Employing the Rashomon effect to good use, Meghna Gulzar’s Talvar is a humdinger. Depicting the Noida double murders from three different perspectives, it brings forth the miscarriage of justice. Earlier this year, Avirook Sen in his novel Arushi chose to follow a similar path. Sickening as the proceedings in Talvar might be, kudos to the director, who has kept her biases aside while dispassionately treating the subject matter. It is imperative that while making films based on real events, the director keep his inclinations at bay, or else his work might be undermined.
| Overall: |  (3.5 / 5) |
| Story: |  (3.8 / 5) |
| Acting: | (3.8 / 5) |
| Music: |  (3.3 / 5) |
| Dialogue: | (3.8 / 5) |
| Visuals: | (3.3 / 5) |
Talvar uses the Rashomon effect to show how the murdered teenager’s parents were falsely convicted in the murders of both their daughter and the manservant. Konkana Sen Sharma, who plays the victim’s mother, is natural and spontaneous. She never goes overboard, which is so easy to do in such roles. Neeraj Kabi, who plays the father, is equally brilliant. However, Irrfan is the heart and soul of Talvar. You couldn’t imagine anyone play the role of the investigating officer more potently than him. From the initial hesitancy to accept the case, to his full involvement towards the end, Irrfan displays a gamut of emotions. He is a real treat to watch.
These actors play the characters that the audience ends up sympathizing. The other performers portray characters such as the inefficient cops, who botch the initial murder investigation. These are characters that the audience detests, and they are represented on screen equally effectively by all the actors involved. They do seem repulsive not merely by their talks, but also their mannerisms and attitudes.
The background score by Vishal Bhardwaj is subtle, complementing the goings on and not overawing the visuals. Likewise, the songs are appropriate and match the tone of the movie. Lyrics has been penned by the one and only Gulzar saab.
I quite like the manner in which the director has gone about making this film that even though there are a few inconsistencies, I hate to bring them up. However, I would have liked to see more of Tabu. Her character isn’t exactly well etched out. Maybe it needed a bit of polishing, and perhaps if she had spent more time on the screen along with a few more dialogues, it could have provided more credibility to her part in the film. As a result of her half-baked role, the subplot that revolves around her character and that of Irrfan’s consumes precious minutes of the movie. These could have been utilized more purposefully elsewhere.
Apart from this and other minor hiccups, I don’t see anything awry with Talvar. There are some fine performances, topped with some steadfast directing and Vishal Bhardwaj’s tight screenplay that is without any noticeable loopholes.
After watching Talvar, if your interest in the Noida double murder case mushrooms once again, then blame it on Meghna Gulzar and her team of professionals. With Talvar, they not only bring to the screen a most gruesome crime, whose perpetrators are probably still scot-free, but also manage to keep us riveted.
Kunal Mehta
May 30, 2016The movie was so engaging and the suspense was there till the end of the movie although the truth was not revealed but the performances of all the actors and the directors work is to be appreciated.