What Is the Story About?
Netflix’s new Indian original series ‘Indian Predator: The Butcher Of Delhi‘ is a true crime documentary that delves into a series of gruesome murders that took place in Delhi in the 2010s. The documentary pieces together the crimes through interviews with the investigation officers who cracked the case and caught the serial killer, known for his chilling modus operandi and several murders to his name. Indian Predator: The Butcher Of Delhi also looks into the making of the murderer through one-on-one chats with people who knew him from close quarters.
Indian Predator: The Butcher Of Delhi is directed by Ayesha Sood, and produced by Samira Kanwar, Ashwin Rai Shetty, Vatsala Aron and Niharika Kotwal.
Analysis
‘Indian Predator: The Butcher Of Delhi’ is Netflix’s first full-fledged attempt at an Indian true crime documentary. Netflix India did have ‘House of Secrets: The Burari Deaths’ and ‘Crime Stories: India Detectives’ last year. But the former hardly fell into the bracket of true crime; and the latter was more police procedural than true crime documentary. That said, Netflix India’s first foray into the world of true crime documentaries is sadly a tepid, timid one.
The true events at the heart of Indian Predator: The Butcher Of Delhi are chilling enough to make your blood run cold. Even the staunchest of hearts will wither and crumple at the scale of evil and depravity that drove the actions of Chandrakant Jha. The man butchered his victims mercilessly and then chopped their bodies into multiple parts; which he then scattered across the length and breadth of Delhi, with calculated cunningness. He would dump the headless torsos of his victims outside Tihar Jail, packed neatly in cane baskets, the kind used by fruit vendors. Twice, the bodies were accompanied with taunting ‘catch me if you can’ letters to the police.
Episode 1 of the series documents the killer’s modus operandi, and all of the above. It is also the most coherent, well-structured and well-made of the three episodes that make up the series. From then on, the series deteriorates into a messy hodge-podge of non-linear storytelling. The narrative flits back and forth between decades, descending down several rabbit holes, all at the same time, and all remaining inconclusive and unresolved. Figures are bandied about recklessly – one interviewee goes as far as to say that Chandrakant Jha murdered 44 people, but the series fails to corroborate any of the tall claims.
Several ‘experts’ weigh in on the possible reasons for the serial killer’s remorseless spree of murders. A social scientist, a forensic expert, a legal journalist, and Jha’s own defence lawyer – all have interesting inputs to give. But none is substantiated, credible or believable. The experts, not to mention the cops associated with the case – all begin to sound repetitive and tutored. The interviewees – most of them Chandrakant Jha’s fellow villagers – are even worse. None comes across as a reliable or credible source of information. They parrot similar lines, spout the same fundas, and get teary-eyed on cue.
Episodes 2 and 3 of Indian Predator: The Butcher Of Delhi ultimately seem vacuous and vapid. They add nothing to the compelling story built up in Episode 1 of the series. Instead, they seek to play safe, afraid of calling a spade a spade, taking attention away from the ineffective, slipshod workings of the Indian police, and the horrific Indian policing system on the whole. Instead, the series laughably tries to lay the blame elsewhere – on poverty, migrant life and its effect on the mental health of migrants.
By the end of the three episodes that make up the series, the viewer is left unmoved and unaffected by the screen version of the story; when in reality, it is arguably one of the most gruesome and chilling crimes in Indian criminal history.
To sum it up, Indian Predator: The Butcher Of Delhi is a good attempt by the makers to capture on screen a truly horrifying spate of murders. A bit more heart and soul into the blood and gore would have worked wonders.
Music and Other Departments?
The background score of Indian Predator: The Butcher Of Delhi is one of the things about the series that works for it. It is intense and chilling. The sound design of the series is good too. The schunk-shluck-shqwelp sounds when the killer’s weapon makes contact with the still warm flesh of the corpse are enough to make one’s blood curdle.
Linesh Desai’s cinematography is good. It captures the chaos and disarray of North and West Delhi and its labyrinthine lanes with compelling camerawork. Anupama Chabukswar’s editing needed to be sharper and crisper.
Highlights?
The true crime story at the heart of the series
Drawbacks?
Too clinical and vacuous
Lacks soul, leaves you unmoved and unaffected by the end of it
Interviewees lack credibility and believability
Did I Enjoy It?
I found it strictly below average
Will You Recommend It?
Only as a one-time watch, to get to know more about a largely unknown true crime tale
Indian Predator: The Butcher Of Delhi Series Review by Binged Bureau
We’re hiring!
We are hiring two full-time junior to mid-level writers with the option to work remotely. You need to work a 5-hour shift and be available to write. Interested candidates should email their sample articles to [email protected]. Applications without a sample article will not be considered.
