It has been a mixed time for actress Shefali Shah. She has come in good praise for all her recent works, many of which have been direct-on-OTT releases like Darlings and Jalsa, and web series like Humans. But the films and the series have not had the kind of impact that she seems to have had.
But Delhi Crime Season 2, which will stream on Netflix from August 26, can change it all that. For, she is in familiar shoes. Or to be precise, she is in familiar robes. That of DCP Vartika Chaturvedi, a role that shot her to new heights of popularity in Delhi Crime Season 1. The first season of the show, written and directed by Richie Mehta, was based on the Delhi police’s investigation of the 2012 Delhi gang rape. It had premiered at Sundance, where it was bought by Netflix. The police-procedural thriller, which released in 2019, won the International Emmy Award for Best Drama Series - the first Indian series to get the honour.
In a sense, both Netflix and Shefali Shah are lookling for an encore with Delhi Crime Season 2. "I love every character I’ve played but DCP Vartika Chaturvedi will always be super special. And I’m so proud of the role and Delhi Crime as a show. It’s my favourite. And so is she. As an actor, it's fulfilling to portray roles like these," she has been quoted as saying.
Delhi Crime Season 2 - Story & Premise
In the second season, the police investigation is on the series of murders of senior citizens. The under-staffed police team is at its wit's end to crack the case. However DCP Vartika Chaturvedi but called as ‘Madam Sir,’ steps up with some inspired work that keeps the morale of the force up to solve the heinous crime . Madam Sir is both tough and empathetic, qualities much-needed to stay afloat in the Indian police system.
Created by Richie Mehta and produced by SK Global Entertainment, Golden Karavan and Film Karavan, Delhi Crime Season 2, like the first season, is also inspired by true events and is directed by showrunner Tanuj Chopra.
The gang, which created so much notoriety in the national capital, was known to commit robberies and murders at night. Posing as local magicians, the gang members would travel around the city in the morning and identify the places to target. They would wear only underwear and vest, and oiled their bodies while committing the crime. They generally targeted isolated houses and habitation on the outskirts of towns and villages. They attacked the male members of the house the head with wooden stick or stones, so that there was no resistance from the women folk.
Vulnerable side of the cops
Aside from Shefali Shah, the series also stars Rasika Dugal, Rajesh Tailang, Adil Hussain, Anurag Arora, Yashaswini Dayama, Sidharth Bhardwaj, Gopal Dutt, Denzil Smith, Tillotama Shome, Jatin Goswami, Vyom Yadav and Ankit Sharma.
"This season, the audience will see a human and vulnerable side of these seasoned police officers. I can proudly say this, 'Delhi Crime' is a reflection of our passion for storytelling and the craft and we can't wait for the audience to watch it," the 49-year-old Shefali Shah said in a statement.
The director Tanuj Chopra said "Delhi Crime season two will investigate the moral code of the Delhi Police. DCP Vartika Chaturvedi and team have evolved from the previous season. We’ll see them weigh a lot of difficult choices... be it procedural or emotional."
Another web series based on police investigation - though it is just fiction - She was also back on Netflix for its second season recently. It is also said to be doing well. So women cop stories and Netflix seem to be on a strong wicket.
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