When crime pays

As the countless shows from the fascinating genre on web increase, a look at how writers and makers keep both the shock and sensitivity alive

Nonika Singh

“Place the body near the beginning of your book — preferably on the first page, perhaps the first sentence.” — Louise Penny

Crime, a vast mindboggling genre, piques the reader as much as it enthralls the viewer when translated on the screen. The OTT space is inundated with more than one crime drama, as our fascination for murder, gore and violence shows no signs of ebbing, we wonder what it takes to make us traverse the dark, grimy alleys of crime. While we get talking to makers, screenplay writers and novelists whose imagination runs riot to paint the many horrors of crime, some questions are answered.

Director Ashish R Shukla, whose web-seriesUndekhi hit the right buttons this year, shares the potent combination. He says, “The trick is to make it relatable and unpredictable at the same time. Novelty is what matters the most in heightening the fear factor. ” An ideal thriller’s episode, he insists, not only ends on a cliffhanger but also is packed with many such mini-cliffhangers. He adds, “Frankly we are manipulating the viewers mind psychologically.”

If the key to a crime novel is its page-turning ability, filmmaker and author Piyush Jha says it’s the edge of the seat quality that keeps the adrenaline rush of viewers going. Writer of bestsellers likeMumbaistan andCompass Box Killer: An Inspector Virkar Crime Thriller, as his bookThe Anti-Social Network will soon be recreated as a web-series by Applause Entertainment, he explains the method behind crime writing. Jha says, “We are merely responding to the milieu and experiences around us. We need to understand the cadences of the reader’s mind, how much to reveal and at what time.” And what kind of space do they inhabit… is it tough to enter these dark spaces where men behave like demons and where perversity seems more natural than humanity. While Jha says, “We are not serial killers plotting murders all the time, only telling a human story,” Shukla feels, “It is all about amplifying our own dark experiences.”

The challenge becomes manifold since the world we live in is brimming with gruesome incidents, somewhat deadening our responses to violence. But then, as Jha says, “What kind of crime and criminality are we, the creators, going to talk about is our prerogative.” The task becomes doubly onerous in case of real-life crime shows likeDelhi Crime, where both sensibility and sensitivity have to be kept in mind.

Shukla, who has worked with Anurag Kashyap, master of dark dramas, may have learnt the ultimate lesson of fearlessness from him. Yet he is acutely aware that the antagonist can’t be unnecessarily glorified and the injustice behind the crime must be driven home. Actor Varun Badola, who wrote the dialogues forUndekhi, too, endorses that redemption has to be an integral part of crime stories. Yet we all love the Gaitaondes and Munnas ofSacred Games andMirzapur. Shukla relies heavily on performances to create his characters, good or bad. He says, “Not just heroes, even the bad guys must have a certain swag and charm.” Does that mean that crime writing is not merely cut to chase but can be complex and nuanced? The fact that the best Indian seriesSacred Games andPaatal Lok have been based on books by authors (Vikram Chandra and Tarun Tejpal respectively) outside the film world, too, tells us how crime writing is a specialised genre.

Often cinema (Class of 83) goes where others like crime author S Hussain Zaidi have gone before. Filmmaker Sanjay Gupta, who adapted Zaidi’s bookDongri to Dubai forShootout at Wadala, doesn’t think there is much difference between adapting a book and penning a fresh screenplay. “Except that someone else has done the research for you.”

As writers and filmmakers do they feel an extra onus on their shoulders while dabbling with crime genre? Gupta couldn’t care less about the messaging. For him, black and white is oh-so-boring. Art might imitate life but he has serious reservations about the reverse working. The reason why crime stories, that too often non-fiction, work for him is for he loves the audience response, the wow factor. As this Mumbai boy has spent seven long years of research in finding out the details of Mumbai underworld in 1980s and 1990s for his next big screen outingMumbai Saga, he also dispels the notion that we are living in more violent times today.

Jha reminds us that violence is not a natural corollary of all crime. “Look atScam 1992, it’s a crime that does not involve any direct violence.” The problem in India is, he feels, we often confuse gang wars alone with crime. The truth is crime genre is a wide range. From the whodunit detective stories to horror to thrillers to even white collared crimes, much falls under its ambit. As we are moving towards a world where it is becoming difficult to sift between drama and reality, where newspapers carry more crime within its folds, says Shukla, “it’s important to sift the grain from the chaff.” Whether all makers can distil the truth or not crime remains a possibility pregnant layers and meanings. How often and how well it is done is well yet another story. As Manjit Sachdev, head of content at Voot & Voot Select, states, “We are reaching a saturation point and becoming formulaic in our approach to ‘genres’, especially in terms of crime thrillers.” Nevertheless, right now what is certain is crime entertains and pays. As Richard Castle says, “There are two kinds of people who sit around all day thinking about killing people…mystery writers and serial killers. I’m the kind that pays better.”