Delhi Crime S3: A Gripping Thriller Led By Powerful Performances

Calling Delhi Crime formulaic would be unfair. It’s one of the best web shows made in India. Over the years, both the show and its lead character, Vartika Chaturvedi, have become symbols of strong, high-quality storytelling.
Season 3 finally takes Vartika out of her usual space and sends the story beyond Delhi. For the first time, the show also gives us a villain strong enough to truly challenge her. Even with all this, the series never glamorises crime. Yes, it follows some familiar patterns, but it also adds enough depth to keep things interesting.

The Story

Vartika Chaturvedi (Shefali Shah) is now a DIG and posted in Manipur. But when a case involving missing girls comes up, she is called back to Delhi to work with her old team.
Her new enemy, Meena (Huma Qureshi), is clever and dangerous. She runs a network of criminals, each one cast brilliantly. Vartika and her team must outsmart this network to save 30 kidnapped girls.

Even though much of the story happens outside Delhi — in Manipur, Haryana, Mumbai, and Gujarat — the show still feels like Delhi Crime. The essence of Delhi, its politics, and its police team remain at the core. The writers deserve credit for keeping its identity intact.

What’s Different This Season

This time, we see the villains and their stories from the beginning. So the audience knows more than the police. This is a risk because it could make the cops look slow or foolish. But Delhi Crime handles this well.

However, when the show builds up the big clash between Vartika and Meena, it falls into a common OTT trend — the predictable face-off. You can see it coming. It’s not boring, but it feels familiar. What saves the show is strong writing and sharp direction.

Shefali Shah vs Huma Qureshi

Shefali Shah once again delivers a powerful performance. Calling her “one of the best actors” feels like an understatement. She becomes Vartika so naturally that you forget she’s acting.

But Vartika’s character has one flaw — she is meant to be the moral centre of the story, someone who still sees humanity in darkness. Yet, she is shown getting shocked by gruesome scenes repeatedly, which feels unrealistic for such an experienced cop.
Still, Shefali Shah plays that vulnerability beautifully.

Huma Qureshi is equally strong. Her presence brings intensity to the show, and she is a villain worthy of Vartika.

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