Talvar: Reasons we are looking forward to the film

Talvar is not a voyeuristic film: Meghna Gulzar

According to an interview given to Indian Express when Meghna Gulzar was asked about the parallels being drawn out in the way media handled the Aarushi murder case and the very recent Sheena Bora murder, the Talvar director articulated, the obvious parallel is that theories come out before the investigations are over. She stated, it is not just the media which does this but also the investigating agencies which feed it. It is also the society — and that everyone sat at the dinner table and discussed these things, she purported. She elaborated her statement connecting her film Talvar with it saying that films on such subjects can be sensationalist in their execution and that Talvar is not a voyeuristic film. She further claimed that if there is anything she can vouch for, it is the integrity of the film.

Almost seven years after it happened, the files of the 2008 Aarushi Talwar murder case are all set to reopen and now it’s Bollywood’s turn to investigate the case. Talvar, a film on arguably India’s most controversial case is slated to release on October 2, 2015. The official trailer of this film directed by Meghna Gulzar is out and it is every bit riveting. The film is entirely based on the investigations carried out in the case and does not pass a judgment. However, as far as the trailer is concerned, the film goes beyond that 1300 sq. ft. apartment situated in Noida’s Jalvayu Vihar, where Aarushi and her family’s domestic help, Hemraj Banjade were killed. As Talvar’s trailer comes out, we list out some reasons why we are looking forward to the film…
- Amann Khuranaa

The unseen side of the story: While the double murder case received heavy media coverage and all aspects of it were covered, there is a side of it that the nation has not seen. With this film, as fact meets fiction, audience will get a chance to delve in the dark world of this horrific case. It was only with the help of a feature film that one could reach Aarushi’s bedroom. Only fiction gives you the liberty to see what went inside the police station and the courtrooms while the investigations were on. We know that a major portion of that will be fictionalized but those two hours will definitely be a nail-biting experience for a viewer who hasn’t seen anything beyond pictures of Aarushi and Hemraj, outside shots of the Talwars’ house, a handful of interviews given by the Talwar couple and some press conferences by the police and the administration. Vishal Bharadwaj has penned the story of the film.

Irrfan Khan: He might have been absent from the trailer launch of Talvar but Irrfan Khan is to be seen in his top form in the film. Playing an investigating officer, Irrfan Khan is a fine mix of swagger and subtlety. Be it his kickass dialogue delivery or stern facial expressions, Irrfan looks impeccable in every frame he appears in. After witnessing his light-hearted avatar in Piku, it would be interesting to see him in a serious role.

Tabu: Reportedly, Tabu has a significant role in Talvar but what is surprising is she is nowhere to be seen in the trailer of the film. Maybe, the makers want to keep her character under the wraps and surprise the audiences upon the release. Well, if that’s the case, we don’t really mind missing out on her in the trailer. She was crackling as a police officer in Drishyam. Now, we wait for the ace actress to stun us with Talvar.

Neeraj Kabi and Konkona Sen Sharma: As soon as you catch their first glimpse in the trailer, you wonder if there could be a better cast to play Rajesh and Nupur Talwar than Neeraj Kabi and Konkona Sen Sharma. The actors seem to have given superlative performances and their striking resemblance with the Talwar couple makes it all look so real. First rate costume designer Abhilasha Sharma also deserves a strong mention here whose work adds to the authenticity of the film.

Meghna Gulzar: If you go back in history, Meghna Gulzar has directed unsuccessful films like Filhaal..., Just Married and Dus Kahaniyaan and this film is being hailed as the comeback of the lady director after a long hiatus of eight years. True that Meghna’s films did not work at the box office but with each of her films; her urge of doing something different can be felt. The trailer of Talvar gives a glance of her gripping direction. Also, with Vishal Bharadwaj as the writer, Meghna would have definitely delivered something worth watching. And we are pretty impressed by the way the film has been named. The makers have referred to the sword (talvar) that the Lady Justice holds in her right hand while smartly indicating that it is a film about Talwars, the real life protagonists of the Aarushi Talwar murder case.