It also vilifies the media’s coverage of the case which sensationalized and appeared to blow facts apart.īut all of them are tokenistic representations. The docuseries makes the requisite appeal to mental health, to the “secrecy” factor of Indian families, and the deep hold of superstition. Or why is it normal for people to hide the “abnormalities” in their households? It’s the same instinct that makes us hide a relative who is suffering from a mental health disorder. The production brings in psychologists, journalists and writers to discuss the merits of the case, but none of them answer the important questions of why some accept orders from patriarchal figures like Lalit. Ultimately, the tragedy should have asked questions and ignited discussions about the hidden dysfunctionality of “seemingly, normal families.” Without this deep-dive, the docuseries falls into the same vicious circle. One cannot just say that “Lalit was mentally disturbed” or some variation of the plot. All in all, the series paints the picture of a family that became a small cult where they shared a similar belief that the spirit of a dead man would help them succeed.īut, one must not ignore the deep patriarchal hold at the center of it all, one that only seemed further strengthened by the involvement of the cult behavior. Experts have claimed it is neither suicide nor murder, but an accident.įriends and neighbors of the family, who have been interviewed during the docuseries, had no knowledge of these occult activities and the family dynamics of the Bhatias, though here are mentions of mental health and how Lalit’s “psychosis” led to this tragedy. It is revealed that none of them were meant to die, as the dead father would save them. It’s according to that word of law that the family attempted a badd puja - a religious ceremony invoking a banyan tree, that led to the death of the entire family. He maintained 11 handwritten diaries where his possessed spirit would apparently invoke the “instructions” of his “father.” Those words became the word of law for the Bhatia family, so much so that no one dared to question the “messenger.” Due to trauma and mental illness, he allegedly experienced episodes of psychosis in which he thought he was possessed by the spirit of his dead father. Lalit, the youngest son in the Bhatia family, became the patriarch of the family after his father’s death. There is at least one triggering scene showing ropes hanging and the dangling feet of the family members, barely touching the ground. It might be extremely disturbing for some viewers, as it has mentions of suicide and graphic imagery. There is a scary buildup, and even though actual footage or images of the dead family are never shown, the impact is quite shocking. With the help of archival footage, recreated sequences and interviews with experts, Yadav makes us feel that we were there in Burari. Similarly, over superstitious beliefs, three people were involved in the murder of their 2-year-old nephew using black magic.ĭespite most people in India knowing the basic facts of the case, Yadav is able to get people hooked to the series early on, with many audience members tweeting that they binge-watched it as soon as it came out. The docuseries is timely, as it comes in the background of new conversations in India on how superstition breaks communities apart and how their power is in their implicit invocation of fears around changing norms.Įarlier this year, a couple in Andhra Pradesh’s Chittoor district allegedly killed their two daughters in a brutal manner, believing that their dead daughters would come back to life due to special powers. ![]() The event also presented questions and conversation about secretive family dynamics and how these incidents could happen anywhere. The hangings of the Bhatias, a seemingly typical, middle-class joint family, shook India and hit national headlines in 2018. “House of Secrets, Burari Deaths” recently joined Netflix India’s collection of docuseries, a show directed by Leena Yadav that covers a number of conspiracy theories aimed at exposing the truth, all while revealing itself like a work of fiction grounded in a solid screenplay.Īs chilling as the series is, it fails to answer some pertinent questions.Īt the center of the series are the deaths of 11 family members, killed by hanging or strangulation in the Burari neighborhood of Delhi, India. Content warning: This review contains multiple descriptions of events involving suicide or mass death.
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