Review: No One Killed Jessica (Hindi - 2011)

Title: No One Killed Jessica (Hindi - 2011)
Starring: Vidya Balan. Rani Mukherjee

Directed by: Raj Kumar Gupta

Music: Amit Trivedi

Score: 7.5 out of 10

Verdict: A very gritty portrayal of a commoner’s quest for justice after the tragic murder of a young woman. Good acting and tight narration makes it a very satisfying movie experience.

Not withstanding the culture shock I experienced when I watched the attitudinal shifts of the young and hip Indians as seen in this film, I must say I liked the movie ‘No body Killed Jessica’. It is bold in its pursuit of realistically representing a real life incident. In this case it is a crime that goes unpunished and a victim’s family who is denied justice. All this happens because powerful people in India have the muscle to twist the law enforcement agencies to do their bidding. They have the means to subvert the judicial system for self preservation against the interests of innocent hardworking law-abiding citizens.

The movie sets this mood with a bang in the opening sequence with a solidly delivered song ‘di di di dilli dilli’. It has strong background music and gritty lyrics and is sung effectively by Tochi Raina, Shriram Iyer, Aditi Singh Sharma. It is very effective in juxtaposing the symbols of power and the struggles of the daily life of common citizens.

The story starts with a young Sabrina who runs a travel agency, being woken up to the shocking news that her sister Jessica has been shot. We see the flash back where there is wild revelry in a posh club where Jessica a ravishing young girl is manning the bar and serving liquor to a crowd of young men and women who are consumed in wild dance and revelry. The club is owned by Jessica’s parents. It puts to shame any country club in the decadent West especially with the knowledge that dusty poverty stricken life lies just around the corner in the case of the Indian club.

It is in this backdrop that Jessica gets murdered. What follows is the police investigation, the political machinations by the involved parties, the court trial and the outcome. Jessica’s sister Sabrina doggedly pursues to seek justice for her dead sister. On the way a gutsy TV reporter Meera also gets involved in the case.

What stands out is the bold and understated performance by Vidya Balan. She has taken on a role which is not glamorous but has given it a great stature with her natural and unpretentious acting. The director Raj Kumar Gupta has ensured that the movie does justice to the serious nature of the theme he has chosen while giving proper attention to cinematic effects.

Culture Shock
Now coming to the culture shock I was taken aback watching Meera Gaity played by Rani Mukerjee. Meera is an audacious TV news reporter and anchor who is daring and fearless. She is ruthless in how she pursues her journalistic goals. That is great to see an attitude of grabbing life by its horns. But what I was not prepared for was the free flow of foul language from her which seemed to cross over to arrogance and crassness. I am pretty sure I would have had the same reaction even if it was coming from a man. Rani Mukherjee plays the role well and gets to drop choice obscenities which would draw applause from Chicago mobsters.

I am all for portraying life and characters in raw, realistic terms. I do understand that there are men and women like Meera in India but showing it in a film as if it is normal part of everyday life is a turning point. Another suspicion I have is that ‘Bollywood’ is accentuating aspects of life which can create sensationalism to benefit the film.

My greatest suspicion is that I am just out of touch with Indian films. But I would be really shocked if it turns out that I am out of touch with India and how Indians in India see themselves.

Here is a trailer of the movie.