'This is the worst character I've ever played.'
Shefali Shah, Rasika Dugal and Rajesh Tailang return for the third season of Delhi Crime, and this might just be its most intense season so far.
The posters unveiled at the trailer launch of Netflix's Emmy-winning crime series tease 'The Most Thrilling Season', igniting curiosity for what's to come.
The cast definitely looks well-stacked in this new season as Huma Qureshi and Sayani Gupta step in as the antagonists, setting the tone for a fiery face-off.
The Delhi Crime 3 trailer shows Huma as ruthless ringleader Badi Didi, who runs a human trafficking racket across India.
At the trailer launch event, Huma says her character is like The Joker while Shefali Shah's Batman.
"If you tell two actors that one has to play Batman and the other has to play Joker, who would say no to either?" Huma asks with a laugh.
Badi Didi, she says, is unlike any character she has ever portrayed.
"This was my career's darkest, most disgusting character ever -- and I say that in the best way possible," says Huma. "This is the worst character I've ever played. I have always made sure that my female character has a perspective. It's very negative. I was in two minds when it came to playing the character."
"Evil suits me," she declares.
WATCH: Why Delhi Crime is special for Rasika Dugal
Tanuj Chopra, who took over direction duties from showrunner Richie Mehta for Delhi Crime: Season Two, returns to direct the third season.
While the pilot season was set in the aftermath of the 2012 Nirbhaya case, the second explored the notorious Chaddi Baniyan gang.
The latest season has DCP Vartika Chaturvedi (Shefali Shah) and her team hot on the pursuit a human trafficking gang, and this time, the chase is not limited to Delhi as the story goes deeper into the country, from Assam to Delhi and Bihar.
"We collaborate with Netflix about what crime to choose," reveals Director Chopra. "What takes the most time is that while we can find a crime in the real world, how do we make it episodic and entertaining? This breaking of the story, the development of it, takes a lot of time."
Shefali reveals she had tears in her eyes after seeing the trailer and Vartika Chaturvedi remains her most "special character".
"The pressure of living up to the legacy of Delhi Crime remains both exciting and overwhelming," Shefali says. "I started feeling the pressure when we began promotions, and I am terrified. I wanted to run away and hide under a rock."
WATCH: When Shefali Shah met Rajesh Tailang and Rasika Dugal for the first time
"When we were doing the show, I didn't think, 'Oh my God, this won an Emmy, and I have to better it.' I just wanted to be true to Vartika. Every actor wants to prove that they can do better, but that's not my aim. I just want to be as true to her as I can be. Now I'm very tense, I'm freaking out," says Shefali.
WATCH: Huma Qureshi wants to go to The Emmys!
Just like Huma, Sayani Gupta plays a villainous character named Kusum, which she describes as "creatively fulfilling".
"The character of Kusum is incredible because there is no right or wrong for her. There is no boundary for her. She's a hustler, she's a survivor, she will do anything in her capacity to survive. I had the most fun in my entire career of 14 years," says Sayani.
WATCH: Sayani Gupta: 'My soul is really dark'
Delhi Crime: Season 3 will stream on Netflix from November 13.
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