When shocking, inhumane cases, such as the Delhi gang rape (2012) or Baby Falak (2012), hit the headlines, Indians are reminded of the rotten underbelly in the capital that grows more heinous and brutal with every passing second. Though every city in India can be divided into two worlds, one that is accessible to the privileged and the other that holds only pain and squalor. The critically acclaimed and Emmy Award-winning Netflix show Delhi Crime has always dug deeper into the psychology of the criminals; the show’s focus has never been just about the police investigation but understanding the reason behind the offender’s ruthless actions. In season 3, the series looks into a case that exposed the extent of India’s human trafficking and prostitution rings. Every season is based on a true story, and that makes the whole experience of watching the series all the more unsettling.
Delhi Crime is of course not the first series to delve into the operations of the underworld, but its nuanced, grounded-in-reality portrayal of police investigation is what caught the eyes of the audience from the very first season. The protagonist, DIG Vartika Chaturvedi’s compassion and determination, is what truly drives the show. When her senior refused to back her after she announced she would be flying to Delhi to get a better understanding of the workings of the human trafficking network she’d only scratched the surface of, she kept her calm. Vartika simply handed him a document stating that he’d denied her the opportunity to investigate the case and asked him to sign it. The next day, she began her investigation in Delhi. The show establishes from the very first episode in season 3 that our protagonist doesn’t believe in delivering long, emotional monologues; she only cares about getting the job done.
Season 3 of Delhi Crime examines how the patriarchal mindset is responsible for the trafficking of underage girls. In a nation where the birth of a girl child is still considered inauspicious, and female infanticide continues to be a regular practice, there is a demand for young girls who can conceive. A large number of the girls trafficked are married off, and they are raped and tortured until they give birth to a male heir. Manish Jha’s dystopian tragedy “Matrubhoomi: A Nation Without Women” reflected on this strange contrast and imagined a dystopian future with extreme gender imbalance due to the impact of female foeticide and female infanticide. Delhi Crime season 3 is loosely based on the tragic death of two-year-old Falak, who was admitted to the AIIMS trauma center with bruises and bite marks. The 2012 case had garnered nationwide attention, and the more the Delhi Police tried to map the child’s past, the more horrific details surfaced. It was deduced that the little girl was a victim of the human trafficking and prostitution rings operating in India. Although the show relies on fictional elements to deliver an engaging season, most of the details mentioned about ‘Baby Noor’ are based on the true story.
In this season, the little details stood out to me. The slight change of expression on Neeti Singh’s face when she was handed baby Noor’s anklet signaled a monumental shift within her. Neeti’s sneering glance when a perpetrator stated that their passcode was ‘4321’ was just the right amount of humor to help ease a high-stakes scene. Another humorous moment was when an investigator handed the tech expert at the police station a broken phone and requested him to do his ‘magic.’ The pained expression on his face when he discovered that the phone’s display was completely broken was priceless. And of course, the shot where a young girl from a remote village saluted Neeti, immediately reminding her of her purpose and also the sheer faith and trust that people have in law enforcers.
The struggle to find a balance between professional and personal life has been integral to the characters of Delhi Crime, and this season the challenge is further explored. It was intriguing to watch Neeti Singh, who had recently divorced her husband, advise ASI Simran Masih, a young enthusiastic police officer, to always be present when she was with her man, a moment that subtly revealed her pain and quiet regret. Vartika always felt the need to be out in the field, and she just couldn’t explain to her husband, Vishal, how impossible it was for her to detach herself from the cases she investigated. It wasn’t ever just another case for her; she was deeply passionate, and she feared that if she failed to show up, the young girls would never be rescued. Although the show has previously explored the contradictions and challenges of being a female police officer, this season stands out for Inspector Bhupendra Singh’s (Rajesh Tailang) unwavering support and reliable presence for the women on the force. The men working with Vartika didn’t envy her; rather, they were in awe of her determination, and it explains the delight on her face when she returned to Delhi to the endearing work family she’d left behind.
In season 2, Tillotama Shome garnered accolades for her brilliant portrayal of the main antagonist, Karishma, and this season, Huma Qureshi’s ‘Badi Didi’ poses the main threat that Vartika and her team must confront. Meena, aka ‘Badi Didi,’ hails from Rohtak, Haryana, and is the mastermind behind a human trafficking and prostitution racket that operates around Northeast India, Delhi, and Haryana. The character almost felt like a caricature of the usual gangsters from Haryana that we’ve seen in Hindi films and is therefore not compelling enough to make the character feel believable. The over-the-top reactions and the very filmy banter made it seem like ‘Badi Didi’ had watched too many Bollywood films and picked up a few lines of dialogue and behavioral traits. Unfortunately, there are no praises to sing about the antagonist this time. I so wished the character had more to offer than the usual cliche that on-screen villains have in abundance. Sayani Gupta’s Kusum, Meena’s right-hand associate, has the over-the-top streak, but there is a certain duality to her character that keeps the interest going.
At this point, Delhi Crime is navigating a challenging phase—a desperation to stay authentic but also keep from being repetitive. The third season is not as impactful as its predecessors, but it continues to be a gripping watch. The narrative framework was brilliant, the plot was intriguing albeit overdone (but then again, these stories need to be told over and over again to remind the audience that nothing much has changed), and the based-on-a-true-story angle piqued interest. Shefali Shah (Vartika Chaturvedi) and Rasika Duggal (Neeti Singh) continue to deliver stellar performances. By now, they’ve so fully embodied the characters that it is hard to distinguish the actors from the roles they play. The supporting cast too has done an outstanding job. Visually, the show continues to keep it real—the dark circles, the wrinkles, and the creases are not hidden under a thick layer of makeup; they are captured in close-ups.
