When I first heard about this film, I wondered what was the objective of making the movie, and what was it going to show, because most people were quite aware of the Jessica Lal case. What was particularly perplexing was the casting – one could understand Vidya Balan – but Rani Mukherjee?? The combination was a bit jarring. Of course, there is nothing wrong in making films based on real events – for example the brilliant Black Friday, made by the director’s own mentor. But the difference here was that the material in Black Friday was much more complex and exhaustive. Then we heard from Rajkumar Gupta that the film was intended to be made as a thriller, and on a slightly more commercialised format. So I said, hmmm....well, let’s see. Considering the maker’s sensibilities, it would definitely be a film to watch out for.
A half-hour into the film, I started wondering why I was getting a bit restless, even though NOKJ seemed like very well-made movie. The answer is that the film does not really rise much above being a plain account of the Jessica Lal case, with some parts spiced up by fictionalising it, and has some great performances.
The entire point of making this movie should have been to add some new perspective to the case or some ignored aspect. For example, it could have shown some insight into the stark realities of society. I have always wondered why the rich and the middle-class are so apathetic and selfish. They are so wary of to stand up for someone, scared of exposing themselves to even the slightest danger, and unwilling to face the drudgery of the judicial system. But the same people are so over-protective when it comes to their family, and would go to any lengths to protect them, including breaking all legal, ethical or moral standards, without an inkling of shame or guilt. The defence being that anything is justified if done towards the well being of one’s family. To be fair, the film does succeed on this count to an extent on this count, through some brilliant moments. On the other hand, some crucial characters like the accused person’s mother have been caricatured. My guess is that the director wanted to infuse some humour to lighten the proceedings, but in doing so he dilutes the script. Even the portions representing Bina Ramani are flawed and unexplained.
Coming to performances, Vidya is brilliant, and manages to infuse lot of depth to her character. Rani’s character is quite banal and she plays it high-pitched. Still, the role is a step-up for Rani – we are used to her mouthing lines like “pyar dosti hai”. It was as if the casting question got mystically answered – Vidya representing the ‘core’ and the facts, while Rani representing the fiction quotient. Sabrina's mother was awful....the way she starts bawling and suddenly becomes all sedate and sullen – it was almost scary!! In fact, even Sabrina’s father is a cardboard cut-out. The director could have added some more personality to the characters.
Overall, it is quite a well-made film and Rajkumar Gupta’s craft is quite assured and confident. The film does intermittently manage to evoke some emotion and would be a very good watch for people who are not very aware of the case. If only it had some ‘freshness’ quotient to it. Finally, what stayed in my mind when i walked out of the theatre was D-D-D-D-D-Delhi Delhi....
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