Bollywood actors Ali Fazal and Sonali Bendre will soon be seen in a crime thriller series based on the 1978 Ranga-Billa case that created a nationwide furore at the time, following the twin murders of adolescent siblings Geeta and Sanjay Chopra.
Directed by Prosit Roy, known for his work on the critically-acclaimed Amazon Prime Video crime thriller, 'Paatal Lok'—which won him the Filmfare OTT Award for Best Director for a Series in 2021—and 'Chakda 'Xpress', an official biopic on cricket star Jhulan Goswami, the series on the Billa-Ranga case is currently being filmed in New Delhi until April, when the team moves to Uttar Pradesh for filming additional scenes. The final schedule will be shot in Mumbai before the series will release towards the end of the year.
The sensational Billa-Ranga case has been featured in several TV shows and series over the years, such as in Sony TV's popular series 'Crime Patrol Dial 100' in 2018, and 'Bhanwar', another television series which covered the Billa Ranga case in one of its episodes.
Recently, the Netflix series 'Black Warrant'—a prison drama based on a book of the same name—directed by Vikramaditya Motwane and released early this year, also had the Billa-Ranga case as a part of its gripping narrative based on real-life court cases.
What is the Billa-Ranga case?
It refers to a notorious kidnapping and murder crime that took place in New Delhi, India, in 1978, involving the abduction and subsequent murder of two siblings: 16-year-old Geeta Chopra and her 14-year-old brother Sanjay Chopra. The kidnappers Jasbir Singh (alias Billa) and Kuljeet Singh (alias Ranga Khus) demanded a ransom, but later killed the siblings when they discovered that the father was a naval officer, assuming he wasn't wealthy.
The police investigation involved analysing evidence, including fingerprints, hair samples, and car plates. Both Billa and Ranga were convicted of murder, kidnapping, and other crimes. They were sentenced to death and executed on January 31, 1982 at the Tihar Jail in New Delhi.
The then-Prime Minister Morarji Desai was said to have taken a personal interest in the investigation. The case also led to a landmark judgment in Indian law, allowing journalists to interview death row convicts, which was previously restricted to relatives, friends, and legal advisors.
