- Hindi crime dramas explore the connection between crime and the mental health of police officers, focusing on the challenges they face.
- These shows portray the complex work-life balance officers experience, shedding light on their emotional struggles and personal aspirations.
On July 31, a 33-year-old constable, Chetan Bachu Singh, aboard the Jaipur-Mumbai Superfast Express strangled his colleagues and shot at least 4 passengers in the train’s compartments.
The victims, identified as Abdul Qadirbhai Mohammed Hussain Bhanpurwala, Akhtar Abbas Ali, and Sadar Mohammed Hussain, were predominantly middle-aged Muslim men. A video of Singh’s actions and his communally charged speech was circulated on social media.
However, when Singh appeared in a Mumbai court, the narrative shifted. The remand copy did not mention the video or the hate-filled speech. Instead, it focused on Singh’s “illness” and claimed he was mentally unstable—having suffered from hallucinations and chronic anxiety disorder—which supposedly led to his extreme actions.
A press release issued by the Railways Ministry said: “The treatment for the present medical ailment has been taken on his personal level by Chetan Singh and is not in official records … He and his family have kept it a secret. In the last PME, no such medical ailment/condition was detected.”
However, Singh was charged with murder under the Indian Penal Code and other related acts, but crucial sections addressing hate crimes were missing from the FIR. Hours after the release of the official statement, the Railways withdrew its verdict. Singh’s lawyers argued his mental state could be used as a defense strategy.
Amid conflicting narratives and speculations, Singh’s motive and mental state remain contested. The case highlights the complexity of addressing hate crimes and mental health issues in legal contexts and underscores the importance of a thorough investigation and mental health destigmatization to uncover the truth behind the tragic incident.
Thankfully, a slew of Hindi crime dramas on OTT platforms has been addressing this intricate link between, crime, a demanding profession, and mental health of police force.
Hollywood has an unparalleled precedence in using cop dramas as a lens for the mental health landscape in law enforcement officers. Be it David Tennant’s Broadchurch or Kate Winslet’s Mare Of Easttown, a treasure of critically and commercially acclaimed crime dramas exist to explore the fragile, often haplessly imbalanced dynamic that exists between criminals, their crime, police duties, cops’ mental health, and their dysfunctional personal lives.
From Akshay Kumar’s Rowdy Rathore to Salman Khan’s Dabaang series, Hindi crime dramas and other Indian cop thrillers have well-documented tendencies to congest themselves in “thriller” plot lines, fantastical car chases, and dramatic climaxes that uphold the age-old social justice dictum of “Good Over Evil.”
However, when Amir Khan’s Talaash: The Answer Lies Within was released in 2012, the film staged as its central characters an insomniac police officer and his estranged wife grieving the death of their 8-year-old son. It laid bare the professional stress, personal trauma, and life threats that police officers are exposed to on a daily basis.
In 2014, the Rani Mukherjee-starrer Mardaani explored the psychological upheavals of a crime branch officer and her family. The film, with its equally successful sequels, was a bold yet sympathetic commentary on how crime is never impersonal and a stand-alone evil. It is a recurring blight of the complexities of human wrongs, follies, and temperaments.
The 2015 Ajay Devgn-Tabu film Drishyam further pushed the cop-side narrative of the crime amidst a critical take on the outrageous misuse of official police privileges. Tabu’s Inspector General Meera Deshmukh reprises the troupe of the detective mother coping with the difficulties at home and work.
Leading an investigation which concerns her own missing son, she displays the dilemma that tears people stuck in-between professional objectivity and personal tragedy. The 2016 hit Udta Punjaab, in the character of Diljit Dosanjh’s ASI Sartaj Singh, explores how his own investigation into drug peddling harms his own family and relationships.
Within their limited run times, these Hindi films have debunked the unemphatic misconceptions that plague understandings of people that make up law enforcement. Post-lockdown, with the surge in OTT content, these crime drama content has been elaborated in meticulously constructed and minutely narrative limited series that explore the realities of the mental health of police force in India.
The two seasons of Netflix’s Delhi Crimes positioned Shefali Shah’s Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Vartika Chaturvedi in the chaotic investigation around the two manhunts in the 2012 Delhi gang rape as well as several Chaddi Baniyan gang-type murders that take place in Delhi.
Chaturvedi’s beliefs and identity as a police officer, a mother and wife, and a woman get questioned as she navigates the squalid grays that fog over the crime, the criminal, and the criminality. The show also reveals the humane struggles the concerned police force goes through to bring social justice.
Similarly, the 2023 series Dahaad, in its unapologetic portrayal of psychopathy in the chilling “Cyanide serial killer” Anand Swarnakar, appears to point to the real villains behind the Indian scene: Religious and caste oppression.
In Sonakshi Sinha’s SI Anjali Bhaati, the series highlights the professional and mental health challenges of female members in the police force and their families. Bhaati’s low caste, masculine bearings, and intimidating occupation stand in the way of her marriageability—a source of great concern for her mother.
She is repeatedly obstructed while doing her duty and slut-shamed, as she is frequently seen in the company of her male peers. Her hard-working senior officer, Devi Singh, is also shown to buckle under stress, his wife’s conservative prejudices, the loneliness that comes with long-working hours and the PTSD inflicted by Swarnakar’s heinous doings.
Netflix’s Kohrra assumes a critical but non-judgment stance as it progresses from a seemingly innocent crime thriller to a powerful social commentary on toxic masculinity, regressive parenthood, and mental health issues (like depression, homophobia, and drug addiction) in rural Punjab.
The series delves into the challenges that beset the policing profession and, while the characters oft-times complain of a deprived promotion or the tirelessly unending, they uphold the prestige, privilege, and trust that come with their office.
This is where both investigative thrillers Paatal Lok (2020) and Kaalkoot (2023) break their stance. The former limited series centers around Jaideep Ahlawat’s Hathiram Chowdhary, a disillusioned and cynical cop who gets assigned to investigate a high-profile case wherein an assassination attempt went wrong.
Vijay Verma’s Kaalkoot chronicles the dissatisfaction of his character Ravi Shankar Tripathi concerning both his current position and his duties in law enforcement. Tripathi decides to resign, but he is scheduled to handle several cases of acid attacks. Juggling his work and family commitments, Tripathi attempts to navigate the harrowing realities that characterize acid-attack perpetrators and victims in India.
One of the overarching themes of these cop dramas is the pitiful work-life balance that plagues the police force. The depiction of this theme serves as a stark reminder of the intense demands and sacrifices that law enforcement professionals often endure in their pursuit of upholding justice and maintaining societal order.
In these narratives, the concept of work-life balance transcends a mere struggle to allocate time between professional obligations and personal pursuits. It delves deep into the emotional and psychological toll that the policing profession exacts on the officers, unraveling the layers of complexity that arise when their roles as law enforcers intersect with their roles as family members, friends, and individuals.
The demanding nature of police work, characterized by long hours, unpredictable shifts, and the constant exposure to high-stress situations, emerges as a significant contributor to the erosion of this balance.
The officers’ commitments to solving crimes, protecting communities, and navigating a web of administrative responsibilities often infringe upon their personal lives, leading to strained relationships, neglected familial bonds, and a sense of isolation.
The narratives often spotlight the officers’ yearning for normalcy, the desire to partake in everyday activities that most take for granted, whether it’s spending quality time with loved ones, pursuing hobbies, or simply finding respite from the constant pressure.
This longing underscores the human side of law enforcement, emphasizing that officers are not just individuals donning uniforms but multifaceted beings with emotional needs, aspirations, and vulnerabilities.
By shedding light on the intricate intersection between the demands of the profession and the officers’ personal lives, these Hindi crime dramas amplify the need for systemic support, mental health resources, and policies that address work-related stressors.
Through these narratives, viewers gain insight into the resilience required to navigate this precarious balance and the importance of acknowledging and addressing the toll that law enforcement takes on the mental health and emotional well-being of those who serve and protect.