Emmy or no Emmy, ‘Delhi Crime’ is an incredible show: Shefali Shah

Mumbai, Nov 12 (PTI) Actor Shefali Shah says her acclaimed series "Delhi Crime" doesn’t hinge on accolades, such as the International Emmy Award it won in 2020, but rather on the strength of its narrative and the depth of its characters.

The Netflix police procedural series began in 2019 with the first season which focused on the Nirbhaya gang rape case of 2012 and received universal praise for its fresh and consistently engaging narrative as well as performances of the lead cast.

It was followed by the sophomore chapter in 2022 that revolved around the Kachha Baniyan gang, and now the show is coming back with its third season, inspired by the Baby Falak case, delving into themes of human trafficking and cross-border crime.

"Emmy or no Emmy, it's a show that is incredible. There are characters that are amazing, and then you just kind of top it or at least keep that truth, intensity, and passion in every particular season,” Shah told PTI in an interview.

"When we started doing this show, for season one, I didn't know where it was going to go. None of us knew what was going to happen. I too visually can't see a show in my head. But everyone had the right intent. The script was rock solid. When we saw the show internally, we were like, 'Whoa', and we were so proud," she added.

In the show, Shah essays the role of DCP Vartika Chaturvedi alongside Rajesh Tailang as Inspector Bhupendra Singh and Rasika Dugal as Neeti Singh IPS.

The actor said the real challenge is telling a story that connects with audiences everywhere, something she believes "Delhi Crime" has successfully achieved.

“Today, it's really not just about the Emmys. When your show drops on Netflix, it goes to 190 countries and everyone across the globe is going to watch it exactly the way we watch everything that is released in whichever language.

"It's not just competition; it's also complimenting what kind of cinema is happening around. I feel very proud (that) our show is very good,” Shah added.

Dugal said the success of shows like “Delhi Crime” and “Maharani”, starring Huma Qureshi, exemplifies how women-led nuanced storytelling is being celebrated on OTT and she hopes the trend continues.

“When the streaming services came out, there was so much conversation around how there should be women centric content. One was afraid that this would be a check in a box, and an act of tokenism, that we'll put this female character as a central character, and have qualities which would probably be masculine and doing heroic things. But it's nice that it didn't turn out to be like that,” the actor said.

Asked about her personal equation with Shah, Dugal said it is quite similar to the bond that their characters share in the show.

“The first time that I met Shefali on ‘DC1’, I was very much in awe and I still am. But now I treat her more like a friend,” Dugal said.

“With season three, I felt I could, in fact, go to Shefali with whatever I was feeling, sometimes you don't want to do that with co-actors because you don't want to disturb what they are feeling and you’ve to be a little careful about that. It's not like you go and dump everything on them. But I really felt like I had that space," she added.

While the stories the show tackles might be grim, the cast gets comforted by the presence of actor Rajesh Tailang during the filming of its intense and emotional scenes, Dugal said.

"(He) has the best PJs. He works really hard on them. He is very careful. It's a serious thing. He takes that art very seriously. There is a thought process on that he is going to crack joke and whether it's going to land or not, it's always brewing inside him. I can always see it happening. So, it's been very lovely,” she said.

Tailang added, “I’m always a little worried, I’m always thinking, and awkward, that's why I need to do something like this (crack jokes).” “People often ask us this question about us having such a good understanding, especially between Bhupi, Vartika and Neeti, we are making it very idealistic sometimes. All the actors here are so professional, and the ethics of acting are so good that they give space to everyone,” the 52-year-old actor said.

Shah said she cherishes the synergy that exists between all the cast members of “Delhi Crime” and added that in such a collaborative environment, an actor truly thrives.

“The entire team is so in sync, and it has to do also with these commendable actors. It's just so fluid, and that's one of the strengths of ‘Delhi Crime’,” she said.

As actors, Shah said they are often thinking about how they can bring authenticity and shine irrespective of whoever performs in the scene.

“When I’m doing a scene, Vartika has this thing in her mind that this issue should be given to Neeti or someone else... So the same way if I get a scene, there are a lot of times when I feel that this shouldn't be coming from Vartika.

"We are all very open as actors, we work for the scene. And we love what we are doing and it's become such a wonderful space. I can honestly say it about every actor on this set, not one is thinking only about themselves or their space, that's why it's so believable. It's one of the biggest reasons that it (the show work) does.” “Delhi Crime”, helmed by Tanuj Chopra, also stars Huma Qureshi and Sayani Gupta, among others. The show's third season will debut on Netflix on Thursday. PTI KKP RB BK BK