True-crime docu-series Nithari: Truth, Lies & Murder, which released on discovery+ on November 20, is another riveting series by Deepak Chaturvedi, known for masterpieces such as Death in Bollywood (BBC-2), Talwars - Behind Closed Doors (HBO) and Revealed - The Golden Temple (Discovery Channel), among others. Scheduled to release on discovery+, the three-part docu-series is a journey into the demons of the 2006 Nithari serial killings. As Surendra Koli, one of the prime accused who was sentenced to death in the Nithari killings, walks out of jail after 20 years, we talk about the relevance of the series and making of it with Deepak, who sits with us for a chat.
With the release order of Koli, this docu-series becomes all the more relevant. How and why did you decide to do it?
Koli’s recent release from jail and prior to that, the Allahabad High Court Acquittal of October 2023, brings the focus back on Nithari and our docu-series will find more immediate context for sure. I got interested in the Nithari cases nearly eight years ago, when I was researching and working on another project. Surinder Koli’s 164CrPC statement was one of the first documents I read. It disturbed me deeply as I tried to visualise the contents of his alleged confession. At the same time, my journalistic sense told me that there’s more to the story than what we read in media. That became the genesis of the project. Our endeavour from that day on has been to separate the truth from the lies of Nithari.
How different is it from the fiction film Sector 36 based on the incident?
Sector 36 is a work of fiction loosely based on the Nithari incident. Our documentary is factual. If you really are interested in knowing what happened in Nithari, then you will have to leave all of fiction behind and step into an unsettling reality that challenges all your assumptions about the case. Our series is a doorway into the reality of Nithari.
How mentally draining is it to make such a series for a filmmaker?
It takes a toll. You have to immerse yourself in all possible scenarios and versions of the story. You have to inhabit that world for long periods of time. Your connection with the rest of the world becomes very limited. Plus, you go through thousands of pages of documents and transcripts, trying to make meaning of everything, trying to sieve fact from fiction. Then there are the realities and challenges of filmmaking. So yes, it is very draining for all of the team.
Among all the diverse true-crime narratives that you have shot, which case enticed you the most?
Each has been different. The Hemraj & Aarushi Murder case taught me a lot. The Jiah Khan story drained me the most. The Nithari story has possibly enraged me the most.
With interest rising for such gripping true narratives, do you think the market for such docu-series is opening more?
The space for good storytelling, well researched and crafted, has always been there and will grow. However, shrinking attention spans, the volume of “content” (good and bad) which is available now, the transactional nature of engagements within the storytelling ecosystem – how to navigate all that is the real challenge for filmmakers and storytellers.
Upcoming projects?
A biopic and a series on international statecraft.