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Dark detectives at large

Murder most foul, a killer or cunning criminal on the loose, murky motives, twists and turns to convolute the plot and skeletons tumbling out of the proverbial the cupboard — these are the factors that make for a truly delectable detective serial or film for viewers of the crime genre to sink their teeth into.

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Aradhika Sharma

Murder most foul, a killer or cunning criminal on the loose, murky motives, twists and turns to convolute the plot and skeletons tumbling out of the proverbial the cupboard — these are the factors that make for a truly delectable detective serial or film for viewers of the crime genre to sink their teeth into. There is one added factor, however, that can add an extra fillip to the mix and that is when the screen detective or journalist investigating the crime has a psychological issue him/herself. The issue could be rooted in some past trauma in childhood or teenage or could have its basis in the detective’s history, or perhaps, it could be a behavioral issue. 

Such troubled investigators, who are haunted by their own demons, are quite a common phenomenon in many successful British and American detective serials but until recently, have not been explored in Hindi films. Probably Prakash Kovelamudi’s Judgementall Hai Kya is one of the first in the genre of Hindi films. The film juggles the seemingly normal and the abnormal, oscillating between reality and illusions as the directors performs a variety of dazzling sleight of hands that are meant to challenge the audience till director opens his cards in the final denouement. Ably supported by two of the most talented actors in Bollywood, Kangana Ranaut and Rajkummar Rao, the film stretches the boundaries as a shadowy, psychological whodunit. Kangana (Bobby) is diagnosed with acute psychosis due to childhood trauma. Rajkumar Rao (Keshav) is the perfectly normal man-next-door. However, told from Bobby’s psychedelic point of view, there is a juxtaposition of the narratives that challenges the validity of what is perceived as ‘normal’ and the ‘abnormal’.

Writers and directors prefer to introduce a quirk or flaw in their not so ‘normal’ detective-protagonist to add to the dark, subliminal mystery-crime story. This additional feature removes it from being a run-of-the-mill whodunit, adding various layers to the narrative as the crime solver struggles with the demons within while fighting the villains of the world outside. Sooner or later, the crime-solver must deal with the repressed or unconscious aspects of their personality, which can influence their actions and decisions in unexpected ways. The more troubled and complexed as human beings the investigators, the more fascinating is interplay of tones in the serial or film.

The latest offering that streaming services have to offer is Sharp Objects, starring Amy Adams, who plays an emotionally troubled newspaper reporter, Camille Preaker. Just out from a stay at a psychiatric hospital where she was being treated for a mental illness, she is told by her editor to return to her small hometown to report on the murders of two preteen girls. The screenplay is based on a story by Gillian Flynn, bestselling author of the immensely dark, immensely twisted author of Gone Girl. The atmosphere of the show is unwaveringly forbidding. The stellar cast, which includes Patricia Clarkson, Amilia Perkins and Eliza Scanlen, makes the show even more compelling as Adams grapples with her history of loss and self-inflicted pain while trying to find the truth behind the heinous murders of the teenage girls.

One of the most layered onscreen detectives would undoubted be John River, played by Stellan Skarsgård in the six-part British serial called River from award-winning writer Abi Morgan. Skarsgård plays a brilliant police inspector whose genius is as much a part of his character as the fragility of his mind. He is a man haunted by the ghosts of murder victims whose cases he must lay to rest. The brilliant yet tormented Detective Inspector John River, has the audiences begging for another season, which is yet awaited.

One of TV’s most enduring detectives, also known as ‘everyone’s favorite serial killer,’ is Michael C. Hall, who plays Dexter Morgan in the serial Dexter. He works as a forensic technician for the police department during the day and, when free from his duties, kills monstrous criminal. A crime solver as well as a compulsive killer, Dexter is a man profoundly in conflict with the world and himself.The most enduring and challenging detective to this date arguably remains Sherlock Holmes. Created by Arthur Conan Doyle in 1887, Holmes has been listed by Guinness World Records listing him as the “most portrayed movie character” in history. Almost every major streaming channel has their own version of the fascinating detective, who borders on the mystical and the fantastical.

Top of the Lake, season 1 and 2, written by Jane Campion and Gerard Lee, stars Elisabeth Moss, who stars as Detective Robin Griffin. In Season 1, she investigates the disappearance of pregnant 12-year-old Tui Mitcham. The mood becomes increasingly somber and a Griffin struggles to find the girl in her small hometown while trying to face her own poignant past as sexual-assault survivor. A familiar TV and cinema trope, there are numerous examples of detectives who are driven by tragedy or trauma — Alec Hardy, dogged by a failed case and estranged family from Broadchurch, Luther has a dead wife, Veronica Mars from ‘Veronica Mars’ is dealing with the death of a best friend. It is all very gloomy and adds interesting dimensions to the viewing experience.

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