No One Killed Jessica

After delaying writing a review for any movie for this long, I'm finally attempting my first one with this brilliantly shot and directed motion picture. The reasons for breaking the ice with this one are a bit personal. It is the first movie that I lost the battle against my tears to – not once, but on a continuous basis. I guess I was in tears even before entering the cinema theatre, even before I saw the first commercial or heard the first song. The tears started with the name - No One Killed Jessica (NOKJ) – a bare truth of a continuous injustice that to me is all but bearable. Of course, the movie commenting on the city I call home makes it more personal.

This is also one of those movies where I have seen familiar faces of friends and colleagues from Kirorimal College. I am an outstanding supporter of Ex-Players working in Hindi cinema. Any movie with even a 1-minute appearance or a credit at the end featuring an ex-Player finds its way into my DVD library. Hence, I was pleasantly surprised (I had no inkling before entering the theatre) to see not one, but four familiar faces whose talent has always left me in awe.

That said, I think the biggest reason for the movie to strike at my (deeply latent) emotional chords was its success in defining so many 'moments' – the Delhi bus with its eve-teasers; the 'action-movie' guy in the flight; the 'gali' leading to Shankar's house lined with urinals; the pastry at the five-star hotel being eaten by Mallika Sehgal; the 'chai' offered by Jessica's father to the MLA; Sabrina's laughter when the prosecutor asks Shankar 'ab to neeche aaja'; the mark of the interval with the Times of India headline that inspired the movie; the thief at the candle light march; and the end moment at Jessica's grave. For me, NOKJ (Raj Kumar Gupta) does a great job at telling a story that most of us already know, and still managing to say something untold. I am glad that the director decided to make a movie, not a documentary, taking the liberty to play in no-man's land between fact and fiction (thanks also for the clarification right at the start). This is what makes it his story, his rendition that no one else could give to us.

I am usually uncomfortable with a narrative; it can end up preaching or insulting my intelligence as a viewer. I also usually look forward to the opening credits of the movie to play a role in the movie itself. NOKJ delivered exceedingly well on both these counts, with the narrative intertwined with the opening credits. The credits were done remarkably well with the newsprint flowing into snapshots of Delhi, leaving the audience completely absorbed in the city and all its complexities. My favourite moment was in the DTC bus with the man sitting on a ladies' seat, reading the last page of a newspaper that celebrated Women's Day, with a woman standing nearby. And the narrative itself made so much sense to me by the time the movie ended (more on that later).

Another intelligent directorial feat was in establishing the timeline so well, completely respecting the audience's intelligence by not spoon-feeding. The changes in make up with Vidya Balan's changes in hairstyle and spectacle make as well as Zeeshan Ayub's changing look; the shot with the Indraprastha metro station to mark 2003; changes in Delhi bus makes; and many more such hints to show passage of seven years in Delhi while actually shooting entirely in 2010 was quite intelligent. Marking the incident itself in the backdrop of the other big stories of the time such as the Kargil war and the hijacking of IC-814 was also interesting. The passage of time during the trials itself was quite moving. Hats off to a woman who decided to fight alone, when so many friends turned away. I remember spending the entire scene asking myself if I would be willing to give up even a day in my 'planned' life to take up such a fight alone.

I refrain from commenting on acting, since I hardly understand the art as well as I understand direction. But I can say this much….no one's performance in NOKJ stands out……simply because each actor, no matter how small the role, delivered incredibly credible and solid performances. I don't know where else to mention this, but I have to commend the crisp editing of the film. Also worth mention on the technical front is lighting, especially in the interrogation scene. The production design was also extremely detailed (all newsprints, visual news, house design, street design, etc.) making it look authentic (thanks to Ritoja for pointing this out).

Amit Trivedi has done a brilliant job with not just the tracks but also the background score. The use of a loud rumble that peaked out whenever some suspense was revealed (like in the hospital after Jessica was shot) heightened the emotional context of the scenes. Another moment made extremely interesting because of the soundtrack was when Mira was supposed to go live in 90 seconds and relevant portion of the song 'Aali Re' was played ending with 'Chal hat' when at that precise moment Rani flicked off her assistants and began anchoring. Thanks to Amit Trivedi for bringing Sonu Kakkar back and also for using Aditi Singh Sharma. Aitbaar was a great song for the movie…capturing Sabrina Lall's emotions all too well. I have always been a fan of Amitabh Bhattacharya's work, and he has gone a notch up with the lyrics of NOKJ, especially 'Mui Dilli'.

Like I said, the movie was personal. It hit me in the candle light scene. Mira's narrative about her not paying attention to a story that had immense journalistic potential thinking that it was a high-profile open-and-shut case echoed my opinions when I decided not to be a part of the 'Justice for Jessica' movement and candle light march. I thought then that the cause will be supported by so many people; I didn't need to stand up for it. I think now that no cause, if it qualifies as a cause, should be dismissed by me in future thinking that others are there. I apologise here to everyone for not lighting the candle then. Thanks to NOKJ though, I have lit my heart and soul and will ensure they keep burning.

NOKJ is probably not the best movie in the world, but I am glad it was made, and made the way it was.