Patrick Graham: I Want ‘Dancing On The Grave’ To Be About Discussing And Thinking About What Might Have Motivated Shakereh Khaleeli

Patrick Graham has been garnering some great reviews for his recent docu-series ‘Dancing On The Grave’, which was released on Amazon Prime Video. The show depicts a real-life incident and goes into in-depth detail about the victim, the convict and the associated others.

Talking to Prateek Sur, Patrick Graham opens up about ‘Dancing On The Grave’, why he gave such a unique name for the show, his personal experience with the real-life case, the people who refused to come on board for the docu-series, the things that were off-limits while making the docu-series, and lots more. Excerpts:

The name ‘Dancing On The Grave’ is quite a unique one. How did you come up with this name?

Well, so basically the name ‘Dancing On The Grave’ kind of works on a couple of levels. I think originally when one of the journalists got a chance to hear Kahn interviewing the second daughter of Shakereh Namazi. She mentioned that witnesses had seen Murli Manohar Mishra throw parties on the grave of her deceased mother. And so, he called his report 'Dancing On The Grave', which is where the title of our show is derived from. The other thing about the phrase dancing on the grave is that it's an English expression, that means to disrespect one's legacy or one's memory to posthumously besmirch the reputation of somebody who is no longer with us. So, it kind of works nicely on a couple of levels. So, we always knew that this show was going to be called ‘Dancing On The Grave’ from the very beginning.

The trailer promises to showcase a lot of real-life archival footage. How did you get access to such highly classified content?

Well, the producers of the show have access to an enviable archive of news reports and news footage taken over the years, and they were lucky enough to have the entire crime investigation. We had the entire crime investigation video graphed. And actually, at the time, the investigation of the crime was very interesting, because it was one of the first ever crime investigations to use videotaping quite extensively as it did. So, it was actually very integral to the prosecution's case – this extensive videography of the investigation itself. So, we used a lot of that police footage.

What were some of the difficulties that you faced during the making of this project?

Well, I think one of the main difficulties was Covid-19, actually, because we started the project then. I mean, these guys have been researching since 2019, when I came on board at the end of 2020, Covid, was in full swing. And it wasn't until about a year into the project that I and the producers of the show actually met each other in person. So, we were working remotely, which is something I think we're all we can all identify with. But one of the other issues is that when we were shooting the interviews in 2021, Covid, was still very much a threat. And we were interviewing a lot of people who were in their later years. So, we had to be very mindful of the fact that they were vulnerable to Covid. And we had strict regulations to make sure that we didn't put them at risk. The other very tragic thing about it is that a couple of the interview subjects who we had planned to shoot with unfortunately passed away because of Covid, just before the actual shoot itself. So, we actually were quite profoundly affected by Covid in this project.

What was the first instance when you heard the name, Shakereh Khaleeli?

Well, you see, I came to this story completely fresh. I had no idea about anything to do with it like that. So, when the producers of the show sent me the very detailed story that they had, had written off of the tale that we were telling, it was the first time I'd ever heard about it. So, I was, as you can imagine, incredibly surprised and shocked. And I'm saddened by what I was reading, and I always remember very, very viscerally the first time I read the story and the profound effect that had on me at the time.

Was making a documentary or a film on Shakereh Khaleeli's case something that was in your mind right from that instant? Or it just gradually happened over the years?

Well, for me, as I was just the writer-director that they contacted to work on the show, it had been living in the minds of the producers for a lot longer. And it was one of the main stories from their archives that they were interested in. So, I know that Chandni, the producer at the time, was looking for a director who might bring a slightly more cinematic sensibility to the show, and that's how I got involved. And obviously, when I started reading about it, I was hooked on the story, and it was definitely something that I felt I really wanted to tell. So, I became very passionately involved with the project at that time, and it is a remarkable story and a tragic story. So, that's what kind of kept me very much, kind of, obsessed with the material.

In your opinion, what was that one thing that prompted or rather pushed Shakereh Khaleeli to act out the way she did?

Well, I wouldn't want to give too much away. I would like to leave a lot of those questions open to the audience and kind of gather what they think. And I want this to be about discussing and about thinking about what might have motivated Shakereh Khaleeli, who was actually, Shakereh Namazi, her maiden name. I want to make sure that the audience really thinks about this. So, I don't want to kind of be too prescriptive with my own opinion. But the motivations behind Shakereh and what made her do certain things, or what made her make certain decisions is very much integral to the telling of her story. And I think as a team, we all wanted to know more about her. And we wanted to kind of decipher the riddle of what made Shakereh make certain choices that she made.

Did you face any opposition from anyone close to Shakereh Khaleeli while you were making this docu-series?

We didn't. We didn't face any opposition. There were certain people who declined to speak to us. And that was absolutely fair enough and totally understandable. But no, no real opposition, not so far anyway.

Are there characters who refused to be a part of the docu-series and tell their side of the tale?

The producers did a wonderful job in gathering up to, I think, they did research interviews with about 57 people, and we ended up narrowing down the list of people we wanted to shoot to, I think, a little over 20 people. I think one of the biggest challenges of the shows is to persuade and negotiate with people you want to talk to, and kind of get the information that you want out of them. Sometimes, you know, it doesn't always work out. There were a few people who kind of pulled out at the last minute, which was unfortunate. There were some people we couldn't get, but as I say, it's all. I get it, you know, it's a very tragic story and something that some people might not want to revisit. And I completely sympathise with those people.

While making the documentary was there any topic about the case that was off-limits?

Well, when you're presenting a story like this to the public, there's obviously going to be certain aspects to it that remain sensitive. So, we did have to be mindful of what we could and couldn't say to an extent and we had to take judgment calls as to certain threads and storylines that perhaps we couldn't pursue. So yeah, it's going to be a story that we're telling. It's going to be out there in the public eye. So, we did have to pull back on a certain couple of strands that were interesting to us.

Usually, docu-series end up being for intellectual audiences. What’s so intriguing about ‘Dancing On The Grave’ that will attract even the most common layman to watch it?

Well, I think that every person, no matter what their background, or their preference, or whoever they are, what part of society they come from, every person likes to hear a good story and I think that this story is extremely engaging and it's a twisting, turning suspenseful narrative, but it's also a human tragedy with a great deal of emotion and heartbreak. And I think anyone can empathise with the characters in the story. I mean, we've all lost loved ones, we've all felt tragedy, we've all been scared, and we've all been kind of affected by crime perhaps. So, I think that there are many, many facets to this story, which will appeal to everybody even though it's set within the upper echelons of society. We also have to remember that the man who has been accused and has been convicted of the main crime in the story comes from perhaps what would be described as the lowest strata of society. And he actually worked his way up very much into the aristocracy at the time. So, it's a story that spans through all class divides, which is what makes it so interesting.

OTT has become a great place for docu-series in today’s times. Earlier even if you wanted to see a documentary or a docu-series you didn’t know where to find them as they were usually not released in theatres. How much has OTT helped in this space of docu-series?

Well, I feel like the OTT platforms around the world have reinvigorated the documentary genre, which has always been popular and has always been great films and great series on local TV, etc. But in the last few years, we've seen this kind of golden age of TV documentary series, which are just so amazing. And you know, I binge-watched them all the time. And of course, you know, it's happening in India. It has happened in India, we've already had some great documentary series, and I'm sure there're many more to come. So yeah, the OTT platform phenomenon has done what it's done all over the world in India as well, which is to really expand the amounts of different genres that we can see open to us available on our system. So, it's been a great boon for documentary filmmaking.

In general, has OTT become a great place for filmmakers like you who’re always willing to tell a story rich in content, but are probably not getting enough work from the mainstream commercial film producers?

The OTT revolution has massively changed the landscape of what's available for us to watch. And of course, has given some amazing opportunities to filmmakers, actors, writers, and everybody, to create a wide variety of really great quality content. I think it's a very exciting time. And it's not just in India that this has happened. It's happened all over the world. And I mean we're really living in a time where there's so much good content available to us all the time, perhaps even a bit too much. But yeah, it's great for storytellers and filmmakers. In a couple of years, AI is going to take over and then we're going to be back to being out of a job, but we're not there yet.

What will be your biggest learning from a case like this that you will always remember for life?

The biggest learning, in this case, is to be careful who you start a relationship with because you never know who they really are. And you've got to watch out and be mindful and watch their behaviour closely and be careful.

What next can we see coming from your end?

Well, I don't want to jinx anything by going into too much detail, but I'm developing a number of projects. One true crime documentary series and some more perhaps, horror. Let's see where we go.