Why Netflix's Delhi Crime Is A Must Watch?

Premiered on Netflix, Delhi Crime is a docudrama web series about the case files of the heinous gang rape of Delhi which shook the nation.

Netflix’s Delhi Crime discloses the cat and mouse chase between the people who committed this vile crime and the police department when media was ready to name-shame them even before they took their first step, politicians circling like sharks thirsty for blood to gain brownie points and their homegrown devil residing under the bed – police departments incompetency.

Richie Mehta’s Delhi Crime makes it known that this is not a cop movie where a cop will break down doors, walk out of a moving car, spew some energetic dialogues and beat up the goons. It humanizes policemen and women as they also give you a bird’s eye view about their life through their conversations. Delhi Crime also doesn’t shy away from showing the insincerity with which some police officials do their job as Vartika Chaturvedi (Shefali Shah), the DCP of South Delhi jurisdiction catches one of her havaldars at a check post high as a kite and at that very place the newly appointed officer Neeti Singh (Rasika Dugal) catches hold of a vehicle smuggling ivory tusks so the makers.

The writers of Delhi Crime take the approach of tell-but-don’t-show to describe the monstrosity of the gang rape as the doctor asks the victim to narrate what happened to her so that her diagnosis could start. In this scene, the makeup team keeps it real and organic with the bruises and wounds emote the feeling of sympathy within you unlike that in movies and serials where the victim has her hair messed up and her clothes torn from several parts to expose her skin (Bollywood’s logic of rape victim representation).

If you ever followed this case you know all the accused were caught but screenplay manages to keep you engaged and root for the police to hunt them down. The screenplay and dialogues always keep reminding you about the vile, inhuman, gut-wrenching (in true sense) act and slowly this conversation sips down in the talks a woman who on one hand has to catch the culprits while on other hand has to make daughter give up the option of studying abroad and apply to college in Delhi itself and this also solves the dilemma of many youngsters who don’t feel safe in India and want to evade their motherland.

This series clearly paints the picture of role and stance of media when it comes to putting out stories. Delhi Crime shows the agenda with which the news channels work and that is to spread negativity as negativity sells quick and easy. At this time the mission was to destroy the credibility of Delhi police and media trying their best to cause unrest among the viewers. News channel only cared about putting the news first and deem it “Exclusive” and “First To Report” instead of a proper detailed and factual report and this questions how much should we rely on news channel when it comes to facts.

One particular scene sends chills through your bones as the perpetrator of the crime remorselessly describe his actions and why he did what he did. The officers in the room react exactly the way you and I would, they throw a fit of rage.

The police official played by Gopal Datt explains how simple economics is responsible for crimes like rape too. The gap between the rich and poor, the population, lack of jobs, the lack of sex education and free availability of porn makes the deprived feel agitated and he tries to snatch it from the privileged. This conversation of a police officer and his driver will hit you hard as this simple economic calculation was not expected from a man who wants to be a teacher and yet is driving to remote to catch criminals.

In Delhi Crime, the DSP is a woman who sympathizes with her subordinates but bashes them for their incompetence, takes a newbie women cop under her wing but takes case of her Station Head Officer, she swears like a man and on the other hand wants to convince about the niceties of the city to her daughter to make her while solving the case of Delhi gang rape.

One will ask how Delhi Crime is different than Crime Patrol and Savdhaan India? Delhi Crime holds the gravitas of the situation and deals it with the seriousness it deserves. It doesn’t compromise on production value and the screenplay is not that would depict it as larger-than-life-cop.