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Delhi Crime: Season 2 Review: Shefali Shah’s show makes a strong statement on class divide but lacks pace
Planning to watch Delhi Crime 2 this weekend? Read Pinkvilla’s review of this Shefali Shah, Rajesh Tailang, Rasika Dugal and Tillotama Shome starrer.
Name: Delhi Crime: Season 2
Director: Tanuj Chopra
Cast: Shefali Shah, Rajesh Tailang, Rasika Dugal, Tillotama Shome
Writers: Mayank Tewari, Shubra Swarup, Vidit Tripathi and Enzia Mirza
Release: Netflix
Rating: 3 / 5
Delhi Crime: Season 2 Review
Cinema is a reflection of our society, and I love projects that are able to showcase those realities in their content. Director Tanuj Chopra’s Delhi Crime: Season 2 is one such show. While topics like caste divide, exploitation of the minorities, rampant corruption and unfortunate media trials are the basis of the narrative in season 2, this Shefali Shah fronted show subtly also comments on greed, ambition, patriarchy, sexism, challenges of the police force, and on the refreshing perspectives of the youth. They are also neatly arranged in the story for the audience to grasp on.
Delhi Crime 2 features Shefali Shah, Rajesh Tailang, Rasika Dugal, Tillotama Shome, Adil Hussain, Sidharth Bhardwaj, Gopal Datt, Anurag Arora, and Denzil Smith. It revolves around DCP Vartika Chaturvedi (played by Shefali Shah) and her team’s efforts to solve the mystery around the heinous crimes that’s happening with the privileged senior citizens of the city. While one would expect crime dramas to maintain a certain pace in the narrative for an edge of the seat experience, this one takes a while to speed up.
I suppose that is because the intention of the makers was not really to solve the crime quickly, but to use the story to share important messages and point of views along the way. Though Delhi Crime: Season 2 does pick up pace after the second episode, and keeps you hooked to the screen till the end. While season one was more about the case, maybe because of the emotions and the information attached to it, the second season makes way for getting to know the primary characters even more closely with their personal struggles, vulnerability and interpersonal relationships.
Kudos to writers Mayank Tewari, Shubhra Swarup, Vidit Tripathi and Ensia Mirza for achieving so many standpoints in this five episode series. However, what I loved the most about Delhi Crime 2 are its dialogues penned by Sanyuktha Chawla Shaikh and Virat Basoya. Lines like, “Afterall we can't police the lifestyle of the wealthy, nor the aspiration of the less privileged”, “Tum agar uthe nahin, toh jurm badhta jayega. Jurm karne wala seena zor banta jayega”, or “Courage comes at a price” not only makes you get up and take notice, but also think and question.
DOP David Bolen’s lens manages to capture every emotion to the T, and that combining with Shefali Shah’s acting prowess particularly makes her close-up shots a visual treat. Ceiri Torjussen’s music is effective. Production design by Aakash Gautam stays true to the milieu, and Mukesh Chhabra’s casting is on point.
As for the performances in Delhi Crime 2, Shefali Shah gives a very controlled performance as DCP Vartika Chaturvedi, and has effortlessly portrayed the character’s vulnerability onscreen. Rasika Dugal has a very layered character, and her performance leaves an impact. Adil Hussain’s pauses have expressions too, while Tillotama Shome is the surprise element of the show. There is probably nothing that she can’t portray on screen. Rest of the cast has lent an able support to the story.
Delhi Crime: Season 2 could have added a few more high points, especially in the initial phase of the season. However, overall it does impact and impress.
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