Talvar Hindi Movie
It has been one of the most twisted murder cases in India. The Arushi - Hemraj double murder. There have been plenty debates on who the real culprits were, and if the parents were innocent. What was unanimously however agreed upon is that the police investigation was sloppy and left questions unanswered. Mystery remained in minds people, and created a fertile ground for a film to be woven around it. Unsurprisingly, Talvar is the second film based on the murders; the first - Rahasya - released early in the year. How different could two films be on the same topic? Quite!
Talvar sticks to the real life case... although seemingly guided by a vision that is pre-determined. While as a film Talvar does not quite aim to take a stand, it somehow does. Probably due to an attempt to create a larger than life heroic character, or simple will to do so.
Talwar kicks off with CDI (Read CBI) Joint Director Ashwini Kumar (Irrfan) taking over the murder case from the UP Police, which had already made a mess out of it. As he reinvestigates it, Ashwini finds discrepancies in the initial investigation and draws a conclusion that the parents' version could very well be true. Especially after microanalysis test of domestic help throw light of other possibilities. True to real life situations, Ashwini is removed from the case and a new team dismisses his findings and let the domestic help walk free.
As a film Talvar is engaging. Taut screenplay back by extensive research, well shot and neatly edited, Talvar makes a fantastic watch. The thrill is heightened by a delightful performance by Irrfan Khan. Konkona Sen Sharma and Neeraj Kabi are natural. Tabu is a guest appearance manages to strike an impression.
The film will at some point make you question everything that has been acknowledged and reported around the case in last seven years; definitely raising questions on the functioning of the police.
In essence, Talvar is as true to life as possible (of course every name is changed). Writer Vishal Bhardwaj and director Meghna Gulzar have tried putting in as much of documented facts into it. However there are a few particulars that the director decides not deal with. Which is why, it must be watched only as a regular Bollywood film. Because regardless of what they may have claimed, the film definitely is slightly tilted towards one particular side of the story. And that can be dangerous when being communicated over a mass medium.
MOVIE REVIEWS