Return of thaanedaar trio

Actors with diverse methods, Rasika Dugal, Shefali Shah and Rajesh Tailang agree that the one outcome of the show has been to view the police with empathy. Pic/Sameer Markande

To be a woman means to multitask. Even if you are one of India's most sought after actors with an international Emmy award under her belt.

Shefali Shah is at the Netflix Mumbai headquarters where we are to interview her about her return as DCP Vartika Chaturvedi, chief investigating officer in crime drama Delhi Crime's second season. She is juggling a domestic hurdle on the phone with her family. Her sons Maurya and Aryaman, are unwell, as is her mother-in-law. She is instructing a staffer about medication and the day's menu. Two minutes later, she takes on the first question with the focus and passion we expect from her.

Co-stars on the show, Rasika Dugal and Rajesh Tailang sit beside her, both hailed for their portrayal of officer Neeti Singh and Inspector Bhupendra Singh respectively. Core members of the show's team that cracks a rape and assault case, inspired by the 2012 Delhi gang rape that led to the death of a 23-year-old woman, resulting in national outrage.

Shefali Shah (left) and Rasika Dugal return in season 2 as DCP Vartika Chaturvedi and officer Neeti Singh respectively

"Reprising a role is always interesting. It's like meeting an old friend," Dugal thinks, "You know them [the characters] fundamentally, but they have moved on with their lives. It's a mix of familiarity and unfamiliarity. Also, they are responding to different events. Neeti starts off as a sincere, idealistic, and wide-eyed cop who wants to impress Vartika. Now, she is more lived in, and easy about her job. This [evolution] also comes with a bit of jadedness. I shadowed a real policewoman as prep for season 1, and then again for season 2. She seemed to be in the same position that Neeti finds herself in. I saw the difference in her from bring trainee officer to ACP," says Dugal, a satisfied smile refusing to leave her face.

Shah listens to her intently. She admits she is "deeply possessive" about her character. "I think it's one of the best things I have done. And I was anxious if I could fill those shoes again." This is an actor who has only done stellar work in the interim, recently wowing audiences as a domestic help in Jalsa, and the mother of a domestic abuse survivor in Darlings. "Vartika became larger than life - we made a show, we created her - we didn't know she would go where she went. I thought to myself, ‘how can I top that?' When I got back into the role on set, she came back to me... as if she never left. Slipping into the uniform does that to you," Shah muses.

While in the show's first season, Shah thinks, the trio was obsessed with solving the case, this time around, their approach is practical, because "they do this every day".
For Tailang, like Shah, having a finger on the pulse of the character once again was a worry. "Things changed, the case has changed. But, Bhupendra isn't a man to change. His struggle is to remain the way he is. For an actor, a character is not a statue you reveal. You sculpt it for the audience as you go along, revealing bits of it in every scene." This is not the first time that Tailang is dabbling in a crime drama. He has directed scores of episodes of Indian television's iconic dramatised crime series inspired by real episodes, India's Most Wanted.

This time, the trio is grappling with a gang that had caused havoc in Delhi in the 1990s. The Chaddi Baniyan Gang was notorious for attacking homes at night, especially those housing senior citizens. They'd wear little else, but underclothes and face masks, slathering their bodies with oil or mud to protect their identities and give the cops a slip. They would urinate or defecate at the crime scene before they left, some said, to mislead sniffer dogs, and their killings were almost always ruthless.

A bungalow in South Delhi has been attacked in season 2, and four bodies are found. Those summoned to the crime scene are aghast at the brutal behaviour of the culprits. Despite the criminal groups' notoriety, Shah says, "I had never heard of this gang. I said, ‘Oh my god, really!' As information arrived to me through the material for the show, I was able to understand that this kind of human behaviour is not isolated. It's the result of everything that is happening around. It's not about one bad person [responsible for it]. That's the strength of Delhi Crime; it brings forth the social situations that influence certain happenings."

All three actors agree that this show has helped them see the Indian police force in new light. It's easy to play the blame game, Shah says. "The police are the punching bag each time something goes wrong. As a civilian, I too have been quick to reprimand the police. Now, I think I come from a place of empathy. [The show] humanises the police," says Dugal.

How did you disengage from Delhi Crime?

You can't describe it, it's entirely experiential. That's the beauty of it
Rasika Dugal

I got so engrossed, that there was nothing left to take back with me once I was done
Shefali Shah

The way I quickly got into character, is how I got out of it too
Rajesh Tailang