Nirbhaya-Inspired Netflix Series: Do We Really Need It?

There is something that clinges people to crime. Crime as a genre is not new to us. People have been consuming it as entertainment since long. Fictional to “based on true events”, different kind of stories have been sent across to the public through various mediums. Netflix is one such medium of entertainment and all its shows are trending like crazy these days!

Recently, Netflix announced a series called Delhi Crime which will be streaming March 22, 2019. This series is being directed by Richie Mehta. This seven-part series is based on the 2012 Delhi gang-rape incident and it will also premiere at the Sundance Film Festival today. The movie will focus on the team of Delhi police officers who investigated the case and brought in all the accused. Mehta put in about 6 years of research for this project and the series has been shot at real locations in Delhi. The show will star Shefali Shah, Adil Hussain, Denzil Smith, Rasika Dugal, Rajesh Tailang among others.

What Went Into The Making?

The horrifying incident of 2012 where a 23-year-old girl, Jyoti Singh got violently raped on a moving bus still gives me chills. The physiotherapy student died after she was brutally raped and this incident caused global outrage. The accused in the case - Ram Singh, Mukesh Singh, Vinay Gupta, Pawan Gupta, Akshay Thakur, were given a death sentence by a trial court in the 2013 and later two years back, the Supreme Court upheld the sentence.

We wonder what all went into the making of this series that revolves around such a sensitive incident. “The making of Delhi Crime has been a personally transformative journey; speaking to every individual involved, retracing the paths that the police took during the course of the investigation, and hearing about the determination that it took for the case to be closed, despite severe limitations.” “I hope that we’ve been able to provide context, catharsis and open once again a difficult conversation that must be had about the forces that enabled this brutality,” said Richie Mehta, the director of the series.

Shefali Shah, who is playing DCP Vartika Chaturvedi in the series, shared, “To play a real-life character the responsibility is far more because it’s not just based on your imagination or a fictional story. The incident was so traumatic even when we look back; it had to be dealt with utmost sensitivity” Shah explained. “This was not an ordinary cop; she along with her team was constantly at the station and hunted the rapists in 72 hours. For every cop there is one case which becomes personal, this particular case was personal for [Vartika]”.

The actress also shared, “Richie Mehta had facts, years of research, honesty, sensitivity and the passion to lead us. And yet he didn’t want to lead me, he wanted me to collaborate with him on this. Creating Vartika along with Richie has been an enriching experience. The process was very consuming and gratifying and I couldn’t have done it alone.”

Simran Sethi, director of International Originals, Netflix, shared, “Delhi Crime is an important story told with sensitivity and responsibility, and we are honoured to help bring this series to Indian and global members. It is honest and emotional and powerful. Shows like this bring a much-needed lens to the lived reality of women around the world. Watching this series is an affecting experience, and we are sure it will be as meaningful an experience for Netflix audiences as it was for us.”

Do We Need Such Stories?

Now this is one question that is stuck in my head! Through the years, we have seen a number of Bollywood movies based on rape cases, Maatr, Mom, Bhoomi, Damini, Kaabil being some of them. But why are filmmakers making such movies? Do they just want people to empathise with it? Are they sending out a message to the rapists or sending across a piece of information to the audience?

Do we really need these stories based on true events? Does anything changes after people watching them? Not that we haven’t witnessed any rapes in this country after the 2012 rape case happened. Women of the country are still fighting for safety and more stringent laws but do we all see it implementing? Years after Nirbhaya’s (name by which Jyoti came to be known) rape and death, women still feel it is not safe to step out alone on to the streets at night. According to a report, 92 women are raped in India everyday and out of which, 4 are from Delhi. Don't Miss No! Your Clothes Do Not Define Consent For Physical Relationship!

Coming back to the Delhi Crime Series, there is a lot that goes into a movie inspired by a true story. It just can’t be made to entertain someone or having someone intrigued. When you mix a true crime with entertainment, you can miss out on being sensitive. There are people attached to that crime, they can be anyone, someone like us. As long as filmmakers are handling it with sensitivity, not using it just for cinema or their personal benefits, it is fine.

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