Jackie Shroff, Vikrant Massey, Pankaj Tripathi to star in film based on Criminal Justice

Actors Jackie Shroff, Vikrant Massey, Pankaj Tripathi, Mita Vashisht and Anupriya Goenka have been roped in for the Indian adaptation of Criminal Justice, which will be helmed by Tigmanshu Dhulia.

Aditya Birla Group's Applause Entertainment is making the official Indian version of the British television drama series.

It will be produced by BBC Studios India. The format has been adapted for India by Shridhar Raghavan, known for his work in Khakee (2004) and Chandni Chowk To China (2009).

"After working in films for so many years, when BBC and 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," Shroff said in a statement to IANS, a news agency.

"The day Shridhar narrated the script and my role..., 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 on the edge of the seat waiting for answers you thought you knew," he added.

Criminal Justice follows the life of individuals on a gut wrenching journey through the criminal justice system. It has also been adapted for the US as The Night Of and stars John Turturro and Riz Ahmed.

Dhulia says the story "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," he added.

Director Vishal Furia will also be debuting as series director in the digital space with this show.

Sameer Nair, CEO of Applause Entertainment, said, "We are elated to announce this heady mix of a powerful story and a fabulous team of actors and story-tellers for Criminal Justice... The team is looking forward to creating and providing more such quality content to the digital world."

Myleeta Aga, senior vice president and general manager of South and Southeast Asia at BBC Studios, is confident that the Indian version will be "brilliant with the amazing team of collaborators and actors".

Actor Vikrant Massey is also ecstatic about the project. "I have 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 seeing this character unfold," added the actor, who has featured in Dil Dhadakne Do (2015) and Lootera (2013).