Home > Movie Reviews
NO ONE KILLED JESSICA MOVIE REVIEW
Review by : Behindwoods review board
Starring: Vidya Balan, Rani Mukerji
Direction: Raj Kumar Gupta
Music: Amit Trivedi
Production: Ronnie Screwvala

As headlines flip through, a coarse feminine voice narrates the journey of a female journalist right through the World Cup to the Kargil War and then it stops when the soldiers of the Kargil war appear celebrating their victory, though with heavy hearts of having lost their brethren and that’s not reel but real. The scene shifts to the night of a happening party in Delhi with all the young and old drenched in ‘nashe’, an ocean of intoxication, a real picture
  No One Killed Jessica
of a night club a decade ago remaining as is where is today. Jessica the glamourous model is seen dancing to heart’s content.

Absolute darkness, nothing on screen, a mobile rings and when the light flashes we find a girl fast asleep. Half asleep she attends the call, ‘Jessica is hurt. Jessica is shot’ and then Sabrina Lall (Jessica’s sister) jumps out of bed and rushes to the hospital and catching hold of Jessica’s friend Vikram Jaisingh screams, ‘Who killed Jessica?’ and the rest is the story. Jessica a bartender is shot dead by the son of a politician not intentionally but for the sake of a glass of drink. The worst follows when along with the pistol the case is also buried for a while by the politician dad.

The movie beautifully traverses through the happenings over the decade right from the killing to the criminal being sentenced flowing through nuances of the ever emerging challenges and the silent washing away of solutions. The movie clearly portrays the roller coaster ride the two main characters of the film, Jessica’s sister Sabrina lall (Vidya Balan) and the journalist Meera (Rani Mukherjee) go through to fight for justice and push the killer behind bars.

Vidya balan fits the bill of the not so glamourous sister of Jessica Lall, the beautiful model cum bartender. As the loving and responsible sister when Jessica is alive and the strong yet silent force tirelessly fighting for justice after her murder, Sabrina’s performance jumps multi scales very effortlessly. She has handled all situations very well right from when she plays around with Jessica, when she sees Jessica breathing her last, when all the main witnesses withdraw due to political pressure, when she loses her mother, etc in a subtle but a stamp of determination.

Rani Mukherjee, an extremely versatile actress, has adorned the role of the journalist and added pounds to the character by fitting it ‘just right’. She looks the ‘take it easy kind’ but just contradicts that looks are deceptive in her never say die professional commitment..The way she walks, talks, smokes, romances, swears, uses the F and B words very often, she attracts every heart out there. Her lightning speed actions all along and her slow walk in the end when Sabrina says, ‘Thank you Meera’ overflows with pride and pleasure sans a bit of exaggeration engulfed in the satisfaction of fighting for the right.

Off screen, director Rajkumar Gupta has very deftly handled the story and screenplay that the reality is not lost anywhere or overdosed. The director has transfused energy into every scene of the movie which would have otherwise shaped up like a documentary. This heavy subject is made light with the script interlaced with a slight tinge of humour sprayed in right quantities here and there. The ‘baarah baje’ 12 ‘o’ clock comedy tickles ribs though in real it’s painful to see people withdrawing as witnesses for fear of consequences.

Kudos to the director for handling the hairline difference between reality presented unblemished, uncoloured and the reel projection too rightly matched with soulful performances and presenting a product that lives upto the viewer’s expectation. Though pragmatism forms the seed for any movie, it usually ends up camouflaged by songs, comedy and family dramas thus diffusing the crux. Music essentially has to keep the pace sans any drowsiness and luckily Amit Trivedi has done it to the fullest, though at times quite loud that makes the viewers miss out punch lines. ‘Pistol in hand and power in head, life has become cheaper than a glass of drink’ is a strong statement when justice is initially denied before the entry of the journalist Meera into Jessica’s case.

Overall, ‘No one killed Jessica’ is a portrayal of a breakthrough in journalism that will infuse the spirit to fight for justice atleast in a small percentage of viewers. This story of justice which is not denied, though delayed, gives a satisfied feeling with no fretting of having lost three precious hours. A perfect start to the New Year as this movie warrants a dekho in theatres.

Verdict: No One should Miss Jessica.


Tags : No One Killed Jessica, Rani Mukerji, Vidya Balan, Raj Kumar Gupta
OTHER REVIEWS
TEES MAAR KHAN
MANMADHAN AMBU
AATTANAYAGAN
NIL GAVANI SELLATHE
BAND BAAJA BAARAAT
 
MORE MOVIE REVIEWS
 
Everything about Tamil movies, Tamil Actors, Tamil Actresses, Tamil Cinema & Kollywood
Behindwoods.com © 2004-2010 ; Privacy Policy ; Terms of Service
 BEHINDINDIA UPDATES