The House of Secrets is a Netflix documentary that discovers truths and theories leading to the deaths of 11 members of a Delhi family.
This documentary has been created by Leena Yadav and Anubhav Chopra. The series comprises three parts surrounding the demise of 11 members of a Burari, Delhi family. This show has been termed ‘The Burari Deaths by the media’. It is a reality-based show. It is a true crime-based show which was released on October 8, 2021. The genre of this show is true crime docuseries. The composers of this show are respected A.R. Rahman and Qutub-E-Kripa. The producers of this show are Yogendra Mogre and Katherine Leblond. The executive producers are James Haygood and Aseem Bajaj. The show is available in three languages namely English, Hindi and Punjabi. It has three episodes. Netflix is the distributor of this show.
Leena Yadav, also the creator of Rajma Chawal and decided to create non-fictional work. Thus, this documentary was cast. She disclosed during an interview process about casting a documentary show on the Burari mass suicide. Post this incident, many media channels discussed this topic on national news making it a national sensation. The truth and reality behind this incident promoted Yadav to film a documentary on this topic. This is how the production of this show began.
Yadav has taken immense efforts to direct and cast this show. Yadav began to conceptualize the series with Anubhav Chopra who worked as an assistant director in many hit Bollywood films. She visited and had conversations with numerous police officers and journalists who were eyewitnesses of the incident. She also approached A.R. Rahman to work on the background music. She wanted the show to be enigmatic yet gripping. This three-episode series is a thrilling and effective show. The show depicts Indian families who appear to be very normal, well functioning, and happy-go-lucky at surface level but are plagued with different kinds of issues from beneath.
On 1st October, the trailer for this show was released on YouTube. The three-part documentary series was released by Netflix on 8th October 2021.
Storyline & summary of The House Of Secrets
Casting this show was not an easy job. It was quite a task and emotionally overwhelming for the entire crew who were producing this film. From studying all the conspiracies that revolved around the case and deep diving to find the actual truth, this docu-series unravels itself like a work of fiction.
This show has three parts: 11 bodies, 11 diaries, and beyond those 11 things. Each episode unravels the mystery and brings to light this reality-based crime.
11 bodies: 11 family members are found dead and the investigation begins
11 diaries: Media pressures and rumors swirl around and 11 diaries are discovered that reveal shocking truths and vital information
Beyond 11: After diving deeper the family’s history and dark secrets were found. In the incident’s aftermath, sociological concerns appear.
The youngest son of the household Lalit had initiated the mass suicide attempt. This docu-series revolves around the mass deaths of the entire family. Lalit was mentally ill. His psychosis led to this tragedy. Lalit used to be possessed by the script of his dead father. His words became the word of law for the Chundawat family. No one dared to go against him.
According to the word of law, the family decided to do a Badin June puja, a religious ceremony to worship a banyan tree that led to the deaths of all family members. During the production of this show, friends and neighbors were extensively interviewed and interrogated. The family suffered as Lalit was possessed. They lived in a proper life where everything appeared normal at surface level though the family was very disturbed from inside. They were modern and adapted with social media but yet Lalit was possessed leading to a family tragedy. He had a severe patriarchal hold on his family and had different religious angles which no one knew about. This documentary show revolves around this family. Many families appear seemingly normal at surface level but could be hiding severe issues beneath.
The show tells us about the importance we must give to mental health and why households hide abnormalities. The documentary posits that Indian families need to learn the importance of mental health and learn to give up on superstitions.
The Burari Deaths revolves around this family’s tragic story and underlines the importance of mental health and advises us on certain changes that need to be made in terms of how typical Indian families function.
Conclusion
The House of Secrets is a must-watch show. It is a documentary with just three parts revealing a real-life incident on the deaths of 11 family members of a Delhi family. We must prioritize the mental health of our family members and not believe in superstitions. If we suspect abnormalities in a family, one can help them reach out to professional help and save them from further trauma and tragedies. A well-casted highly recommended documentary series do watch it! It is an investigative mysterious dark show that reveals the hidden tragic secrets of a typical troubled Indian household.