Indian Predator: The Butcher of Delhi Review "An astute foray into the creepy psychology of a deranged criminal"

In my review of Vishal Furia's Forensic that released last month, I had explained how sinister can some minds become while committing serial crimes and the complex psychological contours that filmmakers explore in their projects.

 

Director Ayesha Sood takes a bold and firm step in her latest documentary Indian Predator that centers on a deranged and grudgeful serial killer who committed grisly murders and challenged the Delhi Police through taunting letters to catch him if they could.

 

Sood picks the real story of a seasoned criminal from a non-descript village in Bihar who went by the name of CC aka Chandrakant Jha and committed brutal murders during October 2006 and threw their mutilated body parts outside the Tihar Jail gate.The Delhi Police found 3 bodies in a span of 4 or 5 months and launched a meticulous investigation to nab him.

 

Spreading into 3 episodes, the documentary is an astute study of the criminal and his psyche with the interviews of the legal and the psychological experts, some real footages as well as profound enactments that gets creepy with the ominous background score.Sood recreates the scenes pretty effectively and the protagonist who plays Jha(Altaf Hussain) exudes menacing vibes without uttering a single word. 

 

The Experts point out the rationale behind his killings and his stubbornness when he was interrogated in the prison.It also sheds light on how genetic disarray and a violent environment with deprivation from parental love vitalized his inclination for systemic violence. How the social conditioning nurtured and nourished his predatory appetite.While sharing the fascinating insights, they also reveal the intellectual side of Jha and how he viewed those gory killings as a meaningful engagement!

 

In her arduous endeavour, Sood interviews few fellow inhabitants from the Gosai village who narrate Jha's background and offer vivid accounts of how expertly and unassumingly he picked his victims and even clicked them in his camera. 

 

It is also revealed that Jha held serious grudges against the system and immoral people and chose his preys accordingly. In a way, he was a vigilante with sinister motives. 

 

In 2013, Jha was convicted for committing those murders but he had appealed against death penalty to Delhi High court. While investigators grappled with finding conclusive evidences, his penalty was commuted to lifetime imprisonment. 

 

Sood's powerful research complimented with Linesh Desai's intimate photography and Anupama Chadukeswar's crisp editing makes a case for an deeply investing watch.