Black Warrant is easily one of the best crime dramas to come out of Netflix India. It is the start of the year, and the streaming giant has done a good job of presenting real-life stories from behind the large walls of Tihar, one of the notorious prisons of our country. The show is based on the book by Sunil Gupta and Sunetra Choudhry. The show has several fictional and non-fictional characters that define the ambience of the infamous prison.
Spoilers Ahead
Sunil Kumar Gupta
Zahan Kapoor portrays the role of the new recruit ASP Sunil Kumar Gupta. He joined Tihar as a jailer out of desperation, because he was looking for a job. The lack of jobs for an educated man like himself affected him, and without realizing the dark hole he was about to fall into, he accepted the job. It was on joining the place of work that Sunil understood the gravity of the situation. It was the lack of emotion that scarred him, and his life changed from that point on. Sunil Kumar Gupta is an empath who wants to see goodness in everyone, including the notorious killer, Charles Sobhraj. It is his superiors and colleagues that make him see and experience the reality and the fragility of the human mind. Even though the criminals seem normal to him, he is astounded by the kinds of crimes the inmates have committed. Sunil Kumar Gupta is a physically puny figure, and everyone underestimates him until he begins to train himself to be ruthless.
Shivraj Singh Mangat
Paramveer Cheema as Shivraj Singh Mangat is another new recruit with Sunil Kumar Gupta, who is more level-headed when it comes to dealing with the inmates in Tihar. He is more realistic and is not shell shocked on learning of the volatile situation of Tihar. Shivaraj Singh Mangat is a Sikh and is disturbed on learning his brother is brainwashed to become a radical. Since the situation in his home is not exactly good, he doesn’t share news of his brother’s decision to join the radical group with his colleagues, fearing retaliation. He is a kind man who is confused between the two worlds he has sworn to be loyal to.Â
Vipin Dahiya
Anurag Thakur as Vipin Dahiya is a revelation. He is a new recruit in Tihar, just like Sunil and Shivraj, and unlike the two, he is a tough man. He gets adjusted to the messy and dark life in the prison and is willing to accept the reality as it is. He is the first one to have a chat with Sunil about how the inmates are in the prison for a reason and they need to see them as criminals. Vipin also has an affair with his boss’ wife for a while until he calls it off since he decides to get married. He comes across as hypocritical and selfish in this situation, as he did not think of the woman who was falling for him. Vipin is the tough, macho jailer who the inmates are afraid of, and he’s proud of the image he has created for himself.
DSP Tomar
Rahul Bhat as DSP Tomar is Sunil, Shivraj, and Vipin’s boss at Tihar. He is the person of contact for everyone at the prison who needs a reality check. DSP Tomar is the man who has seen and experienced the worst as a jailer in Tihar and plans to impart his knowledge to the new recruits. His work in the prison has changed him, and it’s deeply affected his married life. He is a divorcee who wants to be a good father to his daughter. He is addicted to his job, and it is not hard to believe DSP Tomar has indulged in corrupt activities as well. The DSP is a ruthless man himself, and his time in Tihar has taught him not to trust anyone around him, including his colleagues.
Charles Sobhraj
Sidhant Gupta as Charles Sobhraj is in a small role but leaves a deep impact. He is a prized gem of Tihar, and everyone, including the staff and inmates, does not mistreat him. He is given a special cell and wears any kind of clothes as he deems fit. Charles Sobhraj, the notorious serial killer, is in Tihar for killing countless tourists across the South Asia belt, including Goa. In Tihar he is an unofficial boss and has many officers under his thumb, thanks to his blackmailing skills. Charles and Sunil form an unusual friendship. Despite the warnings given to him by his superiors, Sunil begins to trust Charles.
Priya Sidhwani
Saamya Jainn is Priya Sidhwani, who forms a bond with Sunil Kumar over the phone. Priya and Sunil’s meet cute happens over a phone call she accidentally made to Tihar jail, and both began to converse on a daily basis. The two eventually met and fell in love with each other. Sunil is impressed by the fact that she is a lawyer as well. Even though they come from two different backgrounds, they form a bond. Priya and Sunil plan to get married because they sync well, but his work begins to get into his skin, which starts to bother her.
Kavita Soni
Shivani Dubey as Kavita Soni is a young college graduate who is doing her research on Tihar and the prisoners there. She is introduced to Garvit Duggal, one of the prisoners, by Sunil Kumar. Kavita and Garvit strike up a friendship over a period of time as she starts asking him questions about his life in the prison and how others treat him. Kavita is not unperturbed by Garvit’s past, and she chooses to look beyond his crime and treat him like a human first.
Garvit Duggal
Kamal Batra is Garvit Duggal, an educated man who is now locked up in a murder case in Tihar. He is seen as a simple man who is forced to commit a crime that has cost him his entire life. He begins to see some hope in his life when Garvit is assigned to help her with the research on Tihar and his other fellow inmates. Both begin to meet on a frequent basis and fall in love, even though he is aware his case being on trial could mean he could be given death or a life sentence. Garvit let’s Kavita know about this, but she refuses to back away, indicating their love is strong.