Bonus | Indian Predator - The butcher of Delhi (Documentary series)

<p>Indian Predator recounts the investigation into Chandrakant Jha, one of the most gruesome serial killers in the country's history. He was convicted in 2013 for three gruesome killings between 2003 and 2007. The case's popularity has diminished over the years, and this also doesn't favour the makers. A lot of time hadn't passed since the Burari incident, and hence it had the advantage of being popular in the public consciousness.</p><p>Right at the beginning, we get a glimpse into the mood that the documentary is going for with a rudimentary montage of higher authorities giving bits and pieces of information about a killer. Minutes into the opening monologue, we see a top cop say the humdrum true-crime cliche, "I have never come across a case like this in 23 years."</p><p>The wonderful title design that we then get gives some hope, even reminding one of a Hannibal Lecter-like figure, but the first episode hardly breaks out of the cliche.</p><p>On October 20, 2006, a mysterious caller informs the Delhi police that he has left a corpse near the Gate 3 entrance of the Tihar Jail. The cops find a mutilated body of a middle-aged man, neatly packed and kept inside a fruit basket.</p><p>The story eventually unravels into one of the most shocking investigations. Chandrakant, a seemingly-normal migrant worker from Bihar is found to be the killer. How the Delhi police nabbed him seems straightforward as well. But what truly grips us is how the investigation moves, unravelling gruesome truths about a broken man with a shockingly-dark past.</p><p>The material in hand is potent, but director Ayesha Sood hardly scratches the story beyond the surface. While experts keep track of the investigations, we are repeatedly shown blood-splattering recreations of the gruesome murders. The actor who plays Chandrakant even looks the part, but he hardly has anything to do, other than appear randomly and bludgeon men to death. Beyond a point, it gets too monotonous and even becomes a disturbance to the narrative at times.</p><p>T