Brief history of Crime

The USP of the serial, according to the director and producers (TV18), is the unusual docu-drama format of each episode. “We worked on the concept for around two years. We experimented with a number of different formats before settling on this. Since we are dealing with real-life incidents, we had to be very careful about the presentation,” explains Ray C, director of Bhanwar.

For all those who must know what the title of the serial means: Bhanwar is “whirlpool”. “It isall about a lurking whirlpool, which takes over a person’s life suddenly,” is how the makers of the serial explain the choice of title.

So, you get to see a dramatic interpretation of an incident, then freeze- frame and a voice-over gives you the details. Then back to the story. It is an interesting mix, with a lot of action alternating with a dramatic voice providing you with an account of the chase, the arrest, the newspaper stories.

The kidnapping of the two Chopra children in Delhi, their brutal killing and the long court battle the parents were drawn into is what thrillers are made of. Except that this really happened. Ray C has managed to capture the terror of two children who hitch a ride only to find themselves in the car of Billa and Ranga. The events that unfold will definitely make every regular hitch-hiker think twice about sticking their thumb in the middle of no where.

A research team kept a tab on all interesting court cases. They dug into all the files to come up with a 1939 case, inwhich a woman was charged with the murder of her six-month-old baby.

“After going through a pile of court papers and months of research, the gist of a case is taken out. The structuring phase takes a month and the actual shoot just three or four days,” Ray C adds.

Every member of the family involved in the case is contacted, the dialogues are taken from court papers and every aspect is checked and then cross-checked.

In fact, the team is also following the cases which are still in court and hoping that the minute a judgment is delivered, the episode can be shot. With nine episodes in the can and numerous exciting court cases all over the place, the serial hopes to go on forever.

The other thing going for this serial is the fact that it is the “dream project” of all those involved in the production. Made on a “regular kind of budget” nobody seems to be in it for the money. “There are some things you just do because you enjoy doing them. The pilot episode was ready two years ago. We worked on it,improvised it and finally have a good product, which we are confident about,” is Ray C’s last word on this docu-drama.