“Patience is the key to investigating any case; without being patient, we won’t be able to do justice,” says Latha, Sub Inspector of Subramanyanagar Police Station as she investigates a sex worker’s murder. After 11 days, she and her team finally nab the culprit and bring him to justice. While speaking to the makers of documentary series Crime Stories: India Detectives, she reveals how she held contempt in her heart for sex workers due to the societal perception she had imbibed, but during the course of the investigation, learning their stories changed her. “I feel guilty for having thought the way I did,” she adds.
The docu-series Crime Stories which premiered on September 22 on Netflix, takes the audience on a spine-chilling chase with Bengaluru city police as they decode four major crimes that shocked the city’s collective conscience. Spanning across four episodes of 40–60-minute runtime, the series follows an investigating team of four police stations who cracked three murders and one kidnapping case that came to light in early 2020 before the pandemic.
Directed by N Amit and Jack Rampling, it is the first Kannada docu-series by Netflix. The show not only delves into the stories of the crime, but also humanises these events. We see what goes on within a police officer investigating a crime but also catch a glimpse of how it affects the victims’ families, the accused and their families. It is not just through the stories, or interviews but the way the makers have shot the series also adds a human touch. The close-up shots which are at times chiaroscurist [illuminating one side of the subject while the other is in darkness], highlight the emotions felt by those involved in the case.
Additionally, the series delves into the psyche of the police officials while they investigate the crimes. “I wanted to write in the file that she [the culprit] is going through something—I am not aware what it is, but she needs help. However, we did not have any evidence to prove it,” says then-Assistant Police Commissioner of Whitefield while investigating the case of a woman murdering her mother and attempting to murder her sibling.
Emotions ride high while watching the series backed by Minnow films, with the original soundtrack of instrumental music heightening the viewers' feelings. Antonio P and Felipe Kim have produced music that is intense, thrilling yet sombre which is used with craft to elevate the human sentiment.
The excellent camera work puts on display for the viewers an unbiased picture of the city and its underbelly. It offers an insight into metropolitan cities like Bengaluru—with a high populace—where it's easy to lose oneself amidst the crowd. The aerial shots—transitioning from day to night—of various locations including the city’s bus terminal at Majestic seem like a metaphor for the grim reality of the city.
A scene that remains etched in my mind is one where the police nab the accused in Episode 3: Dying for Protection where a sex worker was accidentally killed by a customer after she refused to have unprotected sex. Just before the shot of police officials arresting the accused, the makers show the shot of an eagle picking up a piece of meat from the road and flying off.
Though the show is primarily a police procedural, it also highlights the force's thinking about torture and custodial violence during interrogation.
The docu-series is certainly worth a watch; however, one must do so at their discretion for there are graphic visuals that may trigger the viewers.
The series is now streaming on Netflix in Kannada, Hindi and English.
Disclaimer: This review was not paid for or commissioned by anyone associated with the series/film. TNM Editorial is independent of any business relationship the organisation may have with producers or any other members of its cast or crew.