Movie Review: No One Killed Jessica

More than a decade ago, Jessica Lal, a young beautiful model in Delhi was shot dead in cold blood by a politician's spoilt brat for refusing to serve drinks at the bar beyond closing time. The police acted quickly in arresting Manu Sharma and his cohorts, but as the case progressed, witnesses turned hostile, critical evidence was tampered with, and ultimately, a helpless court acquitted the accused for lack of evidence. However, sustained journalistic activism and public opinion slowly turned the tide against political pressure and systemic failures, finally resulting in the Supreme Court over-turning the acquital by the trial courts, and awarding life imprisonment to Manu Sharma. Finally, justice had been delivered. And as I have blogged about earlier, India's free press and democracy continues to kick and kick hard - and that bodes well for this country in the coming decades.

NOKJ is a wonderful adaptation of this shocking incident that threatened to shame the nation, and the subsequent fight for justice. Even though the end is a foregone conclusion, the script is crisp, the screenplay moves at a brisk pace, the background scores create the perfect moods, and the audience is left engrossed till the very end. Rani and Vidya Balan do a good job, getting into the skin of their characters with sincerity. Newcomer Myra Khan as Jessica is a delight to watch, her fresh face, amazing smile and sexy look will open a lot of opportunities for her in Bollywood in the months to come. The most interesting character is the investigating officer, who takes a bribe to keep his hands off Manu in custody, but tries his best to put up a good case. His helplessness in securing the much-needed witnesses from the crowd of over 300 at the disc the day of the shooting highlights the malaise that's gripped parts of Indian society today.

Except for the profusion of avoidable cuss words, NOKJ is a great movie that will grip you and touch you... not to be missed!