If she had to sum up her character from Guilty Minds in one word, Shriya Pilgaonkar would go with “righteous”. The courtroom drama sees her play an idealistic lawyer Kashaf who believes in fighting for the truth. “It’s difficult to carry on in a world that is cynical about righteous people. Kashaf takes up cases that she is truly passionate about. She comes from a family of lawyers, but has chosen to create her own path,” says the actor.

The Amazon Prime Video offering, helmed by Shefali Bhushan, studies different cases through the lens of two ambitious lawyers, played by Pilgaonkar and Varun Mitra. Where Kashaf is the epitome of virtue, Mitra’s character has shades of grey and places success over pursuit of truth. Pilgaonkar says she turned to her lawyer friends as part of her prep. “It was important to know how lawyers approach their profession, and where their personal opinions lie.  I visited the high court, and realised lawyers are also performers [in their own way]. They bring their own personality to their craft.” Indian courtroom dramas tend to be dramatic. But she credits the director for lending a realistic air to the web series. “This was my first concern when I spoke to Shefali. Every time we did a court scene, I would go back to Shefali to ensure we are not going overboard.”