Delhi Crime S3 review: Shefali Shah, Huma Qureshi outdo each other in taut thriller that mixes formula with substance

DElhi law-breaking S3 reviewCast: Shefali shah of iran, Huma Qureshi, Rasika Dugal, Rajesh Tailang, Sayani Gupta, Mita VashishthDirector: Tanuj ChopraRating: ★★★.5To call in new delhi criminal offense formulaic would be, well, a crime. It is one of the finest web shows to come out of India, if not the finest. Over the years, Delhi Crime - and its protagonist Vartika Chaturvedi - have become hallmarks of quality thriller. The third season, which finally takes Vartika out of her comfort zone, sees the audience travel to many places outside the national capital. For the first time, it also creates a villain large enough to challenge our protagonist. And yet, it does all that without glamourising crime. It does fall prey to formula a bit, yet manages to bring enough substance to stay afloat.The premiseVartika Chaturvedi (Shefali Shah) is now a DIG, having been shunted to Manipur from Delhi. Yet, a case of missing girls brings her back to the capital, and joins her with her former team. But her foe, Meena (a menacing Huma Qureshi), is smart. She has a network of wrongdoers (each cast better than the previous one). And Vartika and her team must now outwit this spider if they have any chance of bringing her network down and saving the lives of 30 girls.Delhi Crime sees little of Delhi this time around. The action shifts from Manipur to Haryana, and from Mumbai to Gujarat, frequently. Yet, it retains its core identity, its Dilli-ness. It is still about our team of cops from Delhi, about a crime that retains its roots in Delhi, and involves a lot of politicking. The geography changes, but the soul remains intact, and the writers deserve a great deal of credit for it.Spread over 6 episodes, Delhi Crime deviates from its usual whodunnit narrative and introduces us to the bad guys and their backstories early on. It’s a big gamble. For the first time, the viewer is ahead of the police. You run the risk of making your cops appear silly or incompetent in front of the viewers. Delhi Crime passes that test. It does fail another one. In pitting Vartika and Meena against each other, it follows a trope that has become all too common in Indian OTT - the face-off.The face-off is not dull. But you can sense it from a mile away. You can see the build-up for it, and the breadcrumbs too. That is where Delhi Crime finally begins to feel like a lot of the other shows populating Indian streaming. It has never been before today. It is only the gripping narrative and slick direction that manage to prevent it from falling into that gorge of predictable formula.Shefali Shah vs Huma QureshiShefali Shah is in top form yet again. To call her one of the finest actors of her generation would be underselling it. There are few who can become a character like she does, suspending disbelief so easily and so smoothly. Yet, the show does falter a bit in her characterisation. Vartika is meant to be our moral compass, our view of humanity in this wretched world. That is why she never seems jaded. But when she - a seasoned cop - is shocked by a gruesome sight every time, it beggars belief. Shefali still manages to pull off that vulnerability splendidly. But it rankles nonetheless.At the other end of the spectrum is Huma Qureshi in what is arguably the finest performance of her career. You take one look at her aura as Meena and wonder why nobody ever cast her as the bad guy (apologies, girl). She towers above everyone and yet mingles with the crowd. The ease with which she slips from charming to cruel is scary and fascinating at the same time.The scene-stealer for me, apart from the two leads, was Mita Vashishth. As the pimp Kalyani, she brings unprecedented humanity to an evil part, making it so relatable and disgusting at the same time. And the veteran actor leaves no stone unturned in blending humour, drama, and horror in a beautiful cocktail. Rasika Dugal, as always, leaves a mark. Her track allows her growth, both as an actor and in her character. And she nails every beat perfectly. Rajesh Tailang was born to play this, it seems, never putting a foot wrong. Sayani Gupta was a welcome addition to the stacked cast. Her beautiful play with malice and authoritative evil is delicious to watch.Delhi Crime S3 is a great show. Does it hold up against its illustrious predecessors? Yes and no! Yes, because it retains the soul of the show, and again brings to the fore some of the finest acting on Indian OTT today. No, because it is finally letting formula creep in, something we’d hoped at least this one would stay away from.