Far from sensationalism, director Leena Yadav largely clings to material available in the public domain, but looks at it with a fresh, sensitive pairing in this Netflix documentary
In the opening montage of the Netflix docu-series, sunlight gets trapped in a large net of electric wires hanging from poles in the narrow street 4 of Sant Nagar in north central Delhi’s Burari. The interplay of light and dark is a fitting visual metaphor for revisiting 11 members of the same family died Which shook the conscience of the country in July 2018.
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Whether murder, mass suicide, or an accident during a ritual, the widely reported deaths were labeled in various ways before the case was closed, leaving behind a trail of questions hanging in the air.
Far from sensationalism, director Leena Yadav largely sticks to material available in the public domain, but approaches it with a fresh, sensitive pairing.
The series draws on a range of causes, from superstition to mass psychosis, but it tries to offer no clear, conclusive answer. Instead, Leena conducts a kind of social autopsy with the help of police officers, journalists, medical experts and of course the friends, relatives and neighbors of the deceased Chundawat family. She looks at the gaps that go untold in daily news reports, and ultimately sheds light on the lack of awareness of mental health, the obsession with keeping family secrets, and feeling alienated in a society (which, ironically, is a Proud to be more) more connected than ever).
Read also | What to expect from Netflix’s ‘House of Secrets: The Burari Deaths’
Backed by AR Rahman’s immersive, heartbreaking background score, the series reminds us that ‘Burari Deaths’ may have appeared as an exceptional exception, a mere blip in our social circle, but the people who died were like you and me; looking normal from outside but struggling Incredible emotional trauma within.
As per the format, the makers rationed information and insights to maintain the drama and suspense till the last minute of the three-episode series. With the foresight and budget advantage, Lena joins the dots to delve into the layers of the complex case, which remained in public memory for months, even after it fell from the news cycle.
No one saw it coming, no one could explain it in black and white, making it the perfect material for another true crime story that’s become a trend.
The series talks of voyeurism that creeps into coverage of the crime – but whether it be the horror content of the diaries found after the event or the family’s fascination for numerology, there is much that gives viewers goosebumps and nurtures the voyeur. Is.
What reassures the series is the way it captures the inability of experts from various fields to answer all the questions, and how the case has made a difference to the journalists covering it, as well as the policemen and forensic experts. How it affected life, those who investigated it. Everything they say solves part of the puzzle, but couldn’t complete the picture, because ultimately there’s no clear consensus even on whether it was a crime story or not. Conversations with journalists and police officers are frank. The then SHO of Burari Police Station enjoys narrating the experience, but as the series progresses, we learn that this is just his normal behavior and that he too is affected by the case.
The case raised many questions, but ultimately the biggest puzzle was how one man could lead the 10 members of the Lalit family – the eldest was 80 years old and the youngest was 14 – remain in confusion for 11 years. . The matriarch Narayani Bhatia’s youngest son comes across as the likely culprit of the ritual that went horribly wrong, but it seems he has been suffering from acute mental trauma since his father’s passing in 2007.
However, why all the educated youth, one of whom was working in a multinational company and had an engagement ceremony a few days before the event, to submit themselves to the mini-cult created by Lalit within the family, remains unanswered.
Leena touches on the accident and attack on Lalit, which briefly stuns her and apparently becomes the source of her dead father’s voice, but avoids digging into the role of fanatical religious belief in the case. Ultimately, this seems to have prompted the family to take the extreme step. The interview of Lalit’s niece and his family’s fiancé could have opened a few more windows in the minds of the family, which held onto their secrets till the very last.
House of Secrets: Burari Deaths is currently streaming on Netflix
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