Delhi Crime S3 Review: Shefali Shah, Huma Qureshi Are Flawless In A Comparatively Less Thrilling Season!

On November 13, 2025, 3:43 PM

I was highly anticipating the new season of Delhi Crime starring Shefali Shah as DIG Vartika Chaudhary. For the unversed, this was the first Indian show to win at the Emmy Awards. The third season is finally here, and directed by Tanuj Chopra, Delhi Crime S3 revolves around human trafficking. The OG cast of Rasika Dugal, Rajesh Tailang, and Jaya Bhattacharya also returns. Huma Qureshi and Sayani Gupta are the new additions to the cast. The new season has its subtle wow moments but also falters on many levels. Read on to know more.

Plot

Delhi Crime 3 revolves around the human trafficking nexus that spans across cities: Rohtak, Surat, Mumbai, and Delhi. Shefali Shah returns as DIG Vartika to crack the complex case. Huma Qureshi as Badi Didi is the mastermind in this season, but the Delhi Police go through several layers to reach her.

DIG Vartika Chaturvedi is posted in North-East and the investigation begins when she unexpectedly discovers a truck loaded with young girls attempting to cross the state borders. Vartika is determined to go behind the case and save other young girls who are pushed into illegal business of s*x trafficking, or are married to older men in exchange for money, and other inhumane crimes. Many cases run parallel to the core plot, and in the end, they are also stitched together, which leads the police to Badi Didi. The show is spread across 6 episodes.

Performances

Shefali Shah as DIG Vartika Chaturvedi AKA Madam Sir is flawless. She is raw and in this season, gets to show the character’s more gentle and sensitive side. In some moments, Shefali Shah’s eyes speak a lot than dialogues could ever.

Huma Qureshi as the cruel and heartless Badi Didi gives us some chilling moments on the show. She has perfectly captured the Haryanvi accent throughout. There is a dual nature to Badi Didi’s character, which makes her swing from being a sweet talker to a brutal kingpin of the nexus, and Huma Qureshi lifts this up with her nuanced acting.

Rasika Dugal, Rajesh Tailang and Jaya Bhattacharya deliver balanced performances. Jaya Bhattacharya as SI Vimla is so organic in some scenes that I could actually feel the character’s frustration and anger while dealing with such a demonic crime involving young girls. Sayani Gupta is also decent as Kamla, the right hand of Badi Didi. We see the actor in a very different light and its refreshing.

Also Read: Maharani Season 4 Pilot Review: Huma Qureshi Stands Strong Against Vipin Sharma In A Power-Packed Start!

Screenplay

Delhi Crime S3 attempts to tell the story around human trafficking from a humane level, which also exposes the truth behind such cases and how they emotionally affect the police officers. While there are some hard-hitting emotional moments in the series, Delhi Crime S3 seems to be lacking depth from the story POV. The convenience with which some plot developments happened, left me with several questions, also creating some evident loopholes in the story. The complexities and brutalities of such crimes are not explored to the best of their capacity, and the story is more focused on untangling the knots, sometimes rather unconvincingly. The cat and mouse chase between Vartika and Badi Didi deserved a more polished and gritty writing.

Delhi Crime S3 is comparatively less intense than the previous ones, and its mostly because of the plot. Yes, the show does put an attempt to make us think about all those girls whose lives are destroyed because of this crime. This comes across efficiently in the silence, where the police officers step back to just watch a mother reunite with her little children, or in moments where the characters constantly remind us of the helplessness in such crimes.

Also Read: Baramulla Review: Manav Kaul’s Supernatural Thriller Is Visually Daring But Needed A Stronger Narrative!

Verdict

Delhi Crime season 3 starring Shefali Shah and Huma Qureshi works mostly because it treats this story with sensitivity and tenderness. Rather than focusing on the complexities of human trafficking and the levels on which it’s spread across the country and borders, this season tones down to shed more light on how lives are affected due to this crime, including that of police officers. A more depth to the story and structuring would have made the season more engaging and intense. We have loved the cast’s performance and even in this season, they have delivered flawlessly, including the new ones. The recall value of this show, especially the characters is so high that one would seamlessly binge-watch this series!

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Pragya Dubey: Pragya Dubey is an introvert who prefers expressing herself through words. She believes in logical arguments and watches thrillers to escape the mundane realities of life!