Murder He Wrote

Nearly a year ago,images of young supporters showing their solidarity with slain model Jessica Lall and her family,made it to national headlines. Myra Karn (though she would rather have you leave out the surname),a Mumbai-based engineer,and the actor who plays Lall in Rajkumar Gupta’s thriller,No One Killed Jessica,says her strongest recollection of the case that made such an impact on the nation,was the image of supporters holding a candle-light vigil at the India Gate. “I never met Jessica’s sister Sabrina or her other family members during the shoot. I just followed the director’s advice,” says the 23-year-old.

The film traces the murder of the model at a high-profile Delhi party in Mehrauli on the night of April 29,1999,where she was playing bartender,and the subsequent upheaval that followed in trying to hush up the case,since it involved the son of a politician. Gupta has delineated the series of events that finally led to justice being served. Keeping in mind the sensitive nature of the case,the director says he has portrayed the facts in the most aesthetic manner possible. “I had met with Sabrina to get a character sketch of Jessica and an account of the episode,so I kept it close to the narration,” says the director,who was in Delhi for a private screening for the Lall family.

“All my apprehensions that this film might try to capitalise on my sister’s death have been laid to rest. Gupta has retained the essence of Jessica’s life and I am hopeful one will leave the hall with a positive feeling; justice is indeed served in India,” commented Sabrina after watching the movie. “It was great to see that what I had read in the script and what I saw in the film were similar. I am glad Gupta has kept the reality in mind even though this is a commercial Bollywood film,” she added.