No One Killed Jessica (Hindi)
Release Date:
January 07, 2011New Delhi, 1999. The guns at Kargil are still blazing when another one goes off, this time in the nation's capital. Jessica, a young attractive model trying her hand at bartending, is shot dead at a celebrity party. Her crime - refusing to serve a drink after closing hours! The culprit Manish, son of a prominent politician, inebriated by a deadly cocktail of alcohol and a sense of entitlement, pulls the trigger in a fit of rage.
With 300 of Delhi's swish set present at the party, many of whom are witnesses to the murder, Manish looks all set to go to the gallows. Except, that it doesn't quite turn out that way!
Now two women, Jessica's sister, Sabrina and the feisty TV reporter, Meera will have to drum up every resource at their disposal to outwit Manish at his own game, if the truth is to have any chance of prevailing over money and political clout.
Sadly, the spell of a movie is as short-lived as the apprehension of guilt. Otherwise, there would have been lesser number of Jessicas and Arushis; and a notch under than the current tally of Rajas and Monus in the world.
Whatever you can expect from a film with - an attention grabbing promo; based on a newspaper story that is close to home for one and all of us; directed by the person who made a strong statement with his debut, Aamir; AND aspires to be a commercial success - is delivered. It's entertaining, it makes its point and it reaches out to us. Then, even if the film simplifies the struggle that the common man has to go through to get his basic right, it feels like it is only so that we keep our hopes strong in this age of a scam a day.
‘No One Killed Jessica’ starts with a detailed disclaimer about it being a hybrid between fact and dramatization. And that struck me as pleasantly surprising given the standard disclaimers we get to see in all our films, even if they are based on true events. For starters, it set my expectations right. It was pretty clear that expecting gritty realism would be out of place, but I could surely count on honesty of intention and a generous helping of entertainment and if I was in luck, a thought-provoking comment on the state of affairs in the country. Fair enough. But by the time the end credits rolled in, I was wondering if the detailed disclaimer was more of a hasty afterthought than a clear conviction.
This is not quite the super-slick film, but it does pass muster. It’s screen-play hangs a little loose. Direction is average, and the weak supporting cast doesn’t quite bring a sheen of reality. Both Rani and Vidya though, bring presence and vitality to their roles, and stop this film from being a superficial controversy-based film. Before watching the film, I hadn’t expected much, since films based on such notorious cases rarely mirror the true angst of the tragedy. This one, fortunately, comes close to doing it, courtesy the two lead actresses. . .
Murder. Trial. Acquittal. And a final knock-down. No One Killed Jessica is high on drama, with some cutting music and acidic dialoguery.
Vidya Balan is the heart of the film. As the simpleton Sabrina, she perfectly portrays a common man seeking justice. Be it as the bold, dignified Lolita of Parineeta, the headstrong Vidya of Paa or as the daring Krishna of Ishqiya, Balan's every act has been exemplary. Wish Bollywood was more about good actors than size zeroes.
Rani Mukherji as the daring, sharp-tongued journalist Meera Geti adds spunk to her role but overdoes it at times. Music is almost like a character in the film. After Udaan and DevD, Amit Trivedi does a good job with this album. The opening song Dilli couldn't have better gelled with the film.
Overall, No One.... makes for a decent one-time watch. The second half could've been tighter. A few courtroom scenes felt trite. [But in one of those, notice Vidya break into a chuckle as the laywer questions the witnesses].
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