No one killed Jessica

Sometimes, though really rarely, it does happen that reality unfolds in a manner that is as dramatic as the best fiction. If one is making a film on such real events, it becomes that much more critical and difficult to bring out the drama in real life without either making it boring or veering away from the facts. And No one killed Jessica succeeds in delivering by doing just that.

I was quite intrigued by the promos. Slickly made with a fantastic sound track, they made a promise of a film that will deliver a hard-hitting message. Also, everyone is aware of the story of Jessica Lall's murder in Delhi. So Rani Mukherji notwithstanding, I saw the film yesterday as soon as it released.

I wasn't fully aware of the exact details of the Jessica Lall murder story. but I was delighted to check later on Wikipedia that the film was exactly true to the facts. Of course, the names of all the celebrity players in the drama have been changed and I have a feeling that some characters like the cop and the journalist were created as representatives of the police and the media respectively.

I liked the film for several reasons. Excellent screenplay and editing is probably the first of them. Secondly, attention to detail - right down to the make of the mobile phones used - makes it real without being in your face. Thirdly, Vidya Balan is supremely understated as Sabrina, Jessica's sister fighting for justice and doing whatever it takes to hold up against all odds. Fourthly, the storytelling is at just the right pace. It doesn't dawdle except when necessary to bring out the anguish of the characters adequately.

The only thing that rankled a bit was that Rani's character was a little too stereotypical. Playing a fiery journalist who is a modern, liberated, young Indian woman is apparently incomplete if she doesn't smoke at home, spout hindi swearwords with panache and say Fuck and Bitch with very little provocation. I wish her outspokenness was only left for the critical events in the film rather than making them character traits. But her freckles seen through the almost zero makeup in extreme closeups compensate to some extent.

The new year has begun well. Let's hope it brings us a lot more such quality, unpretentious films.