Journalism of Courage
Playing Jessica Lall in No One Killed Jessica drained the debutante
On Sunday,when Myra stepped out of a Juhu theatre after watching a late evening show of No One Killed Jessica,a bystander,who had also just emerged from the theatre,pointed her out to his friend as a ghost. Though amused by the incident,the irony does not fail to affect the 23-year-old who played the effervescent Jessica Lall in Raj Kumar Guptas recent release. It indeed feels strange that I look like someone who isnt in this world anymore. It unnerves me sometimes,but her tragedy saddens me more, she confesses.
The promos of No One Killed Jessica had everyone looking forward to the performances by leading ladies Rani Mukerji and Vidya Balan. Myras role as Jessica Lall though brief but central to the story was one of the films well-kept secrets. With the films release,she took most viewers by surprise. Ever since,there has been speculation galore on her identity. Some claimed her to be half-Indian-half-Brazilian others came up with the story that she was discovered at a coffee shop by Gupta. Myra wrinkles up her nose as she recounts these episodes. I can never understand how actresses can be discovered at coffee shops. None of all that is true. I met Raj through a common friend, she says.
An engineer by profession,Myra had never aspired to be an actor. Having lived across cities since her father is in the army,she calls herself a rolling stone. Mumbai became her home two years ago when she decided to prepare for MBA. A self-proclaimed recluse,she was doing just that when Gupta offered her the role. I immediately said no. Im not even a film buff. It took him some amount of convincing to get me to play Jessica, laughs the debutante as she readjusts her curls.
Though Myra admits to have been comfortable in front of the camera throughout,she does recollect a certain amount of discomfort the day they were shooting the scene of Jessicas murder. It drained me; I kept putting myself in Jessicas shoes and the thought that she was killed over a mere drink was depressing. That it happened in the countrys capital is even more shocking, she says. But then how would she have known shed really be shot. If I were in her place,Id have refused the boys a drink and stood my ground too.
Myra keeps toying with her drink. The glass remains mostly full. Looking at it,the actor admits that she rarely drinks,leave alone mixing a drink the way her character does in the film. In fact,Im a very private person and youd never spot me partying at a club, she says.
Though she is currently in an envious position where most aspiring actors would give anything to be in,Myra has a confession to make: she found the entire process of filmmaking and acting boring. But watching myself on screen was interesting, she adds. So is a career in films next on agenda? She thinks for a while before answering. I watch only those movies which are drastically different in concept,such as No One Killed Jessica. If something interesting comes by,I might teach myself to like the profession. Or else,theres always an MBA waiting.
