No One Killed Jessica Movie Review

Director: Raj Kumar Gupta; Actors: Vidya Balan, Rani Mukerji; Rating: *** 1/2

On April 29, 1999 a shot was fired from a .22 bore pistol whose loud reverberations lasted over a decade. The shot that killed a vivacious, aspiring model Jessica Lall was fired in the presence of more than 100 ’socialites’ present at a party in New Delhi. Yet, accused Manu Sharma walked free in 2006 prompting a newspaper headline that read "No One Killed Jessica".

In the ensuing decade, Venod Sharma, father of the accused and a high profile congress leader, paid millions of rupees to silence witnesses. It was not until the Tehelka Magazine did a sting investigation and Star News aired the footage that justice was finally served.

"No One Killed Jessica" faithfully follows the case to emerge a winner.

Almost everyone knows the story. Yet, the film makes some interesting departures to keep the momentum going. A Barkha Dutt type character has been introduced in Rani Mukerji though the former did not have much to do with the case or its reinstatement. However, Rani lacks the intensity to pull off such a strong role and the strain shows.

On the other hand, Vidya Balan soars with the unglamorous, distraught and hunchbacked portrayal of Jessica’s sister.

Director Raj Kumar Gupta makes direct comment on the society we live in, its voyeuristic tendencies and the judiciary’s disregard for justice. Everyone knows the extent of corruption and rot in the system as symptomised by the acquittal of Manu Sharma, but the question as always is who would bell the cat if the police and judiciary do not.

In this case Tehelka, who did the sting investigation and Star News (and not NDTV that walks away with the praises in the film) that aired the footages did manage to right a wrong. But the question is not just of Jessica Lall, but the thousands like her whose cases have not had the light of justice shine upon them.

The Jessica Lall murder thus became an emblem of the rot in the democracy, police and judiciary.

The truth is, the culprits were not just Manu Sharma, his friends and his family, but Shayan Munshi who redacted his statements leading to Manu’s acquittal and Bina Ramani, both of whom continue to have successful careers, one as an actor-model and the latter as a heedless socialite. The culprit is all of us who stay silent to the injustice all around us.

The injustice done in Jessica’s case has been corrected, but the question remains of the millions of other cases of injustice in the country.

Gupta’s film on a true incident bodes well for Bollywood, which is normally not too keen on reality, and the concept of justice itself. Yet, the question is not who killed Jessica Lall, but as the gross miscarriage of injustice in Kashmir, central and northeast India and the thousands of pending cases in the country show -- it is: who killed justice in India?

Shah Rukh Khan And Salman Khan Drama At Airport

The New Year began on an inauspicious note for Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan on Monday.Both Bollywood superstars left Dubai and arrived at Mumbai simultaneously, within a minute of each other, prompting passengers at the airport and people outside come to receieve them to believe that the actors had buried their rivalry and were back to being friends.

It was high drama at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport that night. First King Khan showed up outside at 9.23 pm, then seconds later at 9.24 pm, the King of 2010 - Dabangg Salman strode out. People gaped, then quickly asked other Mumbai returnees streaming out if they had been travelling on the same flight as the actors and if SRK and Sallu had been spotted talking to each other.

Of course, nothing like this happened. Both Khans travelled on chartered flights. And, their almost simultaneous departure caused excitement at the Dubai airport as well. They were mobbed by Middle Eastern and Indian fans, hounded for autographs and besieged to pose for photographs.

Then the drama picked up in Mumbai when SRK walked out with wife Gauri and son Aryan and Salman with father Salim and mother Helen. Strangely, even both actors’ cars were parked together. But this was one instance when the Gods proposed, but men disposed...

Farah Khan And Katrina Kaif Posed Akshay Kumar's Camera

What happened when the Tees Maar Khan Akshay Kumar, Farah Khan and Sheila came to Dilli recently? Post the formal meetings, promotional activities and some idhar-udhar ki baatein, Akshay thought of trying his hand at photography.

So, the Khiladi borrowed the camera from us, saying, "Lao main click karta hoon." Of course, we were surprised, but he insisted, "Arre, mujhe click karna aata hai."

The actor then began to click Farah Khan and (ahem ahem) Katrina too, who posed under the sun for him. While he had loads of fun with his new found passion, we managed another camera to capture this never-seen-before action scene by the actor.

What a multi-talented personality – from chef to actor to err... celeb photog, eh? We wonder what’s next on the wish list when you come to the city again, Akki?

Vijender Singh And Leander Paes To Act In Films

Sunil Gavaskar, Vijay Amritraj, Sandeep Patil and a few others have done it in the past. And this year Vijender Singh and Leander Paes are all set to join the lengthy list of sportspersons to act in films. There’s more in store. Paes’ partner Mahesh Bhupathi has entered film production, thereby following the footsteps of another tennis player: Ashok Amritraj.

Boxer Vijender, who won a bronze medal in 2008 Beijing Olympics, has three projects in hand: "The One", " Patiala Express" and an unnamed venture. Tennis player Paes, another Olympic medalist and winner of multiple Grand Slam events, is acting in " Rajdhani Express" and "Agent K Bhupathi", the other half of the famed Indian Express, is co-producing " Chalo Dilli".

"The One is an action movie where I am part of an anti-terrorism squad. In "Patiala Express", I play a boxer. The film also has a love angle," says the 25-year-old boxer from Haryana. He claims to feel as comfortable before a camera as inside the ring. "Sportstars are fit both mentally and physically. We can do everything: boxing to dancing.

Acting is not difficult at all," says Vijender. Paes’ "Rajdhani Express" tells the story of four youths who travel to the big city pursuing their dreams. "What excited Leander was the film’s story which expresses the angst and anger of the common man. The film seeks to entertain rather than preach," says director Ashok Kohli. The other film, "Agent K", is an espionage thriller directed by Arindam Mitra.

Bhupathi’s "Chalo Dilli" is a road movie. His Big Daddy Productions and actor Lara Dutta’s Bheegi Basanti Production are co-producing the film along with Eros International Video. According to Ram Mirchandani, chief creative officer of Eros, Dutta and Vinay Pathak form the leading cast.

The film will be shot in Jaipur and Delhi this month and slated for release in April 2011. Sportspersons, especially cricketers, have always been closely associated with the Mumbai filmworld. In 1973, all-rounder Salim Durrani acted with Parveen Babi in BR Ishaara’s superflop, "Charitra". In the 1970s, Gavaskar acted in two Marathi films: "Svali Premachi" (The Shadow of Love) and "Zakol".

In 1988, he again made a brief appearance in "Malamaal", alongside Naseeruddin Shah and Poonam Dhillon. Hard-hitting batsman Sandeep Patil also tried his luck in Bollywood but his film, " Kabhi Ajnabi The" (1985), with heroine Debashree Roy failed to score at the box-office. The trend has continued in the New Millennium. Ajay Jadeja played a side hero in "Khel" (2003), another big flop.

In most of these roles, the sportspersons were woefully inept in the acting department. There have been some exceptions though. Former Test cricketer Salil Ankola was appreciated for his performance as a villain in "Chura Liya Hai Tumne" (2003). Syed Kirmani too put his bald pate to good use as a karate-kicking baddie In "Kabhi Ajnabi The". Pakistani cricketer Mohsin Khan, who married Bollywood heroine Reena Roy, was also impressive in films like JP Dutta’s "Batwara" (1989) and "Saathi" (1991).

The most talked-about performance, however, was that of Vijay Amritraj, who had a small cameo as James Bond’s friend in "Octopussy" (1983). Vijay’s brother Ashok, a 1974 Wimbledon boy’s singles finalist, has become a Hollywood hotshot. He has produced over 100 Hollywood movies including "Bandits" ( Bruce Willis, 2001), "Walking Tall" (2004), "Bringing Down the House" (2003) and "Raising Helen" (2004).

Like him, Bhupathi is now taking the first step towards film production. Film trade specialist Taran Adarsh says that the earlier crop of sportpersons probably failed because the timing wasn’t right or the script weren’t good enough. "But today cinema has changed. The coming of sportspersons is good news for Bollywood. They bring in variety. Which means a wider range of actors to choose from," he says.

Kareena Kapoor Loves Being Eco-Friendly

She left last night for Switzerland on a 10-day trip with beau Saif Ali Khan. The couple will be staying at a chalet-hut owned by the Gstaad Palace which runs on solar energy.Says a source, "Bebo and Saif believe in preserving the eco-system in their own way. Last year, she had promoted eco-friendly handbags. Every year, they re-cycle their fir trees during Christmas.

This year, Kareena and Saif will be staying for a few days at the Gstaad Palace in Switzerland and then shift to a wooden hut (the Walig Hut) built like a small 18th century chalet at 5000 feet above sea level. The 300-year old hut has been carefully restored with basic plumbing and solar-powered electric lighting. Saif loves skiing, so every year the couple have been spending their New Year’s on the Swiss Alps."

The chalet-hut is very expensive costing over £1, 000 per night for two adults. This includes a sumptuous three-course meal with wine and champagne. The hut’s back-to-nature experience is an attraction to people who normally live their lives in comfort.The couple will initially spend a few days at the Tower Suite in the Gstaad Palace. "The Gstaad Palace offers a breathtaking view of the majestic Swiss Alps and is one of Saif’s favorite hotels.

A wide variety of activities such as golf, heli-skiing, hot-air-ballooning et al are available near the hotel."Built in 1913, the Gstaad Palace is set on a hill overlooking the beautiful town it is named after. The tastefully decorated 104 rooms include 29 junior suites, and the luxurious and sophisticated three-bedroom Penthouse Suite. The Palace offers gourmet dining in five different restaurants, live entertainment in two bars, and dancing at the famous GreenGo nightclub.

Before leaving for Switzerland, Kareena took an entire day off from work and spent it with her dad Randhir Kapoor. A source close to the actress says, "Kareena has been constantly shooting for her films and ads and hardly had any time to spend with her father. Incidentally, he too was holidaying in the USA. They met up for lunch yesterday and spent the whole day together catching up."

Rani Mukerji Skirt Was Slipping Off Her Waist

Rani Mukerji threw a fit last week at the Big Star Entertainment Awards in Mumbai because her designer gave her ill-fitting clothes.Says a source, "Rani wore a ghaghra-choli at the recently held awards, which will be telecast tomorrow on Star Plus.

She performed to various B-Town hits right from her first song Koi Mil Gaya (Kuch Kuch Hota Hai) to the title track of Dil Bole Hadippa. Her last song was Dilli from No One Killed Jessica. However, Rani kept exiting the stage for a few moments and even moved backstage during her final track."

The source reveals, "The actress’ skirt (ghaghra) was very loose and she had to return backstage for check on it. She kept her cool through out her performance.Not once did she show during her entire act that the loose skirt was slipping off her waist and would quietly go offstage to adjust it.

But all hell broke loose when her act got over and the actress entered the media room for giving channel bytes. Her designer came running to her to ask her about the performance."Apparently, she gave the girl a firing. "Rani shouted at her designer so much that she was almost in tears. She told her ’kitni beizzati hui mujhe stage pe aaj, tumhare skirt ke wajah se! Kya ill-fitting skirt diya!’.

The trouble is, most of RM’s outfits for stage shows are done by Neeta Lulla and Sabyasachi Chakroborty but this time because of lack of time, Rani brought a new girl to do her outfits for the awards."Rani remained unavailable for comment.Priyanka Chopra and Rani Mukerji apparently refused to perform on the choreography that was done for them by their respective choreographers at the Big Star Entertainment Awards.

The ladies immediately put their own choreographers on the job. They added individual touches to make it more interesting. A source adds, "Rani and Priyanka wanted their acts to stand out and not look similar and that’s why they chose to choreograph their dances with their own choreographers. It was as if Rani and Priyanka were competing with each other!""

Ranbir Kapoor Is Moving To Newer Pastures

The actor is currently fascinated by his Rockstar co-star Nargis Fakhri. While his blow hot -blow cold status with Katrina Kaif continues, Ranbir seems to be cementing his relationship with Nargis. Sources reveal that Kapoor has already told close friends that he ’likes’ Nargis and wants to give their developing relationship a chance.

While Nargis is getting to know him better, Kat is slowly and steadily distancing herself from RK. In the last two months, Ranbir -Katrina have had many arguments and fights due to his growing proximity with the newcomer. A source reveals, "Kat feels that Ranbir isn’t coming clean about his relation with Nargis. While he maintains they are working co-stars, she can sense there’s more.

The growing tension between the two got public when the Kapoor lad was heard screaming into the phone on the Rockstar set with Kat at the other end of the line.The fight started when Katrina was informed that the Kapoor lad had gone to drop Nargis at her friend’s place, while he had told her that he was busy at an ad shoot.

"Ranbir doesn’t want to commit to his co-star yet, but he’s admitted to some close friends that there is a possibility of him getting serious. Apart from spending time with her, he’s also been recommending her to producers."Kaif feels that RK shuts himself off after a fight and doesn’t communicate. While she believes in resolving a conflict, he chooses to ignore it and move on.

Buzz is that the actor plans to take the new gal in his life to his sister Riddhima’s house during the New Year’s where the entire family will be celebrating. Is this his answer to Kat heading to Dubai to ring in the New Year?