Common Sense Media Review
By Melissa Camacho
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Sensationalized docuseries has gruesome violence, prejudice.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Indian Predator: The Diary of a Serial Killer
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
INDIAN PREDATOR: THE DIARY OF A SERIAL KILLER is an Indian true crime docuseries about a serial killer and the shocking allegations that still linger about his crimes. In 2001 journalist Dheerenda Singh's headless and dismembered body was found after going missing for several days. Eventually Raja Kolander (aka Ram Niranjan), the husband of a local politician, was arrested on suspicion of his murder. The subsequent discovery of Kolander's diary, which listed Singh and names of 14 other people, led to the exhumation of more than a dozen sets of human remains from his pig farm. Investigators also believed that he consumed his victims' brains. Ultimately Kolander, along with his brother-in-law Vakshraj Kol, was convicted of killing Singh to keep him from reporting on their illegal car business. It's also assumed that Kolander murdered others to seize their cars and steal their money to support their criminal enterprise. Nonetheless, despite the lack of evidence, Kolander's reputation as a ritualistic cannibal persist to this day.
Is It Any Good?
The dark series, which is an installment of the Indian Predator true crime franchise, attempts to offer an in-depth analysis of the circumstances that led to the public characterization of Raja Kolander as a ritualistic serial killer. Gruesome archive footage and interviews with victims' families, law enforcement, and various witnesses and experts offer details about Dheerenda Singh's murder, the investigation, and the complicated legal wrangling that ensued. Meanwhile, Kolander (who is serving a life sentence) and his children proclaim his innocence. The overall production leans toward the sensational, but Indian Predator: The Diary of a Serial Killer does offer some interesting insight into how the country's caste system and overall prejudices about Indian tribal culture continue to inform people's interpretations of the crimes that were committed. Nonetheless, the series goes out of its way to magnify the more colorful (and horrifying) theories about this case, making it more entertaining than informative.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the role media plays in reinforcing stereotypes, and how this can influence the way people think about the world around them. How do media generalizations about specific castes affect the way the larger Indian community views and treats them?
Why do you think shows and movies about serial killers are so popular? What, if anything, is to be gained from watching a grisly show like this one?
TV Details
- Premiere date : September 7, 2022
- Cast : Raja Kolander
- Network : Netflix
- Genre : Reality TV
- TV rating :
- Last updated : September 15, 2022
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