Delhi Crime Review

The seven-part series, expertly shot, takes us back to the crime that we all wish had never taken place.The word ‘heinous’ took on a new meaning after that December 2012 night, when a young woman was mercilessly raped and mutilated on a moving bus, as her male friend cowered in the front, helpless and beaten.

We all know what happened, and how it happened, because we followed the unflagging media reportage, and witnessed (and, in some instances, participated in) the outpouring of grief and anger which swept the Capital. The citizens of Delhi were forced to shake off their customary apathy, and take to the streets. The brutality of the attack shocked everyone.

Delhi Crime is a fictionalized crime drama, based on the painstaking investigation which led to the capture of the six men who attacked the couple.

The show’s narrative, however, merely positions the protests as an annoying inconvenience that the poor policemen have to deal with.All other characters—protesters, families of the culprits, victim’s kin, media, politicians and civil society—spout synthetic dialogues that help them fit perfectly into the narrative of how the Delhi Police fought a brave battle to nab the culprits and earned very little praise for it.

Delhi Crime gets so desperate to give the police a clean chit that the protagonist of the show, DCP Vartika Srivastav, played by Shefali Shah, is shown brusquely telling the male survivor that since a PCR van has no amenities, the delay in the police spotting them and hence, their getting medical help, is somewhat understandable.The investigating team also includes several station heads and sub-inspectors that make up the ensemble, alongside the Commissioner of Police and the Delhi Chief Minister, who have small roles as the season goes on.

On the whole though, Delhi Crime does a commendable job of showcasing the extremes of India's capital city — the worst and the best — from the heinous crimes committed by the six individuals to the police officers working tirelessly to apprehend the suspects, sacrificing their personal lives in the process.