“Eleven thousand heinous crimes are reported every year in Delhi. Prevention is nearly impossible since half the police force are stuck on traffic duty… The city looks away because it has to. Because it always has. But once, something happened which made it stop. The eyes of the entire world turned to Delhi.” So says the voice-over of the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) who introduces this dramatization of an actual case in 2012.
DELHI CRIME (Indian, Netflix) ♦♦♦♦½
Brace yourselves. “Delhi Crime” is uncomfortable viewing. In this seven episode series, police try to solve the crime of a 23 year-old woman found naked, savagely beaten, almost dead, lying in a ditch beside a road. Her male friend, also bloodied, is with her. Canadian director Richie Mehta tells the story from the point of view of DCP Vartika Chaturvedi, a female police officer who relentlessly seeks justice for the victim. Spoiler alert: against all odds police apprehend the six guilty men. En route to the resolution, we learn about India in surprisingly — given the subject matter — positive ways. That’s one reason we can stomach this potentially indigestible show.
Fortunately, we do not see the men rape and brutalize the young woman. The aftermath conveys the horror. Turns out the men intended to steal from the couple, but the ringleader took offence at their public display of affection. He objected to them insulting traditional propriety. Petty theft led to gang rape and assault. DCP Chaturvedi and her team go to work, non stop, for days on end, pursuing leads into over-populated slums and towns. They conduct the investigation under challenging circumstances, their crime-solving techniques unsophisticated. But their dedication is inspiring.
Mehta recognizes the need to engage the audience in the show. He develops the buddy-cop formula with DCP Chaturvedi and her assistant, Inspector Bhupendra Singh. Adds a subplot involving Varika’s daughter, who wants to escape Delhi to attend university in Toronto. Crowds gather in the name of justice, or do they want revenge? As public outrage mounts, DCP Chaturvedi and Commissioner Kumar Vijay must defend the police against rumours of misconduct. Mehta also includes the element of suspense; once suspects are identified, will arrests go awry? We learn the culprits worry more about shaming their mothers than going to prison.
Despite this story investigating the dark side of Delhi, Inspector Singh assures his superior — and us — that 99% of people are decent. A feeling of hope prevails. •
P.S. Glen also gives “Delhi Crime” ♦♦♦♦½, saying it’s important to know this case resulted in an amendment to the Criminal Law Act that redefined rape and made punishments more stringent.
P.P.S. The “best on-screen buddy-cop team seen yet in India” will return for a second season with a different crime story. We’ll tune in.
J Grant McPhail says
Thank you. Another one goes on our Netflix list.
Rick M. says
Linda and I watched Delhi Crime earlier in 2020. It is on our list of recommendable films. Your comments, as usual, are spot on. We had forgotten about this great series until you reviewed it.
I go on to recommend the 2 East Indian films, BAAHUBALI 1 & 2. I suggest you check Wikipedia in determining whether these are the type of films for you. If you like your films big, loud and if you decide to give these 2 films a go, just sit back and enjoy the ride.
Pam McPhail says
Glad you added a viewing recommendation, Rick. We don’t have a long list of shows to watch so will think about these films.
Linda W says
I remember this event happening in 2012. Absolutely horrible! I look forward to watching this series Pam. Thanks. I hope you, Glen and my little girl are doing well.
Pam McPhail says
Having visited India, Linda, you will appreciate the show’s exploration of Delhi, the slums and towns, the markets and transportation, and the people mainly good. It is odd to associate “hope” with the grisly crime, but Richie Mehta manages to, as do the wonderful Indian actors.
Patricia Britton says
Well written review Pam. I also remember this event. It coloured my desire to visit India, to be honest. It’s not that I worry about my personal safety necessarily but it concerns me that a country can allow this type of thing to happen. Watching the series might temper that view. I find that for me it can be difficult to watch films that contain such horror. Sometimes I wonder if the de-sensitization that occurs is a good thing. Yet, for me it’s necessary in order to continue watching.
Pam McPhail says
Thanks for adding your candid comments, Pat. May I say the director doesn’t really downplay or de-sensitize us to the horror, even though the rape occurs off screen. By focussing on the investigation, Mehta allows the actions of the police and others to display virtues such as loyalty, respect, persistence and compassion. Sometimes I think poverty might impoverish the soul, and India comes to mind, yet many movies and books suggest otherwise. As a realistic example, Rohinton Mistry puts an unnamed city in India under the microscope in “A Fine Balance”; the novel examines extreme poverty, social outcasts and caste, violence, cruelty, corruption, but concludes, like Delhi Crime, with a feeling of hope. Ah. The triumph of the human spirit.
Glen Wickens says
Delhi Crime makes for good watching during a pandemic. There is a sense of “we are all in this together” and only team work and sacrifice will make things better.
Marilyn RB says
Thank you for this review. I’m a fan of mystery/thriller/suspense genres but I have to admit that this event and events like it are difficult and next to impossible to watch. Perhaps it is the realism that intrudes and effectively destroys the experience of imaginative possibility. I have not travelled to India but am drawn by the vibrant colours, sounds, experience, and images of the character and place depicted in the films,”The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel”, “Slumdog Millionaire” or the series,“The Good Karma Hospital” for examples. Extreme poverty, women’s limited rights and freedoms, a cruel caste system, and religious intolerance would make me an insecure visitor and a reluctant viewer of this series. I have similar qualms and misgivings about travel to our southern neighbour and maybe I just have to get over myself in support of others. The question is whether I want entertainment or a more thoughtful viewing experience.
Pam McPhail says
Marilyn, We should follow our moods when choosing what shows to view — or countries to visit on and off screen. Feeling calm and secure before turning on a disturbing series such as “Delhi Crime” might be a good prerequisite. I confess I will not travel to India. At this stage becoming acquainted, superficially, with this country through movies, TV series and books satisfies me. “The Lunch Box”, for example, offers a delightful glimpse into life in Mumbai.
You mention the limited rights and freedoms for women in India, and it seems women are mistreated and underprivileged. Yet Indira Gandhi became the second woman Prime Minister in the world when she was elected to office in 1966. And served for 11 years. (Sirimavo Bandaranaike was the first; elected head of Sri Lanka’s government in 1960, she retired from office at the age of 84 in 2000.) A country of contradictions?
Thanks for giving us additional “food for thought” with your comments.