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{{Short description|2022 Netflix Indian docuseries}}
{{Over-quotation|date=July 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2023}}
{{Use Indian English|date=December 2023}}
{{Infobox television
| image = Indian_Predator_-_The_Butcher_of_Delhi.jpg
| genre = [[True crime]] [[docuseries]]
| creator = Ayesha Sood
| based_on =
| director = Ayesha Sood
| creative_director = Nandita Gupta Tushar Jain Arun Bhatia
| starring = Altaf Hussain Bunny Adhikari Mukesh Pandey Ankit Sharma Manjit Singh Sanjay Bansal
| theme_music_composer = Salvage Audio Collective Ayush Abuja
| composer = Salvage Audio Collective
| country = India
| language = Hindi
| num_seasons = 1
| num_episodes = 3
| executive_producer = Srusti Jain Nandita Gupta
| producer = Sanmira Kanwar Ashwin Rai Shetty Vatsala Aron Niharika Kotwal
| cinematography = Linesh Desai
| editor = Anupama Chabukswar
| runtime = 41– 44 minutes
| company = [[Vice Media|Vice]] [[India Today]]
| network = [[Netflix]]
| released = {{Start date|df=y|2022|07|20}}
}}

'''''Indian Predator: The Butcher of Delhi''''' is an Indian [[Netflix]] [[true crime]] docuseries which premiered on 20 July 2022. Produced by [[Vice Media|VICE India]] and directed by Ayesha Sood, ''The Butcher of Delhi'' explores both the police investigation and the motives of [[Chandrakant Jha]], a serial killer who, in 2006–2007, left three decapitated victims outside the [[Tihar Jail]] accompanied by mocking notes.

The first installment of a proposed ''Indian Predator'' series, ''The Butcher of Delhi'' received mixed reviews. Although some critics[''[[Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Words to watch#Unsupported attributions|who?]]''] praised the mystery, pacing and departure from the [[whodunit]] format, others criticized its perceived [[cliché]] representation of Jha and overrepresentation of police accounts, lack of depth, poor flow and excessive exposition.

== Premise ==
''Indian Predator: The Butcher of Delhi'' is a three-episode true crime docuseries. The first episode follows officer Sunder Singh's investigation and arrest of [[Chandrakant Jha]], a serial killer who, in 2006–2007, left three decapitated victims outside the [[Tihar Jail]] in [[Delhi]], [[India]] accompanied by mocking notes challenging the police to catch him before his next murder.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sachdeva |first=Maanya |date=26 July 2022 |title=Butcher of Delhi: The chilling story of an Indian serial killer in Netflix's new true-crime series |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/indian-predator-butcher-of-delhi-chandrakant-jha-b2131161.html |url-access=limited |access-date=7 August 2022 |website=[[The Independent]]}}</ref> Later episodes explore Jha's life, backstory and motives, much of which was told by Jha during the police interview after his arrest. ''The Butcher of Delhi'' features interviews of people involved or close to the case, such as officers and journalists, interspersed with dramatizations of police exchanges, archival photographs and recreations.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |last=Mehrotra |first=Suchin |date=23 July 2022 |title=Indian Predator The Butcher of Delhi director Ayesha Sood on the notorious CC Killer: 'He knows how to play the system' |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/web-series/indian-predator-the-butcher-of-delhi-director-ayesha-sood-talks-about-serial-killer-chandrakant-jha-101658538644488.html |access-date=23 July 2022 |website=[[Hindustan Times]]}}</ref>

== Cast ==
=== Actors ===
* Altaf Hussain as [[Chandrakant Jha]]
** Mukesh Pandy as Jha's voice
**Jitendra Sharma as a young Jha
*Manjit Singh as Sunder Singh
*Sanjay Bansal as Pandit
*Bunny Adhikari as Anil Mandal
*Meenu as Mamta
*Ankit Sharma as Dalip Kaushik
*Joginder Sharma as Hoshiyar Singh
*Pankaj Sharma as Narendra Kumar
*Shivam as Jarnil Singh

=== Interviewees ===
{{Expand section|Needs non-character members (the interviewees)|date=July 2022}}

* Surinder Singh Yadav, investigating officer of the case<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |last=Tikader |first=Agrima |date=22 July 2022 |title=Indian Predator: The Butcher of Delhi: What to expect from this true crime Netflix spine-chiller |url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/entertainment/indian-predator-the-butcher-of-delhi-what-to-expect-from-this-true-crime-netflix-spine-chiller/cid/1875943 |access-date=23 July 2022 |website=[[The Telegraph (India)|The Telegraph]]}}</ref>
* S.L. Vaya, a clinical forensic scientist<ref name=":6" /> and psychologist<ref name=":7">{{Cite web |last=Trehan |first=Tanvi |date=23 July 2022 |title=Cliched, exaggerated—Netflix's serial killer in 'Indian Predator' is only an archetype |url=https://theprint.in/features/reel-take/cliched-exaggerated-netflixs-serial-killer-in-indian-predator-is-only-an-archetype/1051742/ |access-date=23 July 2022 |website=[[ThePrint]]}}</ref>

== Episodes ==
{{Expand section|add synopsis for all episodes|date=July 2022}}{{Episode table
| episodes = {{Episode list|Draft:Indian Predator
| EpisodeNumber = 1
| Title = Episode 1
| DirectedBy = Ayesha Sood
| OriginalAirDate = 20 July 2022
| ShortSummary = In 2006, a stranger leaves a beheaded body outside a Delhi jail with a note challenging the police to catch him. It isn't his first — or last — murder.
| EpisodeNumber2 = 1
}}
{{Episode list|Draft:Indian Predator
| EpisodeNumber = 2
| EpisodeNumber2 = 2
| Title = Episode 2
| DirectedBy = Ayesha Sood
| OriginalAirDate = 20 July 2022
| ShortSummary = During interrogations, Chandrakant shares his fraught history with the police. Investigators face a challenging search for conclusive evidence.
}}
{{Episode list|Draft:Indian Predator
| EpisodeNumber = 3
| EpisodeNumber2 = 3
| Title = Episode 3
| DirectedBy = Ayesha Sood
| ShortSummary = Ghosai residents offer powerful accounts and photos from Chandrakant's past. Experts discuss the case's mental health and social implications.
| OriginalAirDate = 20 July 2090

}}

|background = #B30E0E
}}

== Production ==

=== Development ===
{{Quote box
| quote = "[''Indian Predator''] was a collaboration between [[Vice Media|Vice]] and [[Netflix]], it was an umbrella series. They had come up with a pool of stories and one of them was [[Chandrakant Jha|this]]. It wasn’t picked because it was gruesome or grotesque, it was picked because the nature of the crime was audacious and something so audacious, gruesome, or brutal was not really heard or talked about. The fact that it was unseen was one of the key reasons."
| source = Ayesha Sood, interviewed by ''[[News18]]''<ref name=":9" />
| width = 25em
}}The ''Indian Predator'' series was first announced in March 2021 in a press release by Netflix and Vice Studios, which also reported three additional directors for later installments alongside Ayesha Sood: [[Umesh Vinayak Kulkarni|Umesh Kulkarni]], [[Ashwin Shetty]] and Dheeraj Jindal.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=HT Entertainment Desk |date=3 March 2021 |title=Netflix India 2021 slate announced: From Fabulous Lives season 2 and Kapil Sharma to Abbas-Mustan's next, see full list |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/netflix-india-2021-slate-announced-from-fabulous-lives-season-2-and-kapil-sharma-to-abbas-mustan-s-next-see-full-list-101614760233353.html |access-date=23 July 2022 |website=[[Hindustan Times]] |quote='''Director:''' Ayesha Sood, Umesh Kulkarni, Ashwin Shetty, Dheeraj Jindal}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Mehtab |first=Omar |date=8 April 2021 |title=Vice Studios: At the cutting edge |url=https://rts.org.uk/article/vice-studios-cutting-edge |access-date=19 July 2022 |website=[[Royal Television Society]] |quote=Vice Studios recently announced that it was making a true-crime series, Indian Predator, for Netflix in India, “a super-premium” documentary with the potential to become a global suc- cess, it believes, that attempts to get into the minds of serial killers.}}</ref> ''The Butcher of Delhi'' is the first of this series, which will also follow other Indian true crime cases.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Mahorta |first=Rahul |date=28 June 2022 |title='Indian Predator: The Butcher of Delhi' Trailer Teases Netflix's Chilling True Crime Series |url=https://collider.com/indian-predator-the-butcher-of-delhi-trailer-documentary-netflix/ |access-date=19 July 2022 |website=[[Collider (website)|Collider]]}}</ref> ''Indian Predator'' was among over forty Indian productions that Netflix India announced that year, and follows several previous Indian true crime series for Netflix such as ''[[House of Secrets: The Burari Deaths]]'' (2021).<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last=Meek |first=Andy |date=19 July 2022 |title=Don't miss this twisted new Netflix docuseries that tracks a serial killer from India |url=https://bgr.com/entertainment/dont-miss-this-twisted-new-netflix-docuseries-that-tracks-a-serial-killer-from-india/ |access-date=20 July 2022 |website=[[Boy Genius Report]]}}</ref> In an interview for the [[Royal Television Society]], Vice Studios' president Kate Ward characterized such documentaries as a "big opportunity" for Vice.<ref name=":3" />

Director Ayesha Sood<ref>{{Cite web |last=IANS |date=19 July 2022 |title=Ayesha Sood opens up on 'Indian Predator: The Butcher of Delhi' |url=https://www.thestatesman.com/entertainment/ott/ayesha-sood-opens-indian-predator-butcher-delhi-1503091627.html |access-date=20 July 2022 |website=[[The Statesman (India)|The Statesman]]}}</ref> stated that, around May 2020, Vice approached her to direct ''Indian Predator'' and presented her with potential cases to adapt.<ref name=":8">{{Cite web |last=Bhardwaj |first=Kartik |date=20 July 2022 |title=Sometimes sources backed out at the last minute: Ayesha Sood on making Netflix's Indian Predator |url=https://www.cinemaexpress.com/hindi/interviews/2022/jul/20/sometimes-sources-backed-out-at-the-last-minute-ayesha-sood-on-making-netflixs-indian-predator-32903.html |access-date=23 July 2022 |website=[[Cinema Express]] ([[The New Indian Express]])}}</ref> She chose the case of Chandrakant Jha as she found it "very intriguing"<ref name=":8" /> and was surprised that she did not know of it despite living in Delhi.<ref name=":5" /> She later elaborated that she picked it because it was "something so audacious, gruesome, or brutal [that it was not] really heard or talked about".<ref name=":9">{{Cite web |last=Banerjee |first=Ranjini |date=23 July 2022 |title=Indian Predator Director Ayesha Sood on Making Netflix Docu-series: 'Delhi Police Was Very Cooperative' |url=https://www.news18.com/news/movies/indian-predator-director-ayesha-sood-on-making-netflix-docu-series-delhi-police-was-very-cooperative-exclusive-5605855.html |access-date=23 July 2022 |website=[[News18]]}}</ref>

=== Research and filming ===
The development team, led by Nandita Gupta,<ref name=":10">{{Cite web |last=Khan |first=Arman |date=23 July 2022 |title=The 'Butcher of Delhi' Was One of the Most Savage Serial Killers in History. A New Netflix Series Dives Into His Twisted Mind. |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/watch-netflix-series-indian-predator-butcher-of-delhi-made-by-vice/ |access-date=23 July 2022 |website=[[Vice (magazine)|Vice]]}}</ref> went through a long phase of research and interviews, guided by Vice and Netflix's legal team.<ref name=":9" /> Sood said that it "led [her] to discover a lot about human psychology and the justice system".<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Entertainment Desk |date=29 June 2022 |title=Indian Predator The Butcher of Delhi: A chilling docu-series on serial killer who terrorised India's capital |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/web-series/indian-predator-the-butcher-of-delhi-a-chilling-docu-series-on-serial-killer-who-beheaded-his-victims-challenged-police-7995467/ |access-date=19 July 2022 |website=[[The Indian Express]]}}</ref> The research team gradually contacted all persons involved with Jha or the case known from the case files.<ref name=":10" /> During interviews, Sood found it "tough" to discern factual information from interviewees and was the production team were careful to cut various material.<ref name=":5" /> In an interview for ''[[News18]]'', she noted that the interviewees were "very cooperative"<ref name=":9" /> and the [[Delhi Police]] shared various files and materials with them.<ref name=":8" /> She told ''[[Cinema Express]]'' that some sources backed out of being recorded "at the last moment",<ref name=":8" /> but many villagers would instead give her details in person.<ref name=":9" /> Sood attempted to interview Jha, but could speak only to his lawyer as cameras are unable to be brought into [[Tihar Jail]].<ref name=":5" /> The team also visited Jha's residence in Delhi, but were not allowed to shoot there by the landlord; this experience was described by Sood as "haunting".<ref name=":10" />

''The Butcher of Delhi'' features dramatizations of police exchanges and investigations with Jha that, according to Sood, were all completely based on archival material.<ref name=":5" /> Interspersed in between the interviews are both archival photographs of crime scenes and recreations and reenactments of the events being described.<ref name=":6" />

=== Marketing ===
The producers refrained in revealing the actual case ''The Butcher of Delhi'' is based on prior to its release.<ref name=":0" /> The trailer for the series was released on 28 June 2022 on Netflix India's official [[YouTube]] channel<ref name=":1" /> and now has over three million views.<ref name=":4" /> The channel also released other short teasers prior to the release date.{{fact|date=December 2023}}

== Release ==
The three episodes of ''Indian Predator: The Butcher of Delhi'' premiered on Netflix on 20 July 2022.<ref name=":0" />

== Reception ==
The miniseries received mixed reviews. Abhimanyu Mathur of ''[[Hindustan Times]]'' praised ''The Butcher of Delhi'' and compared it above other Netflix Indian true crime series, noting that it builds mystery around Jha's motives and actions instead of following a typical [[whodunit]] format.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mathur |first=Abhimanyu |date=20 July 2022 |title=Indian Predator The Butcher of Delhi review: Netflix's spine-chilling serial killer show with a lesson in class divide |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/web-series/indian-predator-the-butcher-of-delhi-review-a-spine-chilling-serial-killer-show-101658324525761.html |access-date=21 July 2022 |website=[[Hindustan Times]]}}</ref> Joel Keller of ''[[Decider (website)|Decider]]'' noted that "The show gets to the point... [it] doesn’t pad its runtime with off-topic examinations of the time period or unnecessary biographical sketches".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Keller |first=Joel |date=20 July 2022 |title=Stream It Or Skip It: 'Indian Predator: The Butcher Of Delhi' On Netflix, A Docuseries About A Serial Killer Taunting Delhi Law Enforcement With Dismembered Bodies |url=https://decider.com/2022/07/20/indian-predator-the-butcher-of-delhi-netflix-review/ |access-date=21 July 2022 |website=[[Decider (website)|Decider]]}}</ref> M.N. Miller of ''Ready Steady Cut'' praised Sood's direction and how ''The Butcher of Delhi'' "gets into the head of the killer",<ref>{{Cite web |last=Miller |first=M.N. |date=21 July 2022 |title=Indian Predator: The Butcher of Delhi review – a brutal and fascinating watch |url=https://readysteadycut.com/2022/07/21/review-indian-predator-the-butcher-of-delhi-netflix-series/ |access-date=22 July 2022 |website=Ready Steady Cut}}</ref> as did Bhavya Sadhwani of ''India Times'', who noted the impartial narration.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sadhwani |first=Bhavya |date=23 July 2022 |title=Just Like Burari Series, Indian Predator: The Butcher Of Delhi Will Make You Feel Uncomfortable |url=https://www.indiatimes.com/entertainment/binge/just-like-burari-series-indian-predator-the-butcher-of-delhi-will-make-you-feel-uncomfortable-575516.html |access-date=24 July 2022 |website=India Times}}</ref>

Veronica Loop of ''Martin Cid Magazine'' praised its style and pacing, saying ''The Butcher of Delhi'' was "hefty, truculent, and provocative".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Loop |first=Veronica |date=20 July 2022 |title=Indian Predator: The Butcher of Delhi – Series Review – On Netflix |url=https://martincid.com/en/2022/07/20/indian-predator-the-butcher-of-delhi-series-review-netflix/ |access-date=20 July 2022 |website=Martin Cid Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref> Ameen of ''Leisurebyte'' drew attention to how it "puts forward the reality of the lower strata of the society who are so beaten down by the people above them and how even justice is not on their side in most cases, even neglects them".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ameen |date=20 July 2022 |title=Indian Predator The Butcher of Delhi Review: Story of an Unnoticed Serial Killer |url=https://www.leisurebyte.com/indian-predator-the-butcher-of-delhi-review/ |access-date=20 July 2022 |website=Leisurebyte |language=en-US}}</ref>

In contrast, Bhuvanesh Chandar of ''[[The Hindu]]'' found the show to be [[cliché]], describing its exploration of both the events and Jha's motives and life as "shallow and unconvincing". Chandar concludes that ''The Butcher of Delhi'' "clearly stays away from Chandrakant's accusations of police brutality" and that "[ultimately] milking the shock value of a criminal case only gets you so far".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chandar |first=Bhuvanesh |date=22 July 2022 |title='Indian Predator: The Butcher of Delhi' review: Despite the potent material, only a shallow exploration persists |url=https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/movies/indian-predator-the-butcher-of-delhi-review-a-shallow-exploration/article65669880.ece |access-date=23 July 2022 |website=[[The Hindu]]}}</ref> Tanvi Trehan of ''[[ThePrint]]'' echoed Chandar's complaints, saying that the series "fails to question the police", but praised Singh's recount.<ref name=":7" /> Nandini Ramnath of ''[[Scroll.in]]'' also reflected Trehan's sentiments,<ref name=":11">{{Cite web |last=Ramnath |first=Nandini |date=20 July 2022 |title='Indian Predator: The Butcher of Delhi' review: A sensationalised recreation of a gruesome crime |url=https://scroll.in/reel/1028158/indian-predator-the-butcher-of-delhi-review-a-sensationalised-recreation-of-a-gruesome-crime |access-date=23 July 2022 |website=[[Scroll.in]]}}</ref> and Pratikshya Mishra of ''[[The Quint]]'' felt that ''The Butcher of Delhi'' was "derailed by its [sensationalist] approach", somewhat addressing the need for police reform but "immediately countering it".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pratikshya |first=Mishra |date=20 July 2022 |title=Review: 'Indian Predator: The Butcher of Delhi' is Derailed by Its Approach |url=https://www.thequint.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/review-indian-predator-the-butcher-of-delhi-is-derailed-by-its-approach#read-more |access-date=23 July 2022 |website=[[The Quint]]}}</ref>

Although ultimately recommending ''The Butcher of Delhi'', praising it as "intriguing" and depicting a "brutality and disrespect of life that is very hard to relate to", Karina Adelgaard of ''Heaven in Horror'' said that the first episode was "messy" and questioned the reliability of the police accounts.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Adelgaard |first=Karina "ScreamQueen" |date=20 July 2022 |title=Indian Predator: The Butcher of Delhi – Netflix Review |url=https://www.heavenofhorror.com/reviews/indian-predator-the-butcher-of-delhi-netflix-true-crime/ |access-date=20 July 2022 |website=Heaven of Horror |language=en-US}}</ref> Poulomi Das of ''[[Firstpost]]'' said that the show followed the same "frustrating template" as Netflix's other Indian true crime series—"[building] itself around a gruesome, headline-grabbing case [then proceeding] to use the police investigation to paint a selective portrait of the societal inequalities that breeds criminals... [In] their attempt to cover multiple vantage points of one single crime, these documentaries overcrowd their own narratives, often rushing through points instead of making any." Das also criticized the pacing, "unimaginative" filmmaking and exposition. He concludes "that the series is content with endorsing the official version of events couldn’t be any more obvious. It’s exactly why ''Indian Predator: The Butcher of Delhi'' lacks the thrills."<ref name=":12">{{Cite web |last=Das |first=Poulomi |date=20 July 2022 |title=Indian Predator: The Butcher of Delhi: Frustrating Netflix true crime series retells a chilling case without any purpose |url=https://www.firstpost.com/opinion/indian-predator-the-butcher-of-delhi-review-frustrating-netflix-true-crime-series-retells-a-chilling-case-without-any-purpose-10934321.html |access-date=21 July 2022 |website=[[Firstpost]]}}</ref>

Many critics compared it both favorably and unfavorably to ''[[House of Secrets: The Burari Deaths]]'' (2021), either as being similar to it or not being able to meet its standards.<ref name=":12" /><ref name=":11" />

== Franchise ==
''Indian Predator:'' ''The Butcher of Delhi'' is the first of a proposed ''Indian Predator'' series which follows other Indian true crime cases on the same title. It was followed by ''[[Indian Predator: The Diary of a Serial Killer]]'' and ''[[Indian Predator: Murder in a Courtroom]]''.<ref>{{Citation |title=Experience Real Content {{!}} Indian Matchmaking, Social Currency & More {{!}} Netflix India | date=8 August 2022 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBw8rFThGd4 |language=en |access-date=2022-08-09}}</ref> Later the series was revived for another instalment called ''Indian Predator: Beast of Bangalore''.

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{IMDb title|description=}}
*{{Netflix title}}

[[Category:Hindi-language television shows]]
[[Category:Netflix original documentary television series]]
[[Category:True crime television series]]
[[Category:Indian documentary television series]]
[[Category:Television series about real serial killers]]
[[Category:Indian crime television series]]

Indian Predator: The Butcher of Delhi - Revision history

Serzccd at 06:46, 2 April 2026