Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Movie Review: No One Killed Jessica


Surprises come in small packets... it is so true in the case of Rajkumar Gupta and his latest offering 'No One Killed Jessica.' In the crowd of big budget movies that fail to register a decent initial at the box-office comes a small and gripping movie starring Bollywood's acting divas Rani and Vidya. 'No One Killed Jessica' is a movie based on the real life incident of 'Jessica Murder Case' that has been hitting the media headlines for quite some years. Making a movie out of a real life incident is a huge challenge as even a small glitch in the story and screenplay can spoil the entire authenticity of the incident and Raj Kumar Gupta manages to do a fantastic job.

Like his earlier movie 'Aamir' Raj Kumar Gupta again tackles a gripping subject with thrilling elements which holds the viewers attention till the end. The final result is awesome and deserves a standing ovation.

Story: New Delhi, 1999. The guns at Kargil are still blazing when another one goes off, this time in the nation's capital. Jessica [Myra], a young attractive model, trying her hand at bartending, is shot dead at a celebrity party. Her crime - refusing to serve a drink after closing hours. The culprit Manish [Mohammed Zeeshan Ayub], son of a prominent politician, inebriated by a deadly cocktail of alcohol and a sense of entitlement, pulls the trigger in a fit of rage.

With 300 of Delhi's swish set present at the party, many of whom are witnesses to the murder, Manish looks all set to go to the gallows. Except that it doesn't quite turn out that way. But two women, Jessica's sister Sabrina [Vidya Balan] and the feisty TV reporter Meera [Rani Mukerji], decide to outwit Manish and his politician-father [Shireesh Sharma] at their game. Over the course of seven years, the case goes through several stages of legal complications. Witnesses turn hostile one after another and the few who don't, became inconsistent with their versions.

Manish is acquitted, leading to a fierce public uproar and a relentless campaign by the media, which eventually leads to a life sentence for Manish.

Vidya Balan gives a very mature and restrained performance which is become synonimous with her after 'Paa' & 'Ishqiya'. Rani is a revelation and after 'Bichchoo' this is one more movie where Rani has mouthed foul language and she doesn't look artificial doing so. The rest of the cast is very good. The cinematography by Anay Goswamy is fantastic as it captures the rugged feel of Delhi. The music by Amit Trivedi is another winner especially 'Dilli Dilli' & 'Ali Re' songs. Rajkumar Gupta does a very good job and deserves all the praises and accolades for the success of the movie.

A gripping thriller and a must watch. At the box office this small budget movie will make a big 'Dhamaka'.