Netflix is set to release a series depicting the infamous gang-rape and murder of an Indian student in 2012, with Indian-Canadian director Richie Mehta being chosen to take up the task.

The seven-part "Delhi Crime" will be on Netflix worldwide on Friday.

The 23-year-old physiotherapy student, Jyoti Singh, was brutally raped and beaten to death by five men and a teenager on a bus in New Delhi.

"Initially I was against the idea. I thought it was inappropriate for anyone to do it," Mehta told AFP.

"But after I read the verdict and met some of the officers involved, I was amazed. The verdict detailed the manhunt and who these people were and how they were found,” he said.

"I realized that this analysis of hunting these guys is also a way of understanding why these things happen," he added.

"When the crime happened, there was a lot of anger pointed toward this institution. But when I got to know their point of view I realised the police were trying their best, especially given the statistics.”

"As we say at the start of the show: '11,000 heinous crimes are reported every year (in Delhi). Prevention is nearly impossible with half the police force stuck on traffic duty and VIP protection'," he added.