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.