I’ll come straight to the point. With respect to bollywood movies, 2010 sucked. All awaited movies like Kites, Raavan, Tees Maar Khan Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey etc bombed at the box office creating a huge setback for the film industry. Cheesy movies like I Hate Luv Storys, Dabangg and Aisha made their money and the critics had a field day destroying the ‘credibility’(for lack of a better word) of their directors. I’m guessing one of the directors’ new year resolutions was to make an amazing movie, because 2011 arrived with a ripper. NO ONE KILLED JESSICA. Most directors have a habit of entertaining people. And some have a habit of enlightening them also. But some have a habit of doing the both. Rajkumar Gupta, the director of this film has earned this credit. According to me, this movie is a gutsy movie in a multitude of ways. Made on the banner of UTV SpotBoy , which had in the past produced critically acclaimed movies like Dev D, this movie brings to the silver screen the one of most controversial murder case of Delhi based model Jessica Lall. Gupta takes up the legendary challenge of bringing the public sensation on the celluloid. And yes, he deserves a standing ovation for it. He has narrated the story of the aftermath of the murder of the model in the most convincing fashion. The director has done a splendid job in holding the soul of the story by choosing a thriller way of narrating it. Story wise the director has stayed very close to reality. He narrates the murder and the consequent events following it.
The story is about Jessica Lall, the invisible spirit of this movie who was shot dead about 11 years ago by an affluent politician’s son Manish on refusing a drink in a bar where she was working as a bartender (My gut feeling is that Manish thought that Jessica’s life is more cheaper than the drink he ordered.) Even though a large number of people were present when the event happened, only a dozen of them turn up to be witnesses at court. Manish is acquitted based on legal complications and political manipulations. This results in a tremendous public uproar and an extensive media campaign. Two women Sabrina Lall, the sister of the Jessica and Meera Gaity, a feisty TV reporter try to outwit Manish and his father’s political agenda. Finally Manish is proven guilty and is given a life imprisonment for his crime. No One Killed Jessica belongs to this unique tough hitting genre of cinema. If only for emphasis, I will say again that the movie deserves a standing ovation. No One Killed Jessica focuses on the human spirit and reflects the thoughts of changing generations and mindsets of people. This movie is not a weekend outing in a multiplex. It is impossible for you to walk out of the cinema hall without your conscience biting at you, inspiring you to take action. Like Rang De Basanti and other relatively recent movies, this one is about taking responsibility and doing the right thing, even if it is the tougher road to take. This movie is a mirror for degrading human ethics and social norms. It brings to your eye the existing malicious political scenarios and the sick judiciary.
Coming to the cast of the movie, Vidya Balan plays Sabrina and Rani Mukherjee plays Meera. And frankly, Vidya Balan stole the show. She has played a splendid role where she brings out the painful and emotional days spent by the iconic Sabrina brilliantly. I guess Vidya Balan is on her career high floating in the glory of her previous films Paa and Ishqiya. Rani Mukherjee on the other hand plays a lavish reporter who is a chain smoker and uses the F word all the time. She glorifies the whole media industry here. Rani’s role also indicates the subtle presence of media in our lives. Myre as Jessica was a neat role. . One of the highlights of the movie is a candlelight protest near India Gate which is simply amazing. The court proceedings are gripping as well. Speaking of the ‘hero’ of this film, it has to be Amit Trivedi for his striking background score. The thrilling feeling that his songs invoke in you can sustain you for the whole movie. . Another asset of this movie is the dialogue (also written by the director himself) which are very realistic.
Overall, I feel that No One Killed Jessica is a film with great integrity. It is a story which is a perfect combination of facts and fiction which turns out to be persuasive and potent. The entire credit goes to the director for narrating it in the thriller genre. In an age where the highest grossing movies are centered on futuristic robots et al, this movie serves as an eye-opener for fans who truly want to leave the cinema hall inspired. This heroic and daring film truly deserves a prolonged applause.
