Delhi Crime and the criminal tribe on Indian celluloid

Recently, the second season of Delhi Crime, currently streaming on Netflix, made a lot of noise on social media for its theme this time. The Kachha Baniyan gang, known for their moniker and monstrous crimes, inspired the makers to take the show ahead. The gang looted, raped, robbed, all in a piece of undergarment and vests. They got away with most of the horrific and heinous crimes with alarming anonymity. Their story was waiting to be told in the content landscape.

Criminal tribes in Indian cinema represent revenge and righteousness, and the titles have sought inspiration from real events, both brave and bone-chilling. Here are some of them:

Bandit Queen (1994)

Shekhar Kapur’s gripping, galvanizing film on the life of Phoolan Devi made careers out of almost everyone that acted in this masterclass of storytelling. Seema Biswas played the titular role with heartbreaking intensity and horrific detail. Here was an ordinary woman who was buried under overwhelming circumstances that forced her to pick up the gun and make history. Here, we are talking about both Devi and Biswas. The success of this film brought to spotlight names like Manoj Bajpayee, Saurabh Shukla, Aditya Srivastava, and Nirmal Pandey.

Paan Singh Tomar (2012)

The former Indian athlete’s story is just as tragic. His medals and endless contribution to Indian sports when unnoticed. It was only after he turned into a barbaric dacoit the nation woke up to his name. Tomar, played with relentless pursuit by Irrfan Khan, refused to recognize himself as a dacoit. He was a Baaghi, a rebel, who was robbed off his innocence and glory. The Chambal valley and his gang became his home, that unfortunately haunted him instead of soothing his soul.

Sonchiriya (2019)

The tribe here was just as virtuous and vociferous as the one in Paan Singh Tomar. The ravines were the same, and so was the impact. Few filmmakers understand the landscape of grit as meticulously as Abhishek Chaubey. The expanse of Chambal is both overwhelming and terrifying. The protagonists are both heroes and villains. It’s all about the gaze. The lines between good and bad have blurred even before the film has begun. Both the lawlessness and the keepers are on their duties. The one who wins barely gets the applause. The dead has all our heart.

Chakravyuh (2012)

Another Manoj Bajpayee title. This time, he played the leader of a Maoist group. This time too, it was the battle of righteousness. We all know who would win in the end, and we have already taken sides. An undercover police officer breaths their lives and has an expected metamorphosis. Prakash Jha, the director, shows both the sides of the story, but he doesn’t forget to humanize what some call demons or devils.

Pushpa: The Rise (2021)

Sukumar’s rollicking Pushpa was having fun with a dense subject and dark character. The hero, Allu Arjun, smuggled sandalwood and soon became the hero of the Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh. For anyone else, this is an unlikely hero and an in likable too. He’s unkempt but there’s some heroism to his dirt as well, both physically and metaphorically. He shows villains can be heroes too. It’s all in the eyes of the beholder.

Raavan (2010)

Mani Ratnam’s ambitious but flawed take on The Ramayana was gorgeous to look at but difficult to immerse ourselves in. Here, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan played Sita, Vikram played Ram and Abhishek Bachchan played Raavan. He kidnaps Bachchan’s character and has fun keeping her in captivity. The members of his tribe mock her relentless anguish and admire. But Raavan (Beera here) is actually the Robinhood of his area and his people. Ratnam humanizes the antagonist that would make us root for him. The final shot further tilts the narrative towards the greatest villain of Indian history. Sita pining for Raavan over Ram was a plot twist nobody saw coming, and maybe never needed.

Jai Bhim (2021)

Jai Bhim is a courageous film about the neglected tribe of Irula. A lawyer fights for the justice of a woman whose husband is accused of robbery and is now missing from police custody. There are uncomfortable shots of brutality and torture that make the film more compelling. It’s not difficult to take sides here either.

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