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Pankaj Tripathi In Criminal Justice 4(Photo Credit –Jio Hotstar)

Pankaj Tripathi, aka Madhav Mishra, emerges once again as the beloved small-town attorney in the fourth season of Criminal Justice: A Family Matter. The narrative depicts Madhav Mishra defending Raj Nagpal (played by Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub) in a murder case involving the death of his girlfriend Roshni Saluja (played by Asha Negi).

The storyline leads viewers through a dramatic maze of family secrets, emotional trauma, and dramatic courtroom fights. So far, with five episodes out, viewers are anticipating episode six, which releases on June 19, 2025.

Tripathi’s Fee Takes A Big Leap

Given the series’ immense popularity, Pankaj Tripathi has reportedly increased his fee significantly. According to HerZindagi, the actor, who previously charged ₹4 crores per season, might have taken home around ₹10 crores for Season 4. And honestly, fans aren’t surprised—Madhav Mishra has become one of the most iconic characters in Indian Ott courtroom dramas.

Applause Entertainment’s gripping courtroom drama Criminal Justice Season 4: A Family Matter has made a historic impact, delivering the strongest opening day ever for a Hindi original in the streaming universe with a staggering 8.4 Million Views.

Produced by Applause Entertainment in association with BBC Studios India and directed by Rohan Sippy, the show launched with a three-episode premiere on May 29, followed by a weekly episodic rollout. The series has struck an emotional chord with audiences across the country.

Returning as the beloved Madhav Mishra, Pankaj Tripathi leads a stellar ensemble cast, including Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, Surveen Chawla, Asha Negi, Khushboo Atre, Barkha Singh, Mita Vashisht, and Shweta Basu Prasad.

Sameer Nair, Managing Director of Applause Entertainment, said, “Criminal Justice is the longest-running and one of the most cherished franchises in the Hindi streaming space, built on trust, scale, and consistent storytelling. The record-breaking opening of season 4 is a proud milestone for all of us.

Pankaj Tripathi talks with Subhash K Jha about the joys of playing the canny lawyer Madhav Mishra in Season 4 of Criminal Justice.

Tell me, what kind of relationship has you developed with this Madhav Mishra in Criminal Justice over the years?

I often say that I am the Madhav Mishra of acting because he used to serve affidavits; that is, he was a lawyer in survival mode, and he used to do small jobs for survival. I came from a small cinema where I did one or two scenes.

And see where you are now!

I feel a very strong sense of belonging. The identification is very strong, very, very strong and the history of both of them is connected with Bihar. Do you know, Sir, I also studied at the Patna Law College. I remember Sridhar Raghav had come to narrate Season One to me, so he said, ‘This...

The fourth season of Applause Entertainment’s outstanding courtroom series Criminal Justice, starring Pankaj Tripathi, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, Surveen Chawla, Mita Vashisht, Asha Negi, Shweta Basu Prasad, Khushboo Atre will stream on JioHotstar from May 22, 2025.

Directed by Rohan Sippy, the upcoming chapter is titled A Family Matter and produced by Applause Entertainment in association with BBC Studios. The very popular web series is an Indian adaptation of the successful BBC Studios drama format of the same title.

Since its inception, Criminal Justice has enjoyed a stream of loyal followers and fans. Emerging as the breakout show of 2019, the first installment picked up multiple awards across categories, including drama series, ensemble cast and the crew and more.

Says Sameer Nair, the enterprising CEO of Applause Entertainment, “We are excited to create the next chapter in this successful franchise.”

Under Sameer Nair’s keen guidance, Applause Entertainment has grown from strength to...

Bollywood actress Khushboo Atre, who will be seen in the movie ‘Capsule Gill’ alongside Parineeti Chopra and Akshay Kumar, talks about her love for sports and the role they play when it comes to being fit and healthy.

“As actors, we have long schedules and hectic days at work; and playing a sport is also an extremely effective stress-buster,” says Khushboo.

She has been inclined toward sports since she was in school. She was also the captain of her college’s cricket team.

On the importance of fitness and the role sports play in maintaining it, she says: “Fitness is a crucial component of a healthy lifestyle, as we all know. I view sports as a healthy way of life and believe in staying fit. It is a voyage of self-control, relaxation, and mental peace.”

Khushboo has acted in movies and series like ‘Criminal Justice season 2’, ‘Raazi’, ‘Illegal’, ‘Shamitabh’, and ‘Vodka Diaries’.

Recently,...

Khushboo Atre, ‘Ratna’ of the web series ‘Criminal Justice – Adhura Sach’, is all set to be part of the upcoming film ‘Capsule Gill’ starring Parineeti Chopra and Akshay Kumar.

The actress has been on the cast of movies and series such as ‘Criminal Justice 2’, ‘Raazi’, ‘Illegal’, ‘Shamitabh’ and ‘Vodka Diaries’.

She opens up about her role in her upcoming project, saying: “Due to my work in ‘Criminal Justice’, I have always been known as Ratna, but now I want people to recognise and adore me for every character I portray. My character in ‘Capsule Gill’ is one such role that has been quite different for me from my previous roles. Because this is one of those characters that will represent and challenge me as a new Khushboo.”

The actress is quite excited to share screen space with Akshay and Parineeti. “I can’t say too much about my role, but...

Criminal Justice: Adhura Sach (Disney+Hotstar)

Starring Pankaj Tripathi, Shweta Basu Prasad , Purab Kohli, Swastika Mukherjee

Directed by Rohan Sippy

“Juvenile cases make me uneasy,” confesses cop Gauri Karmakar(Kalyani Mulay) to her senior as they stroll to the scene of the crime where a 12-going-on-10 year old girl has been murdered.

Gauri,if you remember, had marital issues with her husband in the second season. Men in Criminal justice don’t like their women working. Our lawyer-hero Madhav Mishra can barely tolerate his wife’s ambitions as a beautician.

Luckily , Criminal Justice: Adhura Sach doesn’t get into gruesome details of the crime. This is not to say that proceedings are conducted on a superficial level. The astutely conceived story is intriguing: the whole culture of pushing a juvenile star into premature stardom , and not allowing Zara(Deshna Dugad) to grow any older than 10 as that’s the age...

Actress Khushboo Atre, who plays the wife of Pankaj Tripathi’s character Madhav Mishra in the web series ‘Criminal Justice: Adhura Sach’, reveals what it was like to work with her co-star in the third season and her role in it.

She shares: “In the last season, they were newlyweds and now people will get to see what happens after some time of marriage. Pankaj ji is a very simple man. He is very easy and accommodating to work with. Also, the chemistry we have built together on screen comes very naturally. Hence, it looks very effortless on screen as well. He is an academy in himself.”

The actress who worked in ‘Raazi’, ‘Illegal – Justice, Out of Order’ and others, reveals how her character Ratna will evolve in the third season.

“I think honesty is the biggest value while preparing for any character. Ratna is very real and honest so I try to achieve that.

After the runaway success of Criminal Justice last year, Hotstar Specials launched the next chapter in the franchise titled Criminal Justice: Behind Closed Doors. Actor Pankaj Tripathi is reprising his role as one of India’s most loved characters Madhav Mishra, who has returned for what is deemed as the toughest case of his career.

The prime accused Anu Chandra (Kirti Kulhari) has confessed to stabbing her husband, an eminent lawyer - Bikram Chandra and is guilty in the eyes of law. While many believe it to be an open-and-shut case, Anu’s subsequent silence and unwillingness to defend herself begs the question - is there more to the case than what meets the eye?

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The show has received high praise, and the powerful dialogues by Madhav Mishra have caught the attention of the audiences. Here’s a...

Mumbai, Dec 24 (Ians) Actress Kirti Kulhari enjoyed essaying a complex role in the show Criminal Justice: Behind Closed Doors. She says the state of mind of her character, Anu Chandra, had to be reflected with transparency, and the zero make-up look made things easier.

"I enjoyed essaying Anu because she's complex, real and vulnerable. Her state of mind had to be reflected with transparency and the zero make-up look just made sense and it made playing Anu so much easier," Kirti said.

Off camera and on the sets, the actress recalls sharing skincare secrets with co-actors Anupria Goenka and Khushboo Atre.

About her zero make-up look, she said: "The upside of it was that I was the first to be ready before shoot began, and it was very liberating. My co-actors thought that I had flawless skin and asked me what my skin routine was. As I've been passionate about skincare,...

After the runaway success of Criminal Justice last year, Hotstar Specials is set to launch the next chapter in the franchise titled Criminal Justice: Behind Closed Doors. One of India’s most loved characters Madhav Mishra returns for what is deemed as the toughest case of his career.

The prime accused Anu Chandra has confessed to stabbing her husband, an eminent lawyer - Bikram Chandra and is guilty in the eyes of law. While many believe it to be an open-and-shut case, Anu’s subsequent silence and unwillingness to defend herself begs the question - is there more to the case than what meets the eye? With a bold and unexpected narrative, it seeks to find the truth and raises some pressing questions.

Reprising their roles in the show are actors Pankaj Tripathi - who effortlessly brings to life the character of Madhav Mishra, and Anupriya Goenka as Nikhat Hussain...