Rasika Dugal on Revisiting the Nirbhaya Case With ‘Delhi Crime’

Rasika Dugal and Rajesh Tailang talk about their Netflix show ‘Delhi Crime’.

Rasika Dugal and Rajesh Tailang. 

(Photo courtesy: Netflix)

Netflix’s Delhi Crime chronicles the investigation undertaken by the Delhi police for the horrific gang rape of the 23-year-old student in 2012. The series takes a sympathetic, humane view of the lives of these police officers. We caught up with Rasika Dugal and Rajesh Tailang who play pivotal roles on the show about how they prepared for their characters, the experience of making the show and why the web space has opened up new doors for them.

What drew Rasika to the show was the fact that you see the lives of their officers beyond their work. Speaking about the show, Rasika said, “That was the first thing that worked for me. It was extremely well researched, and I could tell that from the first episode itself and like you said, I think I was very moved by the idea that Richie wanted to examine the lives of these women who are investigating this case and how they negotiate patriarchy everyday and also, of the men. I think it was really about building a world which enables a crime like this to happen.”

Rajesh also mirrored Rasika’s sentiment. “Yeah, I did meet quite a few police officers, and used one person as my reference point. For me the point of identification was that when this incident occurred, I was so angry at that time and wanted justice, but I had my limitations as an average individual. Even in this character I saw that rage, but he also has limitations and has to work within the law, and this for me was very relatable,” he said.

Talking about how the series has been made sensitively, even with the material being very grim, Rasika said,

“It was, I have to say. In one sense I wanted to revisit it, and I wanted to remember it but yes, it was grim of course”.

Rasika Dugal, Actor

For Rajesh it was about following the beats of his character. “I was focussing more on the character, and for them this could be a part of their life, which they have been dealing with for the last 25 years and at the same time he realises that this is different from what I have been seeing and he’s taking his time to understand that. Feelings are like a luxury for him, they are under so much pressure that even if they want to they can’t get carried away,” he said.

Delhi Crime is now streaming on Netflix.

Video Editor: Ashish MacCune