and the premise is based on her character apparently committing the murder of her husband and reputed lawyer Bikram Chandra, played by Jisshu Sengupta (Manikarnika, Shakuntala Devi). Actor Anupriya Goenka returns as Madhav’s capable colleague Nikhat Hussain, while Shilpa Shukla (Chak De! India, B.A. Pass) joins the cast to portray an enigmatic character.

    The new season of the critically acclaimed web series will premiere on Disney+ Hotstar on December 24 and will be available to VIP subscribers in seven languages.

    “Great television has always been about outstanding characters and I feel that what we have with Madhav Mishra is a true benchmark for Indian OTT shows,” said Star India Hindi entertainment president Gaurav Banerjee during a virtual press conference for the trailer launch.

    Without giving away too much, he added that the story delves into a very important issue which has been brilliantly developed by the writers, and it will give audiences something to think and reflect about.

    “It’s a ‘whydunnit’. You’ll get to it as the mystery unfolds. Viewers are in for a good, entertaining and enriching ride,” teased Banerjee.

    Applause Entertainment founder & series producer Sameer Nair said they had taken characters from the first season forward and developed them further, something that wasn’t done by the British series from which Criminal Justice has been adapted. The “little universe” of the police and legal system that surrounds Madhav expands in the new season, with the addition of new characters, issues and a layered mystery to be unravelled.

    On his part, Pankaj Tripathi is glad to once again essay the role of the street-smart advocate with the zingy one-liners, and disclosed that he finds Madhav extremely relatable as a person.

    "If Madhav Mishra were an actor, he would have been me from five years ago. He's a jugaadu aadmi (resourceful man) like me. Just like Madhav doesn't get any big cases, I didn't get any proper roles either. He comes across as a wily, street-smart guy who knows how to survive; but when he gets into a case, he's very upright and keeps a clean conscience," he detailed.

    The case that Madhav takes on this time around is his toughest yet, plus he also has to deal with the enigma that his client (Kulhari’s Anu Chandra) is – which makes for a confounding, keep-you-on-the-edge-of-your-seat mystery.

    “The whole series is about ‘kyun kiya’ – the motive behind the crime. What made Anuradha Chandra who she is, that she takes the step to stab her husband, the journey that leads up to that point is very exciting. It’s a story that will leave you rattled. There’s also a diverse array of women characters, each of whom is distinct but there’s something universal about them, that connects them all,” said Kulhari.

    Among these strong female characters is that of an inmate in a women’s prison, played by Shilpa Shukla. “You know they (female criminals) are going to be judged, but the beauty of the entire narrative is that you cannot really judge because there are differing and equally relevant perspectives. It’s humane,” she said.

    The new season puts the lens on women’s prisons in the country – how they’re run, the conditions there, the internal politics at play. Director Arjun Mukerjee stated that owing to security concerns, research and getting on-ground footage of real prisons for reference was quite tough, though production crews eventually managed to speak to wardens and staff and take a few pictures. Then a dabba factory was converted into an “exact replica” of a women’s prison, where they shot several scenes over many days.

    Banerjee shared that the maiden edition of Criminal Justice was his favourite show as a viewer, but more than that, the series has proved to be the best performing drama for Disney+ Hotstar.

    “It was the most viewed drama and it acquired subscribers for us – people who saw the trailer said they wanted to sign up. It did truly, phenomenally well and so we’re hopeful that the series has become a firm fan favourite and we can make more seasons going forwards. And that happened because of the incredible effort put into adapting the story, making it truly Indian and telling it in an entertaining and gripping manner. So, great writing, superb direction, and a fabulous cast who gave really good performances. It’s a great delight to have them (Pankaj Tripathi and Anupriya Goenka) coming back this season,” he said.

    As for whether the show will be back with a third chapter, along with the core characters of Madhav and Nikhat, the showrunners hinted that there’s hope. “A lot will depend on how they handle this case,” quipped Nair. 

  • OTT series’ directors, editors share experiences, learning at Vidnet 2019’s Masterclasses

    OTT series’ directors, editors share experiences, learning at Vidnet 2019’s Masterclasses

    MUMBAI: Indiantelevision.com’s Vidnet 2019, for the first time, conducted Masterclasses for aspiring directors and editors of the OTT space. Masterclasses brought directors and editors of successful series like Ghoul, Gullak, Rangbaaz, Kota Factory, It’s Not That Simple, Criminal Justice and Delhi Crime to share their experiences and learning as creators.

    The initiative is an attempt to help the audience learn from the OTT industry’s best creators on creating successful web series. In the opening remark, Indiatelevision.com founder and CEO Anil Wanvari said, “This is the first time that we have organised Masterclasses and our vision is to create a platform and to build a community for aspiring creators."

    The first Masterclass was held by the makers of Netflix’s Ghoul. Creator, writer and director Patrick Graham shared insights on the process of making Ghoul which was initially written as a film and later converted to three-episode original premium content for Netflix. Graham also revealed that he took six months to write and research on the script of Ghoul and the post-production took three to four months. He said that horror is the most untapped genre in India and the concept of military horror was never attempted. Ghoul editor Nitin Baid briefed the audience on how he started working on the psychological horror-thriller and his experience while working with Graham on the project.

    The next Masterclass was conducted by Sachin Pathak, director of Rangbaaz S-2 who shared his experience on how he started his journey in the industry and how he got the opportunity to direct Rangbaaz S-2 for ZEE5. Pathak said that experience is the best teacher on shooting-related challenges.

    Another interesting Masterclass was on SonyLIV’s Gullak. Amrit Raj Gupta who directed Gullak began his journey in 2013 as an intern in TVF. He also directed TVF Bachelors season one and two. Amit Kulkarni editor of Gullak, Tripling S-2 and TVF Bachelors shared his two pence with the audiences. The duo said that the major challenge while creating content for OTT is to deliver satisfactory shots within a limited time span.

    Kota Factory director Raghav Subbu and editor Gourav Gopal Jha enlightened the audience on their recent success. TVF's Kota Factory premiered on YouTube this year and the show grabbed attention for being the first black and white web series. Subbu revealed that the idea of doing black and white web series hit him two weeks before the shoot and the team was slightly sceptical about it. They shot the show with two cameras- one for black and white series and another for colour series so that they have a backup if the concept didn’t work. They also explained motives behind having excessive aerial shots in the show and creating characters which resonate with the viewers. Subbu said that it is the responsibility of the director to turn the script into live characters on the screen. He said, “I follow the thought which says there is no good or bad film, there is a good or bad director and I come from that school. It’s important that the association with the script and directors works well.”

    At the Masterclass, Danish Aslam who directed It’s Not That Simple for VOOT touched the practical aspect of directing a show for an OTT platform. He explained the differences between shooting a film and a web series. He said, “The storytelling format is a crucial differentiating factor – episodic versus long-form storytelling. India has more daily soaps which stretch beyond 100 episodes. The concept of seasons is completely new in our country.”

    Aslam also explained how to keep the spark alive between episodes. He also gave some examples from his experience in addressing the challenges one faces while working on the limited budget and time constraints on OTT platforms.

    Vishal Furia, director of Criminal Justice and Lapachhapi, a Marathi Film, threw light on the concept and making of Criminal Justice and the research he conducted to bring the actual story from paper to screen. He too commented that the horror genre is not so evolved in India.

    The last and the most interesting Masterclass was taken by Delhi Crime’s writer, director and creator Richie Mehta who informed that he took four years to research on the subject and connected with most of the characters to understand their views. Mehta answered the audience's questions like how much fiction was added to the show, realism of the scene, deciding the point to start and stop the story, and psychological impact while researching and writing for Delhi Crime.