Friday, October 02, 2015

Talvar



Rating : 8/10
Release Date : 2nd October, 2015
Time : 132 minutes
Director : Meghna Gulzar; Writer, Music (& Producer) : Vishal Bhardwaj;
Starring : Irrfan Khan, Neeraj Kabi, Konkona Sen Sharma, Sohum Shah, Gajraj Rao, Sumit Gulati, Prakash Belwadi, Atul Kumar, Ayesha Parveen, Divya Bhatia, Shishir Sharma




As you watch this gripping, tense film you’re either thinking ‘this could happen to you’ or ‘is this what really happened’ ? What else do you say when you have cops as incompetent as ours, news media whipping up a bloodthirsty frenzy, an insatiable public only too ready with moral, hypocritical judgements, bureaucrats trying to save their own skin and that of their friends, back-stabbing for a promotion and finally, a judiciary that possibly (probably) over-steps it’s bounds.



This is a film about the infamous Arushi Talwar killing - the double murder of a fourteen year old girl and the manservant of a household in Noida (UP), where the parents of the unfortunate girl are currently languishing in jail. Make no mistake, the film-makers do take sides here – they are not just trying to bring you the facts (didn’t really follow the case so cannot vouch for their veracity) but also to give you their perspective, and also entertain you… Through clever casting and a crisp screenplay, the film does manage to cast more than a doubt on what has transpired in this shocking case.




The acting is excellent – whether it’s the paan-chewing Gajraj Rao as the investigating inspector, or Sumit Gulati as the overly helpful compounder, Sohum Shah as a diligent CDI (CBI equivalent) officer and Prakash Belwadi and Shishir Sharma as the outgoing and incoming heads of the CDI. The main leads excel too, as expected, with Neeraj and Konkona as the anguished, uncommunicative parents and Irrfan as the main investigating officer of the CDI, in the centre of this storm. And in all of this, Tabu, in a guest appearance, still manages to make an impact.



The film is handled extremely well. Meghna, in her second film, shows a deft touch, getting great performances from her cast (she succeeds particularly with the parents) and also, thanks to the story by her mentor, Vishal Bhardwaj, the titillation and the more sleazy aspects of the case are minimized, with the human aspects played out skillfully. This film isn’t an easy watch, especially if you’re parents and even more so if you have a young daughter, but it does make an impact – a very strong one at that.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

It's a hard one to grasp, for those used to seeing power in the barrel of a gun, truth be damned...

Anonymous said...

Investigative whodunnit... Flawed humans or flawed justice ? Truth is stranger than fiction because you don't know what goes on behind closed doors.. Still remember, this incident had caused many a staff-room discussions.. The domestic stumbling blocks, impatient media and miscarriage of justice... The case till date remains a mystery. Feel bad for the young life lost, shocking and disturbing.. It was an out-and-our trial by media and we the-people the so-called urban judgemental society... Why did the UP police try to sabotage the case, the investigation should have been deep, it was handled in a hanky-panky manner. The movie shall once again raise questions about our system..

Anonymous said...

No mention about the music ? Gulzar saab's strong lyrics have a heady quality. He along with another UP-ite Vishal from the days of 'Maachis' together have given us memorable soulful songs.. He has a sense of melody.. There is restless energy and unmissable grief when he pens his thoughts..

Anonymous said...

Do you know the entire who's who of the industry ? Gajraj-inspector, Sohum-compounder, Sumit-CDI (would that be Irrfan ?).... Prakash, Shishir ? Can't figure out one from the other.. How dumb of me..

Anonymous said...

Being alone usually looks sad to people..... But, being alone is better than to have somebody who makes you feel alone...

Bindu Cherungath said...

It is indeed very close to d facts... Happened in my neighborhood and I had followed d case...

Anonymous said...

"The Appu Trilogy" by Satyajit Ray among the top 5 greatest Asian films of all time.. Good to know that :)

Sudheer Yadav said...

Talvar is a good movie. Also entry of Irfan Khan make it more sense. I am getting 8000 visitor on my blog http://guruofmovie.com