House of Secrets: The Burari Deaths - Was it really all about just keeping mental health in check?

A family of eleven members committed mass suicide with no letter or anything to go by. House of Secrets teaches us a lot about the human psyche.

We're all aware of the mysterious deaths that took place in Delhi, Burari in 2018! The event literally shook us all and when I think of it, there are so many questions left unanswered about why, how, or what made the three generations of this family kill themselves! At the time there was no specific conclusion as to why they took this step. But House of Secrets gives us most of the answers.

The docuseries is directed by Leena Yadav, who explains and talks about what she felt while making the series. Apart from her, there are various interviews that have been conducted of clinical psychologists like Anita Anand, sub-inspector, Naresh Bhatia who played an important role in telling the viewers what went behind investigating the whole case, and Barkha Dutt, a journalist.

Storyline - The series has three episodes in total - The first episode mainly shows what the neighbors, cops, and the audience felt after news of the Burari deaths broke out, the second episode however talks about what the family was like and what events took place before they took such a drastic step. In short, the series is mainly an evaluation of the events that took place and an analysis of it.

Watch the trailer here!

What I liked - This docu-series is definitely one of a kind. I felt like it was happening around me instead of just a horrific event that had taken place somewhere in the world. It emphasizes a lot on the feelings of those who were a part of the investigation whether it was the police, the forensic department, the psychologists, and most importantly the neighbors who were interviewed extensively along with Tina and Kavitha's family members. We often heard phrases like "this was different", "there was something off", which builds the narrative. House of Secrets isn't simply shown as a series of events but the reasons behind it happening are also explained. There's a scary build-up in the second episode that worked the most for me; the police find eleven registers where everything is clearly and logically written. This keeps the audience hooked until the end.

What I didn't like - The visuals are particularly disturbing even though the disclaimer pretty much explains it all. The emphasis on mental health feels unexplored here! What I felt while watching the series is that the analysis wasn't done very well. The conclusion according to me seemed a bit illogical and it all boiled down to the fact that it was one man's doing, which is again debatable.

Also Read: Internet’s biggest stars come together on World Mental Health Day