‘Delhi Crime 2’ Review: Does Justice To Its Social Themes, But Could’ve Explored It’s Female Characters Better
The crime rate in Delhi is high as we all know. While we all know about the crimes against women that happen in the capital, we don’t speak much about the crimes against senior citizens. Remember the Shefali Shah starrer show Delhi Crime that created a dramatised version of the Nirbhaya case from the perspective of the Delhi police? The 2019 Netflix show not only made headlines but also won the Outstanding Drama Series award at the Emmy Awards 2020. And now the makers of the show have come up with a season 2 of the Emmy-winning show. Starring Shefali Shah, Rasika Dugal and Tillotama Shome in lead roles, Delhi Crime 2 has been directed by Tanuj Chopra. Produced by SK Global Entertainment, Golden Karavan and Film Karavan, created by Richie Mehta, this show also stars Rajesh Tailang, Adil Hussain, Anurag Arora, Sidharth Bhardwaj and Gopal Dutt. Delhi Crime 2 premieres on Netflix on August 26.
The Story Of Delhi Crime 2
Headlined by Shefali Shah as a seasoned police officer DCP Vartika Chaturvedi, Delhi Crime 2 continues to show the Delhi Police’s perspective as they fight crime in the capital. In season 2, Neeti Singh (played by Rasika Dugal) has been promoted as she aids DCP Vartika and her right-hand man Bhupendra Singh (played by Rajesh Tailang) investigate another challenging case as a copycat Kachcha Baniyan Gang threatens Delhi. Amid the rising crime rate and understaffed police, will Vartika and her team be able to apprehend the culprits before another gruesome killing takes place and restore law and order in the city?
For the uninitiated, the Kachcha Baniyan Gang was a gang of robbers that operated in the 90s in India. The gang is infamous for wearing kachcha and baniyan (undergarments) as they robbed homes and moved from one town to another. The gang is known for tying up the family as they robbed them and murdered anyone who resisted. They usually carried weapons like rods, axes, knives and such. They were also known to ransack the homes they robbed and eat food and leave their excrements in the homes. In Delhi Crime, the Kachcha Baniyan Gang has been shown to target senior citizens and kill the owners of the homes they rob in the most brutal manner.
The Cast And Characters
Shefali Shah as DCP Vartika: Shefali Shah continues to impress with her kickass acting skills as she portrays yet another woman in a powerful leadership role. She reprises the role of DCP Vartika in Delhi Crime 2 and continues her streak of successful portrayal yet again. The seasoned actress brings her A acting game to the table.
Rasika Dugal as Neeti Singh: Rasika Dugal’s Neeti Singh has grown a lot since season 1 of Delhi Crime. In this season, her character arc is great as she struggles to deal with her family life and her husband as she fights crime in the capital. She did a great job at portraying the struggles of a female cop as Neeti fails to give time to her husband while trying to earn her family’s respect for her profession.
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Tillotama Shome as Karishma/Lata Solanki: Tillotama Shome is an easter egg. She plays a character with shades of grey yet manages to justify why her character did what she did and give her a humane touch. As much as the viewers hate her character and her actions, her acting will make you empathise with Karishma to a point and understand why crimes happen and the psychology behind them. Despite her limited screen time, the actress has delivered an impactful performance while her character sends chills down your spine.
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Adil Hussain, Anurag Arora, Sidharth Bhardwaj and Gopal Dutt reprise their roles in Delhi Crime 2 and they prove their mettle in acting yet again. The best part is that every character has a life beyond their jobs. And even though the makers don’t show much of their personal lives, it helps the audiences make a connection with the character.
Verdict
I’m giving Delhi Crime 2, 4.5 stars out of 5. It starts off with a brutal murder committed by robbers of the Kachcha Baniyan Gang as it delves further into the case and touches on various other important topics. It is beautiful how the show broaches different subjects and speaks about the discrimination faced by DNT (denotified tribes) community. Despite being a show from the perspective of cops, this show does not show them as perfect. In fact, Delhi Crime 2 shows the imperfections and problems within the system while highlighting the problems faced by women in uniforms. Neeti Singh struggles to manage her family and her career while attempting to earn her family’s support and respect for her profession. Her marital problems are proof that women in uniform don’t have it easy. The series showcases DCP Vartika and her team as they all manoeuvre through complex problems in their personal and professional lives while trying to restore law and order in the capital.
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Much like season 1, Delhi Crime 2 is also carefully pieced together to make it gritty, dark and thrilling. This season is just as riveting as season 1. It showcases the police procedure in all its glory along with the flaws and humane touch. It highlights the problems faced by the understaffed police in the country. It also showcases how overworked and unpaid the cops are in our country. It’s proof that the lives of cops isn’t as simple as we think. The three female actresses headlining the show own it. Each of them has a meaty role and showcases women in uniform and women in the life of crime while keeping the viewers engaged. Despite the change in directors, Tauj Chopra managed to take the reigns from Richie Mehta perfectly as he helms the show in a new direction with female leads. He makes viewers question the psychology of a killer and the violence victims experience. The gruesome killings in the show make it more gory and dark while driving it in the direction of light as the cops attempt to apprehend the criminals. The show also speaks about people and their privilege and the caste and class hierarchy that still prevails in our society.
Having said that, the last 2 episodes seem a little abrupt and fast-paced but manages to maintain the tension and thrill. But at the same time, Tillotama Shome’s character hasn’t been explored well. After being introduced in the end of episode 4 in the 6-episodic series, her character arc could have been better. I wish the makers had dived deeper into her mind and her character and explored it more. More importantly, the ending of the show will have the viewers sitting on the edge of their seats waiting for season 3 of Delhi Crime.
