Killer Soup: Telangana true crime in 2017 inspired Netflix’s murder mystery

Hyderabad: The rise of OTT platforms in India has brought forth a wave of gripping murder mysteries and thrillers that often draw inspiration from real-life events.

One such series making waves is ‘Killer Soup,’ released on Netflix, starring acclaimed actors Manoj Bajpayee and Konkona Sen Sharma. Loosely based on a chilling murder case that shook Telangana in 2017, the series explores the intricate web of deception, crime, and unexpected twists that unfolded in the small town of Nagarkurnool.

Plot overview

In Killer Soup, Konkona Sen Sharma portrays Swathi Shetty, an aspiring chef with a sinister plan to replace her husband, Prabhakar, played by Manoj Bajpayee, with her partner, Umesh. The plot takes a dark turn as the meticulously crafted plan goes awry, leading to chaos and a recipe for disaster. The parallels between the series and the real-life 2017 murder case are evident, adding an extra layer of intrigue to the narrative.

The real-life murder case

The 2017 murder case in Nagarkurnool unfolded as a tragic tale of passion, betrayal, and greed. Sudhakar Reddy, a 32-year-old businessman, was blissfully unaware of the affair between his wife, Swati Reddy, a 27-year-old nurse, and Rajesh, a physiotherapist at the same hospital.

Swati’s ulterior motive was to settle with Rajesh and acquire Sudhakar’s property, a plan that ultimately led to Sudhakar’s murder.

Execution of the crime

Days before the planned murder, Swati sent her two children to her parents’ house, setting the stage for a heinous act. On the fateful night of November 27, Swati and Rajesh administered an anaesthetic injection to Sudhakar, rendering him unconscious. The duo then brutally killed Sudhakar, using an iron rod to bludgeon his head and smothering him with a pillow. To cover their tracks, they wrapped his lifeless body in a bedsheet and disposed of it in a nearby forest, with reports suggesting they even resorted to burning the remains.

Netflix’s Killer Soup vs reality

While the makers of Killer Soup emphasise that the series is ‘very very loosely inspired’ by real events and not a direct adaptation, the parallels are hard to ignore. The characters’ names in the series, Swathi Shetty and Umesh, mirror the main accused in the 2017 case, Swathi Reddy and Rajesh. The intricate details of the murder plot, the dynamics between characters, and the unforeseen twists all draw a captivating connection between fiction and reality.

Killer Soup on Netflix adds another intriguing chapter to the genre of true-crime-inspired thrillers. As viewers delve into the twists and turns of this fictional narrative, the echoes of the 2017 Telangana murder case add an extra layer of fascination. The convergence of real-life events and their cinematic interpretations continues to captivate audiences, blurring the lines between fact and fiction in the realm of crime dramas.