Based on case files from the Delhi Police, the first season of Netflix web series- Delhi Crime released on March 22 2019, as a dramatic recreation of behind the scenes investigation of the ghastly Nirbhaya gang-rape case (in which a 23-year-old para-medical student was gang-raped and brutally assaulted by six men in Delhi in December 2012). This shook the conscience of the citizens of India. The seven-part web series created, written and directed by Indo- Canadian filmmaker, Richie Mehta covers a six-day period between 16 and 21 December 2012—the horrific incident day to the final arrest day.
Delhi Crime shows how the police officials quickly responded to the incident and nabbed the six culprits in five days. The lead cast of this series are DCP of South District-Vartika Chaturvedi (Shefali Shah), Head of Special Task Force-Bhupinder Singh (Rajesh Tailang), Delhi Police Top officer and Vartika’s husband-Vishal Chaturvedi (Denzel Smith), teenage daughter of Vartika-Chandni (Yashaswini Dayama), Commissioner of Police- Kumar Vijay (Adil Hussain), trainee IPS Officer- Neeti Singh (Rasika Dugal), SHO of Vasant Vihar Police Station-Vinod Tewari (Vinod Sharawat), female victim- Deepika (Abhilasha Singh) and Deepika’s friend- Akash (Sanjay Bishnoi).
Vartika leads the investigation team and displays the characteristics of a true leader. She is the mother of a teenage daughter- Chandni who does not want to stay in Delhi as it’s ‘unsafe’ according to her. Vartika’s trusted aide, Bhupinder is always found supportive and understands that criminal cases cannot be solved through emotion.
As the series proceeds, Vartika forms a dedicated team of police officers picked up from various police stations of Delhi. The team consists of Vimla Bharadwaj (Jaya Bhattacharya), Sudhir Kumar (Gopal Datt Tiwari), Narayan (Chandan Kumar), Subhash Gupta (Sidharth Bhardwaj), and Jairaj (Anurag Arora), who work tirelessly to nab the offenders.
Neeti Singh is given the responsibility to take care of Deepika and her ailing family (mother, father and a brother) and be available for them. She is also called out to attend the protest duty at India Gate. Neeti, in order to become an independent woman, has moved from Chandigarh to Delhi. She becomes emotionally attached with the victim and their family and is even seen weeping behind closed doors of a washroom seeing the critical condition of the victim, Deepika. Neeti’s character showcases the true nature of humanity as she carries out her assigned duty selflessly and even by sacrificing her personal needs.
The other strong woman character, Vimla even after knowing the brutality of the crime committed by the sixth culprit- Sonu, who appears to be minor, does not allow her colleagues to book him in this case as an adult. She carried out her duties according to the book as a juvenile affairs officer. Vimla did not let her emotions overpower her priority and her duty towards the law. Vimla is also lectured by Vartika to improve her English and asked to seek the support of DCP’s daughter, Chandni.
Chandni finds Delhi unlivable, the only way out according to her is to move out of the country and go to Canada for higher studies. Chandni is found joining the protest against Delhi Police and even shown slapping one of her classmates speaking against the corrupt police officials. Chandni is repeatedly assured by her mother that Delhi is becoming safer, but she has her own set of beliefs and instincts.
It is daunting to watch the entire series at one go, as the viewers will be constantly reminded of the horrific incident that happened in 2012 and cannot be washed easily from our collective memories. This is a show worth watching and once you have started you will watch this till the end. The dialogues are often filled with dark humour at times to relieve the intense set of events happening one after another.
When Sudhir Kumar (Gopal Datt Tiwari) is asked by his subordinate, “How can someone do this to another person?” (Questioning the intent behind such a horrifying crime) he replies—“It’s simple. It’s in economics. The bigger the gap between the rich and poor, the more the crimes. You see, the rich have brought more money into society. But it’s not reaching the poor. So they try and take it. The result is more strife in society. It’s normal. It’s happening all over the world. Add to that the explosion of uneducated youth here. They have no sex education but get free porn online which affects their adolescent brains. They don’t know how to interpret it. They objectify women and wish they could have that in their lives. If they don’t get it, they take it, with no regard for the consequences. After all, they have nothing to lose.”
The first episode starts with an introduction which states— “Delhi- India, the Capital City. It has the population of a small country. 11,000 heinous crimes are reported every year. Prevention is nearly impossible with half the police force stuck on traffic duty and VIP protection. The city looks away because it has to. Because it always has. But once something happened, which made it stop. For a moment, the eyes of the entire world turned to Delhi. It was the crime that took the city to the brink.’’
This web series celebrates the valour of the Delhi Police and shows the other side of the story as the viewers are compelled to empathize for them. While the entire world was criticizing them, they faithfully carried out the investigation to nab the accused. The grit and determination exhibited by the leading female characters draw a glimpse of hope of a safer and stronger future. Delhi Crime is more to change the perception of the general public towards the police machinery and I find it positive. Richie Mehta has done a marvelous job with the help of a dynamic team of actors who have justified their roles and connected with the viewers at every scene.
Picture Courtesy: Netflix
The post Netflix’s Delhi Crime: A Realistic Portrayal Of Strong Women Characters appeared first and originally on Youth Ki Awaaz and is a copyright of the same. Please do not republish.