Dancing On The Grave follows the murder case of an heiress, Shakereh Khaleeli, who married a godman and was killed in Bangalore in the ’90s. The docuseries is now streaming on Prime Video.
Story
Shakereh Namazie is the granddaughter of the Diwan of Mysore; her family is one of the most prestigious families of Bangalore. Shakereh marries Akbar Khaleeli, who serves in the Indian Foreign Service, and has four daughters with him.
When Akbar Khaleeli is abroad and Shakereh is in India with her daughters, she meets a godman known as Swami Shraddhananda. In her husband’s absence, he starts helping her with various things and staying at her house.
Shakereh eventually divorces Akbar Khaleeli and marries Swami Shraddhananda. Years later, Shakereh’s daughter, Sabah, grows suspicious when her mother suddenly stops contacting her, and Shraddhananda fails to give her a satisfying answer regarding her mother’s absence.
Sabah is determined to find her mother, but the answers that she is looking for would do anything but relieve her. The docuseries features interviews, among other things, not just with Shakereh’s friends and family but also with the person who is responsible for her disappearance.
Positives
The docuseries begins by introducing Shakereh through the statements of those who knew her. It does the job of familiarizing the viewers with Shakereh to make them feel the severity of the crime committed against her.
It provides the viewers with court testimonies, police footage, and old interviews given by her family members for a detailed understanding of the case. Furthermore, enough time is given to the perpetrator to tell his side of the story for the viewers to look at the case impartially.
The docuseries features detailed interviews with her family and friends to understand what happened, but to come as close to the truth as possible, a psychologist’s opinion is provided; she even examines the perpetrator’s interview.
The docuseries looks at Shakereh’s choices sympathetically. The questions about women’s identity in society apart from being someone’s wife and what they go through when their husbands live away from the family are taken into account when Shakereh’s choices are discussed.
Negatives
When Shakereh’s second marriage is discussed, the interviewees compare Shakereh and Shraddhananda’s social status. Intentionally or unintentionally, it gives a classist tinge to the crime, something that could have been avoided.
This is a drawn-out docuseries, which would have been better as a film. In order to accommodate several interviews, the docuseries often jumbles the information given. This information also seems repetitive at times.
Verdict
Dancing On The Grave is a docuseries that will give the viewers all the important details related to Shakereh Khaleeli’s case, but it is much longer than necessary. Fans of true-crime docuseries can still give it a chance.
Dancing On The Grave
Director: Patrick Graham
Date Created: 2023-04-19 21:56
3
Also Read: Dancing on the Grave summary and ending explained