No One Killed Jessica

It had great potential. It started well, but somewhere in the middle it falls short of delivering the kind of impact that was expected from a film like "No One Killed Jessica". But that in no way takes away the effort that has been put in to make a film like this; something that requires a lot of balls. The screenplay gets a bit overstretched in the second half which becomes the weakest point of the film. Talking of strengths, Vidya Balan steals the show (literally) with a performance that is understated, uninhibited and totally spontaneous. She deserves a standing ovation. Newcomer Myra shows tremendous potential, while Rani as the sour-tongued journalist is delightful but by far not her best. Amit Trivedi's music too is the highlight of the film. Hats off to the entire team for making the movie that deserves to be made, and passing a message that deserves to be passed.

The movie is based on a true story that changed the way journalism and the judicial system were viewed in India. It is about 2 girls who decide to fight against the system which faltered in providing justice, while succeeding in the endeavor also manage to touch the hearts of millions of Indians.

In the movie the director fulfills his promise which was displayed in his earlier movie Aamir, with this brutally honest, yet rivetingly thrilling rendering which makes many points without being preachy or over dramatic.

The movie takes a dig at the aged Indian judicial system and how it is prone to be abused at the hands of the rich. The director looks after and gets right most of the little factual details in the film which is very appreciable and often missing in bollywood.

The movie strengths are that it is so close to the facts of case(visit the wiki page to check out)without sounding like a documentary or going over the top.It has a thriller like pace especially in the second half whereas the 1st half could do with a bit more of editing.

The music is loud but works well to keep the viewers attention when the movie drags a little.But undoubtedly the movie is worth watching for the actors and characters they portray. Catch Rani Mukherjee in perhaps the most daring female character ever written for a heroine in India with her oozing attitude not to mention the flying f words.She has guts to accept that role! Among the side roles only the police inspector's laid back role impresses.But the movie belongs to Vidya Balan who comes back to surprise us over again with a completely deglam, gritty and yet vulnerable role of Sabrina lal.She is amazing.Wish the lead ladies had more screen space together. Kudos to the team for a daring venture avoiding most of the clichés and showing the way forward for Indian movies in 2011.

It's a good movie.

That's not just my opinion. All the people leaving the 75% occupied theater had the same feeling. One of them clapped when the movie finished. Others were silent admirers.

I understand it's not the best way to start a film review but what's the point in beating around the bush when something is clear from the onset. It feels really good when you are looking forward to a film and when you watch it; it not just delivers just what you wanted it to deliver but also surprises you with something additional.

To start with, No One Killed Jessica (NOKJ) is not just an ordinary film. It's a film with an imperative story to tell and a gigantic point to make. It shows a ferocious face of the society but it also shows how sometimes hope comes in from an unforeseen source.

Starting with a slightly protracted monologue by Rani, NOKJ takes you back to the 1999 case mentioned above and opens one page of history after another. The first half is 100% based on truth, the second half goes a bit filmy adding some necessary Bollywood touches to the story. The good thing, however, is that the story has been kept near original as much as possible. How Jessica was killed, how the witnesses turned hostile and how the judicial system responded to the whole thing. The filmy twist is Rani Mukherjee taking control of the proceedings to bring justice to the Lall family. It might not have happened the way it is shown in the film but it did eventually happen.

Vidya Balan has done an extraordinary job. Languorous body language as the nerdy girl, poignant expressions of a broken yet determined sister and angry demeanor of someone who has given up hope; she has handled it all very well. It's difficult to say that its one of her best performances because with Ishqiya, she has raised her bar too high to better. Nonetheless, almost flawless. The costume designer has given her shapeless masculine clothes which add to the barefacedness of her role.

I am not a Rani Mukherjee fan but I have to admit that she too has put up a wonderful show in NOKJ. The first surprise was her look. She looks matured but certainly not bad. She was never skinny but here she oozes sex appeal. Surprising, as far as I am concerned. Her performance is very vigorous. She has restrained herself from going over the top which has helped the cause. Her chemistry with the co-star Satyadeep Mishra as her boss is very natural. She is one actress who is very good at swearing and she gets a free-hand at that in NOKJ. Her portrayal of Meera; she is probably playing Barkha Dutt here; is a woman who is opportunistic, street smart and a self-proclaimed bitch. Rare.

Supporting cast is perfectly assembled. Rajesh Sharma has grabbed the most powerful role of his career; much stronger than Ishqiya and Khosla KA Ghosla. Satyadeep Mishra is also good in his cameo and should get bigger outings in the future. Geeta Sudan as Jessica's mother is brilliant in a couple of scenes. Samara Chopra as Naina Sehgal is the best of the lot. Her court scene with the lawyer is stunning.

I loved Rajkumar Gupta's Aamir and was looking forward to the director's next outing. Just like Aamir, he has picked up an interesting and important subject and has treated it in a similar unglamorous way. He will probably never work with Yash Chopra and Karan Johar. I particularly liked the director's attention to detail in this drama. Showing Windows 98 on the monitor screen in old scenes, old Pepsi logo on the walls, absence of mobile phones etc. were small things which could have been overlooked. There was a minor hiccup though when they failed to spot IDEA mobile's banners in the background of a shot. Cinematography could have been better though. Unnecessary addition of some humor could also be avoided.

What happened to Jessica Lall could happen to any of our friends or family. We all live in similar societies at the end of the day. If we are not immune to such events, we need to have the courage to stand up for our right and fight for it till the end. It might not become a big success, films like this don't. It will still remain one of the finest films to come out of Indian cinema lately. More so, because it covers an important subject. For me, it was a much needed relief after the underwhelming Tees Maar Khan experience.

Should a person who wants to relax a little, stay away from the never ending burdens of life,to grab a popcorn and coke and have their free laughing classes inside the theatre, watch this film ? NO. Cause after coming out of the theatre he/she is bound to realize how insignificant an average citizen is in front of money and power which rules the country.

This is a very hard-hitting film, maybe a slap on the face of everyone who desperately try to remain unaware of the wrongs happening in this country.Just like Sabrina(Vidya Balan) was,till Jessica got murdered.

Keeping it in mind that this film was purely based on true events ,kudos to the director for not sensationalizing any part of the film for making it "filmi". And it wasn't a documentary either. The story is obviously known to everyone so don't expect nerve-ripping surprises.It is a movie which makes you have a seat beside Sabrina while she is sitting beside her ailing father,Shout in agony "Lets nail those bastards" with Meera(Rani Mukherji) as she promises to bring justice.

Raj Kumar Gupta is a very promising director who uses Vidya Balan, Rani Mukherjee to perfection.The first half belongs to the silent Vidya and the second to Rani.

The music by Amit Trivedi and lyrics by Amitabh Bhattacharya fits right into the story. Final word, this film makes you think.For example what had you done had you been in the prime witness Vikram's place."Mujhe ek Crore rupaiya nahi chahiye par ek goli bhi nahin khani" Isn't this the mentality of almost every middle-class citizen of India ?

No one killed Jessica directed by Raj kumar Gupta is a "hybrid" of real and fiction, that describes the murder of a model named Jessica Lal, her sister's fight for justice and eventual punishment of accused. Anyone born in the late 80's and earlier would be aware of Jessica Lal, a model,killed by a politician's son(in 1999), for refusing drinks at a party and who went Scot free thanks to political influence and corruption.

The movie's first half shows how Jessica got involved in the unfortunate incident, her sister Sabrina's(Vidya Balan) fight for justice and how a gritty reporter-Meera(Rani mukerjee), who initially refuses to take up the case, regretfully picks it up after the accused gets let off. The second half we see Meera fight for justice and with the support of media and people she is successful in reopening the case.

The movie moves at a smooth pace. Although Meera's role is very tiny in the first half of the film, Gupta makes use of the time to build her character. A brash, honest reporter who stops at nothing to get the job done. Rani Mukerjee (Black) is a terrific actor who for some reason has made all wrong choices in picking up mushy stereotypical roles since her award winning performance in Black. But here she shines again as Meera, although her role is not as impressionable as the one in black, she deserves accolades for it.

Vidya Balan as Sabrina does a good job too but sadly her's is a role that is not as satisfyingly written as that of Meera. We see Sabrina Lall as a woman who has no boyfriend, no life because she spends all her time trying to get her sister's killer arrested .This cannot be real! The Real Sabrina Lall, I am sure had a life in which she studied or worked or did something other than moving from police station to court for eight years!. On the other hand Jessica's character has been sketched out neatly and just enough to connect with the viewers.

The supporting characters are okay but the scenes of the common people watching television, their reaction and reactions of eminent public figures(depicted through look-alike)inadvertently evoke laughter mainly due to the poor acting.

The music by Trivedi impressively highlights certain scenes like the opening credits and songs like 'aithbaar' plays perfectly in tandem with intense scenes involving court and Sabrina's plight. In fact the rock tunes in the background score help some scenes from seeming too dramatic.

In Conclusion, Although No one killed Jessica gets over dramatic sometimes,it does a decent job of entertaining and educating the viewers. Watch No one killed Jessica, to remember 'that' event which roused the whole nation to fight against corruption with unity, for truly and sadly we don't see it happening often.