n this viewing diary, I will be reflecting and recording my developing ideas surrounding the representation of societal issues in two impactful episodes from Delhi Crime (Netflix, 2019) directed by Richie Mehta. Particularly, I will be considering the development of my judgements surrounding Mehta�...
You should produce a 2000 word viewing diary which presents a critical reflection on your
experience of viewing of a maximum of THREE television case studies. If you wish, you
may focus on one series as a case study, but you must then examine more than one episode of
that series.
Core element Chosen: Times
Case Studies Chosen: Delhi Crime (Netflix, 2019)
In this viewing diary, I will be reflecting and recording my developing ideas surrounding the
representation of societal issues in two impactful episodes from Delhi Crime (Netflix, 2019)
directed by Richie Mehta. Particularly, I will be considering the development of my
judgements surrounding Mehta’s choices to successfully and sensitively present a traumatic
event on television. Central to my argument is recognising televisions evolution by recording
my evolving opinions on Mehta’s conveyment of societal issues in his depiction of the
investigation into the 2012 gang rape in Delhi, commonly referred to as the Nirbhaya case.
This development of my ideas is subsequent to further readings surrounding the contexts of
the series followed by repeated viewings with these alternative arguments in mind. As a
Netflix original crime drama series, Delhi Crime became “one of the flagship shows for
Netflix India” (Mukherjee) and gave him a platform to stream globally (Bhargava). This
therefore spread awareness on the investigation itself as well as addressing ongoing societal
issues in India. Furthermore, in this viewing diary, I will be analysing how Mehta has
captured the extent in which the true story behind Delhi Crime “changed the country’s pscyhe
forever” (qtd in Hampton 2020) and how the social, political and cultural forces impacted
Mehta’s representation of this case.
, 2
Entry 1: Initial viewing of Episode One of Delhi Crime (Netflix, 2019) Date: 27/01/2023
My experience when initially watching Delhi Crime (Netflix, 2019) allowed me to further
comprehend the ways in which television was made and understood at the time the program
was produced. Through Richie Mehta’s reflection of both the social, political and cultural
landscapes of Delhi by his employment of both narrative strategies and filming techniques,
the distressing themes greatly shocked me when watching the first episode. Particularly,
throughout the entirety of the episode, Mehta’s attempt to portray the gender-based violence
present in India at the time was clear to me as a viewer. The threading of this narrative
throughout, especially in the opening narrated introduction and in following scenes, not only
provided me with an insight into the extent to which gender related violence existed in Delhi
but also personally showcased the failure of the criminal justice system to protect women in
India. Mehta’s use of interwoven personal insights into the police officers’ lives when
watching the episode contributed to my personal frustrations as a viewer over the pervading
sense of fear woman faced in Delhi specifically at the time. For instance, when DCP Vartika
Chaturvedi’s maternally pleas to her daughter to not leave the country, her daughter responds
with her frustration over living in Delhi as a young girl expressing how she “can’t walk down
the street without getting harassed, I can’t take the metro without men staring at me… and its
only getting worse” (24:19). Vartika’s reply, “no baby, it’s getting better you just can’t see it”
(24:28) automatically became extremely foreboding for me through the editing strategies that
followed. Mehta’s choice of editing in this scene specifically gave me an unpleasant
premonition for danger through his shots switching from this foreboding conversation to the
penultimate moments before the victims get on the bus and the crime is committed. As a
viewer, Mehta’s editing in combination with the choice of menacing music in this scene,
contributed to the intensity of my emotions when watching this and the scenes that followed.
Succeeding this moment later on in the episode, the victims’ mothers’ distress in the hospital
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