[ad_1]
Delhi Crime S3 Review
Cast: Shefali Shah, Huma Qureshi, Rasika Dugal, Rajesh Tailang, Sayani Gupta, Mita Vashishth
Director: Tanuj Chopra
Rating: ★★★.5
It would be a crime to call Delhi crime formulaic. This is one of the best web shows to come out of India, if not the best. In the last few years, Delhi Crime – and its heroine Vartika Chaturvedi – have become the hallmark of quality thrillers. The third season, which finally takes Vartika out of her comfort zone, sees the audience traveling to several locations outside the national capital. For the first time, it also creates a villain big enough to challenge our hero. And yet, it does all this without promoting crime. It falls victim to formula somewhat, yet manages to bring in enough ingredients to hold its own in the water.
Base
Vartika Chaturvedi (Shefali Shah) is now a DIG, he has been sent to Manipur from Delhi. Yet, a case of missing girls brings him back to the capital, and joins him on his former team. But his enemy Meena (a dangerous Huma Qureshi) is clever. He has a network of wrongdoers (each artist better than the last). And Vartika and her team now have to defeat this spider if they have any chance of dismantling his network and saving the lives of 30 girls.
This time Delhi crime is being seen very less in Delhi. The action often shifts from Manipur to Haryana and from Mumbai to Gujarat. Yet, it has retained its core identity, its Delhi-ness. It is still about our police team in Delhi, about a crime that has its roots in Delhi, and there is a lot of politics involved. The geography changes, but the spirit remains intact and the writers deserve huge credit for that.
Spread over 6 episodes, Delhi Crime deviates from its usual story and introduces us to the bad guys and their back stories right from the start. This is a big gamble. For the first time the spectators are ahead of the police. You risk making your police appear stupid or incompetent to your audience. Delhi Crime passed that test. It makes others fail. In pitting Vartika and Meena against each other, it follows the trope that has become all too common in Indian OTT – the face-off.
Face to face is not boring. But you can feel it from a mile away. You can also see the build-up and breadcrumbs for this. This is where Delhi Crime finally starts to feel like many of the other shows that have popularized Indian streaming. This has never happened before today. It’s only the entertaining narrative and skillful direction that manages to prevent it from falling into the abyss of predictable formula.
Shefali Shah vs Huma Qureshi
Shefali Shah is once again in great form. To call him one of the finest actors of his generation would be selling him short. There are very few people who can be a character like him, suspending disbelief so easily and effortlessly. Still, the show falters a bit in its characterization. Vartika means our moral guide, our attitude towards humanity in this miserable world. This is the reason why she never looks sad. But when she – a seasoned policewoman – is shocked by a horrifying sight every time, it strains belief. Shefali still manages to pull off that vulnerability brilliantly. But it still ranks.
On the other end of the spectrum is Huma Qureshi in what is arguably the best performance of her career. You take one look at her aura as Meena and wonder why no one chose her as the bad guy (sorry, girl). She is above everyone and yet blends in with the crowd. The ease with which she goes from charming to cruel is scary and charming at the same time.
The scene-stealer for me, apart from the two leads, was Meeta Vashishtha. As broker Kalyani, she brings unprecedented humanity to a bad part, which is what makes it so relatable and disgusting at the same time. And the veteran actor leaves no stone unturned in mixing humor, drama and horror into one beautiful cocktail. Rasika Duggal leaves her mark as always. His track allows him to grow both as an actor and in his character. And she plays every beat very well. It seems that Rajesh Tailang was born to play this role, he never took a wrong step. Sayani Gupta was a welcome contribution to the cast. Her beautiful play with malice and official evil is delicious to watch.
Delhi Crime S3 is a great show. Does it hold up to its esteemed predecessors? Yes and no! Yes, because it retains the soul of the show, and brings back some of the best acting on Indian OTT today. No, because it’s finally letting the formula in, something we were hoping it would at least stay away from.
[ad_2]
