New Delhi: The Crime Literature Festival of India (CLFI), the country’s first and only event celebrating the intersection of crime, literature, and culture, announces its much-anticipated 2nd edition scheduled to take place from November 29 to December 1, 2024, in the picturesque city of Dehradun.
The inaugural edition of CLFI saw a remarkable lineup of speakers from the realms of literature, cinema, and law enforcement. These included filmmakers Sujoy Ghosh (best known for Vidya Balan starrer Kahaani) and Sanjay Gupta (helmed Sanjay Dutt starrer Shootout at Lokhandwala), actors Avinash Tiwary (Khakee: The Bihar Chapter and Madgaon Express) and Rajshri Deshpande (Sacred Games and Trial By Fire), authors S Hussain Zaidi (Black Friday and RAW Hitman) and Kiran Manral (The Reluctant Detective and Kitty Party Murder), cops Navniet Sekera (Additional Director-General of Police and the Inspiration behind MX Player’s Bhaukaal) and Rajesh Pandey (Former IPS officer who led the encounter of dreaded gangster Sriprakash Shukla and author of Operation Bazooka based on it) among others. The discussions covered a wide range of topics from financial scams like the Telgi Stamp Paper Scam to serial murders like Nithari and from famous real-life encounters to the creation of fictional detectives in crime novels.
The second edition of the Crime Literature Festival of India (CLFI) was unveiled during a high-profile press conference in Delhi, featuring a star-studded panel including Zeishan Quadri, writer of Gangs of Wasseypur; Randeep Jha, director of Kohrra and Trial by Fire; Karnal Singh, former ED Director and author of Batla House; and Neeraj Kumar, former Delhi Police Commissioner and author of A Cop in Cricket. Representing the festival’s core team were Festival Chairman Ashok Kumar, former DGP Uttarakhand and author of Cyber Encounters, and Festival Director Aloke Lal, former DGP, visual artist and author of The Barabanki Narcos. The festival, rooted in examining crime through both literature and cinema, aims to foster insightful discussions on social issues, ethical challenges, and the impact of crime narratives on society. Ashok Kumar emphasized CLFI’s commitment to exploring themes like internal security and cybercrime, while Aloke Lal highlighted the need to demystify crime through a socially conscious lens, covering topics such as crimes against women and drug trafficking. Quadri, Jha, Sing h, and Kumar underscored the potential of crime literature to reflect social realities and inspire discourse on justice, lauding the festival as both timely and impactful.
Among the speakers at CLFI’s second edition are film directors Prakash Jha ( Gangaajal and Aashram fame) and Anubhav Sinha (Article 15 and IC-814 fame), cops-turned-authors K. Vijay Kumar (Former Director-General of CRPF and author of Veerappan: Chasing the Brigand), Meeran Borwankar (Former Director-General of NCRB and author of Madam Commissioner), OP Singh (Former DGP of Uttar Pradesh and author of Crime, Grime, and Gumption), authors S Hussain Zaidi and Sunetra Choudhury (Black Warrant and Behind Bars), Avinash Singh Tomar (Screenwriter of OTT series Mirzapur), Nidhi Kulpati (journalist and news anchor) and Gargi Rawat (news anchor and author).
CLFI is also holding Short Story and Short Film Competitions which are open to students from schools and universities across the country. These competitions encourage young talent to create crime-themed narratives, with the top entries having their works showcased during the festival coupled with an opportunity to moderate a session with renowned authors and filmmakers.
The Crime Literature Festival of India, 2nd edition, invites all attendees to engage in a thought-provoking exploration of crime literature as a powerful medium for social reflection and reform. As the festival approaches, it promises to inspire emerging writers and filmmakers and ignite important conversations about the complexities of crime in the modern world and its ramifications for the public at large.