Talwar review.
written by Souranath Banerjee
A superbly well researched fictional representation.
My Ratings: 4.1/5.
The Noida double murder case (Noida, Uttar Pradesh) also known as the Aarushi-Hemraj murder case was all over the papers in 2008 (exact date of the tragedy 15-16 May).
14-year-old Aarushi Talwar was found dead (her throat slit) and the maid servant Hemraj was the prime suspect (since he was missing).
One day later, Hemraj’s partially decomposed body (throat slit) was discovered on the terrace of the Talwar’s residence.
The case attracted extreme level of press attention and public curiosity since it was like a live whodunit film with numerous plot-twists, and steadily being revealed through the daily ruthless media updates.
Soon the police accused Aarushi’s parents Dr. Rajesh Talwar and Nupur Talwar for both the murders openly in the media and termed the murders as a case of honour killings.
But then, without much satisfactory results the case got transferred to the CBI.
Finally in 2015, the Aarushi-Hemraj murder case is actually been made into a whodunit film but fortunately it seems that Vishal Bhardwaj (writer) and Meghna Gulzar (director) have done their research very well and the film Talwar reflects a more or less unbiased overview of the tragic case.
A tight script that makes you involved right from the start.
With terrific performances by actors like Irrfan Khan (as CBI investigating officer), Konkona Sen Sharma (as Nupur Talwar), Neeraj Kabi (as Rajesh Talwar) and Gajraj Rao (police officer), the film Talwar narrates such a gripping tale that it’s often difficult for the audience to remember that after all it’s a fictional representation of the dismal crime and its aftermath.
Talwar also reminds us of the uncomfortable reality about the ignorance and inefficiency of the Indian police force (specially in the small towns); probably the same reason why we unconsciously enjoy our Singhams and Dabanggs so much.
And then the official politics in the CBI like any other bureaucracy; the contamination of evidence, the sudden change in the statements of the witness and the utter lack of motivation to seek the truth.
There is no end of controversies involving this particular case and till date people are fighting for justice or may be against injustice.
Poster curtsey: en.wikipedia.org, www.livemint.com, http://indiatoday.intoday.in