Vikramaditya Motwane says Black Warrant does not glamourise Charles Sobhraj, evoke sympathy for killers Billa-Ranga

Vikramaditya Motwane talks about the depiction of killers Charles Sobhraj and Billa-Ranga in his new Netflix series, Black Warrant.

Vikramaditya Motwane's latest web series, Black Warrant, has earned praise from all quarters. Ever since its release on Netflix earlier this month, the show has earned acclaim. However, a few have said they were irked by some 'sympathetic' or glamorous portrayals of brutal killers Charles Sobhraj and Billa-Ranga. In a conversation with HT, Motwane addresses the concerns and explains why the show presents criminals the way it does. (

Sidhant Gupta plays Charles Sobhraj in Black Warrant.

Black Warrant is based on the 2019 non-fiction book Black Warrant: Confessions of a Tihar Jailer by Sunil Gupta and Sunetra Choudhury. It stars Zahan Kapoor as Gupta, as he navigates his early years as a deputy jailer in Tihar Jail in the 80s. During this time, he comes across the enigmatic serial killer Charles Sobhraj (Sidhant Gupta).

Vikramaditya Motwane on Charles Sobhraj

Addressing the larger-than-life portrayal of Sobhraj, Motwane says, "It's always through Sunil's lens. We see it through his eyes. So Charles Sobhraj is a larger-than-life character, it is through Sunil's eyes. When the first time he sees this tall guy, he wonders if he is an officer. So it was Sunil and Tihar who must have felt Charles Sobhraj at that point in time."

The filmmaker, who directed the two episodes that introduced Sobhraj and Billa-Ranga, says, “I don't think it's our job to pass judgement as creators. That's something we leave to the audience, if at all.”

Billa Kush and Ranga (Jasbir Singh and Kulbir Singh) were executed for murdering siblings Geeta and Sanjay Chopra in 1982, a few months after Gupta joined Tihar. The series shows a conflicted Gupta juggling with questions about due process and Ranga's emotional pleas of innocence. Motwane says, "With Ranga-Billa, again, it is Sunil's confusion. At no point in time, we are saying the children weren't murdered. Of course, they were. We are just asking if the due process was followed correctly. Is capital punishment the answer to this? We are just asking questions and not giving you the answers at all."

‘There is no black and white in the show’

The filmmaker says the show does not deal in absolutes of black and white. "If anything, episode 2 is the most grey episode in the bunchbecause there is no black and white there. It's told through Sunil's confusion, who is wondering if there is a 0.1% chance of a slightest doubt about the due process and then if it's the right thing. That's how it is. The story and the character are the lead to everything," says Motwane.

Black Warrant stars Zahan Kapoor, Rahul Bhat, Paramvir Singh Cheema, Anurag Thakur, and Sidhant Gupta. The series is now streaming on Netflix.