The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : A reel take on real-life crime

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Dec 30, 2010
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

A reel take on real-life crime

Staff Reporter

Raj Kumar Gupta's film on the Jessica Lall case out soon

Gutsy:The director says he was inspired by the involvement of the media and the entire country in the Jessica Lall murder case.

BANGALORE: This January, the Jessica Lall murder case will be reopened courtesy No One Killed Jessica, the film inspired by the controversial killing of the model.

“I'm not trying to send a message to the people. I was inspired by the story and the involvement of the media and eventually the entire country,” said director Raj Kumar Gupta about what prompted him to make the film.

He and actor Vidya Balan were addressing the media in the city on Wednesday.

Fans will remember Mr. Gupta's critically acclaimed debut film, Aamir.

Dogged campaign

His second film stars Vidya Balan as Jessica Lall's sister Sabrina, who led a dogged campaign for justice, and Rani Mukherjee as journalist Meera Gaity who sets out to nail the accused.

“I did not meet Sabrina before the film,” said Ms. Balan, asked if she had met the model's sibling. “Sabrina today has emerged as a real-life icon and has already gone through everything I had to go through in the film. My portrayal is my interpretation of the character that was scripted.”

“I will not categorise it as a serious film and the music, if anything, complements it, playing an important role in the context of the film,” Mr. Gupta said about composer Amit Trivedi's contribution.

“The film has treated the case with dignity, and the way fact blends with fiction is [totally seamless],” Ms. Balan said.

No One Killed Jessica is set for a January 7 release.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Karnataka