All is well in the world of crime. ‘Madame Sirji’ is still in charge of the investigation. Three seasons later, Shefali Shah as DCP Vartika Chaturvedi is a powerhouse of understated fury. Every time she is confronted by inhuman brutality, Vartika’s shock is transmitted to us effortlessly, fluently.
This time, she is assigned to nab a dodgy flesh trader whom everyone calls ‘Badi Didi’. She is played by the constantly intriguing Huma Qureshi. As the hardboiled villain, Qureshi would have been more impactful if only the writing had allowed her to let go.
But there is restraint in Ms Qureshi’s diabolism. Even when she is selling minor girls as a commodity, she likes to think of herself as a dignified entrepreneur.
There is so much performing talent pouring itself into the plot, making it possibly the best season yet. Delhi Crime’s Season 3 is insanely engaging, so much so that at times I felt guilty watching it: misery of this magnitude shouldn’t be so enormously entertaining…or is that element of involvement not mandatory to suck us in?
I remember Deepa Mehta telling me about her film Anatomy of Violence on the Nirbhaya rapists, that she purposely avoided making it entertaining. She wanted it raw and hurtful.
Delhi Crime began its extraordinary journey with the Nirbhaya case: that too was raw and hurtful, but also very engrossing. In Season 3, director Tanuj Chopra and his writers move in unforeseen ways. We know exactly where this crime-bust is going. But we have no clue how the narrative is getting there.
The location shifts and the cast of extraordinary actors keep the storytelling on its toes. There is a constant flux of new incidents, not imposed on the plot to enhance the viewability, but because…well, life is like that. It throws googlies at the characters, giving them and us, the viewers, no time to catch our breath.
The interweavement of the personal lives is sagaciously minimised. We already know Vartika’s tolerant husband and growing daughter are resigned to seeing the woman of the house give her all to her profession.
Coincidentally, two of my favourite moments in Season 3 both feature the gifted Rasika Duggal: in one, her husband Devinder (Aakash Dahiya) drops in to say his final goodbye (or, is it?). In the other, Duggal and Yukti Thareja bond cop-to-cop woman-to-woman over chole bhatura…how skilfully the scene has been written, never exceeding the limits that the series imposes on its volume of emotional velocity.
Yukti Thareja, as a dedicated Haryanvi cop, is quite a find. So is Aditi Subedi, as a woman claiming to be a battered baby’s mother. But my favourite character and performance is Mita Vashisht’s Kalyani, a brassy uncouth pimp, Mita has limited screen time. But she kills it especially in that moment when she asks Inspector Bhupendra (Rajesh Tailang) if he is not jealous of his boss Vartika.
There is a surfeit of activity in every episode. But the narration never feels over-burdened. This is probably the best drama series you will see this year. Watch it carefully and then go back to it. Once is just not enough.
Also Read: Delhi Crime Season 3: OTT release date, cast, plot and all about Shefali Shah’s series
