‘Honeymoon Se Hatya’ review: Disturbing crimes, shallow insight

Honeymoon Se Hatya, streaming on ZEE5, positions itself as a gripping Hindi true-crime docu-series but ultimately settles for shock value over substance. Exploring five real-life cases where wives murdered their husbands, the series covers sensational crimes such as the Meghalaya honeymoon murder, the Meerut blue drum case, the Bhiwani influencer case, the Mumbai tile murder, and the Delhi electric shock case. While the subject matter is inherently unsettling, the execution feels repetitive and emotionally manipulative rather than deeply investigative.

True-crime content often works best when it balances facts with thoughtful psychological exploration. Unfortunately, Honeymoon Se Hatya struggles on that front. Despite repeatedly hinting at an examination of female psychology and the emotional breakdowns that lead to violence, the series rarely moves beyond surface-level narration. What viewers get instead is a familiar retelling of widely publicised cases, many of which have already been dissected exhaustively across news channels and social media.

The Meghalaya honeymoon case, involving Sonam Raghuvanshi and the murder of her husband Raja, is treated as the central spine of the series. However, even here, the storytelling feels stretched, relying heavily on grim details rather than new insights. The Meerut blue drum case and Mumbai tile murder are equally disturbing but presented in a formulaic manner, making the episodes blur into one another. The Bhiwani influencer and Delhi electric shock cases suffer from similar issues, lacking depth and contextual nuance.

Directors Shachindraa Vats and Ajitesh Sharma stay faithful to documented facts, and interviews with family members and police officers add emotional weight. Yet, this rawness often feels exploitative rather than enlightening. By failing to offer meaningful analysis or a fresh perspective, Honeymoon Se Hatya becomes less an exploration of human psychology and more a grim checklist of horrors—disturbing, yes, but ultimately hollow.