It’s hard to objectively judge a show that blends fact and fiction, especially when the facts stem from a case as harrowing as the 2012 Delhi rape case.
It would be disingenuous of us to suggest that Delhi Crime is an entirely factual depiction of the true story. Many names were changed, and key details were molded to give the narrative more urgency, making it relatable to local and international audiences alike.
The series makes no qualms about betting on their own horse on the race, telling its story mostly through the eyes of the Delhi police. The story that is told in the course of seven episodes is gripping and harrowing, but even as you are watching the credits, you can’t help but feel that certain grey areas were conveniently brushed over for the benefit of the audience (and perhaps, for the benefits of the Delhi police as well).
Nevertheless, the series structures its episodes around specific developments in the case, as the police races to catch the perpetrators while the victim fights for her life in the hospital. The taut direction and fraught cinematography makes the audience feel a constant state of unease, echoing the collective trauma that most of India felt when the events were unfolding in real time.
Quiet, Focused Rage
DCP Vartika Chaturvedi spearheads the investigation, determined to prove that the police is well equipped to handle such a high profile case. Her resolve is rattled to her core when she learns about the wounds inflicted on the victim, who is named Deepika in this adaptation. During a quiet moment, Vartika shakes with rage, stating that what happened to Deepika was inhumane. Her rage is a good barometer for the sentiment felt by most Indians upon learning about the incident.
Vartika, like all women living in Delhi- and truly across most of the Indian sub continent- knows well the fear and prejudice that women like Deepika contend with on a daily basis. This is a feminist true crime story that’s intimately concerned about its story, while also being willing to discuss the endemic issues that cause such incidents in the first place. At one point, one of the perpetrators, now in jail, is beyond himself with grief, because he can’t bear the thought of his mother knowing what he did to Deepika.
The series does well to humanize both the police force and the city of Delhi itself, showing various individuals, from school students to reporters and ministers, reacting to the investigations in their own ways.
As a significant minority start holding protests, Chandni, Vartika’s daughter, skirts danger as she gets involved with the movement. At one point, she witnesses others trying to engage in vigilante justice near the court steps, and the experience forces her to reevaluate if the general public had also lost its composure due to grief and rage.
Yet, when I watch this gritty retelling of the event, I can’t help but feel that this is merely an authentic narrative fashioned in the Law and Order mold of crime procedural shows. While someone like Philip K Dick or Hunter S Thompson would treat cases like these as further proof of human decay that, perhaps, cannot be reversed, Delhi Crime is firm in its belief that justice will be served. Of course, it has the benefit of hindsight in its side.
Into the Heart of Darkness
Writer/director Richie Mehta tries hard to center the narrative around the countless men and women working to solve the case. There is an unwavering belief that these are, in their heart of hearts, decent men and women who have to battle several obstacles, from logistics issues to actual social divides, as they travel throughout the country in search of the culprits.
There is a point where Delhi policemen journey deep into Naxal territory, where a significant minority of Marxists are in open rebellion against the government. Such details add necessary texture to the narrative, showing us the circumstances surrounding not only this case, but day-to-day life in India in general.
Of course, the series recognizes that not every policeman has goodness in their heart. There are moments where negligence is not only pointed out, but promptly riled against by Vartika and others.
However, such instances are provided as token acknowledgements of a much harsher reality. As a whole, the Delhi police is sanitized to such a degree that you might be wondering if they are as good as the NYPD. (That’s an incendiary discussion for another day.) The show, of course, diligently points out the Delhi police doesn’t get a fraction of the budget that the NYPD does.
While such comparisons sound pleasing to the ear, the fact remains that the US economy is still 7.5 times larger than the Indian economy. If you want to compare apples to oranges, then you should also acknowledge the fact that at the end of the day, you are still selling oranges.
The Rage that Turns Good Men Cruel
One positive thing that Delhi Crime did for me was that it made me realize how angry I am at the world. This anger, contrary to what countless others may tell you, is a very good thing. Focused anger motivates action.
However, we have to be careful that our anger doesn’t misguide us in fruitless directions. Engaging in vigilante justice, for instance, creates more problems than it solves.
The truth remains that countless other Nirbhayas (that is the real name of the victim) are harassed, molested and otherwise abused on a daily basis. When procedural shows are done with a case, they often triumphantly signal that things will be alright, now that the perpetrators have been found and sent to jail. But it’s the ordinary citizens who have to live with the true weight of these issues in a city that has gained infamy as the rape capital of the world.
Ultimately, watching Delhi Crime is depressing more than uplifting. And that’s a good thing. Such crimes should make us sad and angry and frustrated about why they happen in the first place.
Fiction pieces like Delhi Crime can play a pivotal role in creating constructive conversations about such issues, and perhaps, some of those conversations can lead to better collective efforts to address these issues at their roots.
Otherwise, Delhi Crime is simply a Netflix series that’s been made for weekend binging. It can make us shocked and outraged for most of its runtime, but at the end of day, it’s up to us to think on, and to act upon, the issues it raises.
We need to be aware about how certain cultures encourage sexual repression to such a degree that men (and women) develop sexual interests that deviate far from the norm. We need to acknowledge that Indian media itself categorically objectifies and demeans Indian women, casting them only as love interests, or as someone’s mother, sister or daughter.
We need to realize that there is something fundamentally wrong with how we lead our lives in such societies. We need to realize that questioning societies, and perhaps, civilization itself is necessary. Because if we don’t, then, well…who watches the watchmen?