Going for the kill

Sheetal

A crime story can have many dimensions. Writers/creators of the crime genre have realised it and they are exploring many sub-genres. While Farzi, Rana Naidu, Dahaad and Kohrra are going strong on OTT, there’s still room for more. We look at the upcoming offerings and find out why crime dramas are a big draw with Indian viewers.

Cops and criminals

This Friday talented actor Vijay Varma donned the vardi for Kaalkoot, in which he fights the system to solve an acid-attack case.

Talking of cop drama, OTT is set for another one by none other than director Rohit Shetty. Shetty, who has set up his cop universe by creating three cop heroes — Singham, Sooryavanshi and Simmba, will make his OTT debut with Indian Police Force. It stars Siddharth Malhotra, Shilpa Shetty and Vivek Oberoi and scheduled for Diwali release.

Big scams

Hansal Mehta, who set the bar high with Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story, is ready with yet another scam that rocked the country. Scam 2003: The Telgi Story is based on Abdul Karim Telgi, who printed fake stamp papers. The series is adapted from a Hindi book Reporter Ki Diary by Sanjay Singh, the journalist, who first broke the story.

Seasonal succession

Who has not heard of Mirzapur and The Family Man? Prime Video had earlier confirmed a third season for both the popular shows. Creators Raj & DK (Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK) became an overnight sensation with Manoj Bajpayee-starrer The Family Man. After Srikant Tiwari (Bajpayee) solved anti-terrorist activities in the North and South, he is likely to shift his focus on North-East as indicated in the climax of Season 2. The release date of The Family Man is yet to be announced.

As far as Mirzapur is concerned, this murky game of power set in Uttar Pradesh is likely to expand to Bihar and beyond in the much anticipated Season 3. Vijay Varma, Ali Fazal, Shweta Tripathi Sharma and Pankaj Tripathi are set to reprise their roles in this new season. Season 3 is likely to stream in September.

Comedy in crime

While Raj & DK’s writing comes with hints of humour, the creators are now ready with a full-fledged comedy crime thriller, Guns & Gulaabs. With a stellar cast that includes Rajkummar Rao, Gulshan Devaiah and Adarsh Gourav, it has already created enough hype. This series also marks the last appearance of Satish Kaushik.

The series is releasing on August 18.

Watch out

Dahaad: With Sonakshi Sinha in the lead, Dahaad is a mix of crime drama and social commentary.

Saas Bahu or Flamingo: In the series revolving around drug cartel and fight for power, women take the lead roles.

The Night Manager: It is an explosive fusion of style and substance, with Aditya Roy Kapoor landing a role where his performance matches his personality and Anil Kapoor at the top of his game.

Farzi: The brooding intensity and impish charm of Shahid Kapoor and Vijay Sethupathi provide viewers plenty of goosebumps moments and a lot to chuckle about.

The crime genre is a big hit in India, as we are exposed to Hollywood content. And, also because so much crime is being reported every day! So, such stories do not just provide a sense of relatability for the viewers but also the thrill. Chitra Vakil Sharma, OTT producer

It is true that we all have dark desires and impulses that we may not want to admit to, and that these desires can be exacerbated by social pressures. I personally believe that humans are ‘saddest from inside’. Ultimately, I think that the relationship between criminal instinct and intrapersonal development is complex and multifaceted. Crime dramas explore the dark side of human nature. Crime thrillers can be a way to explore our own fears and anxieties about the world. They also act as a break from reality. Crime thrillers help us to escape from our own problems for a while like any other genre. Anmol Mahajan, Director

Crime and punishment are intricately bound. We are all conditioned since childhood, given the regular doses of morality, essentially to ensure that we realise the difference between good and bad behaviour. As a result most of us try to stay away from bad behaviour, but crime does give us an adrenaline rush. Getting inside the criminal’s mind and solving a crime is everyone’s favourite fantasy. If made authentically, a show often succeeds in getting the audience hooked. With the advent of OTT platforms, the makers have an opportunity to push the envelope. Hence, the rootedness of the content is what makes the viewing experience riveting. Rahul Mittra, Filmmaker-actor