No One Killed Jessica

In one of the scenes of the film we see Sabrina (Vidya Balan) walking, and the next moment getting blocked by an elephant. This fleeting moment in the film sums up the film like no amount of dialogue could, for “No One Killed Jessica” is about how Sabrina Lall was pitted against political behemoths in her struggle to see her sister Jessica’s murderer punished. What in the

beginning seemed like an open and shut case was twisted such that the murderer managed to go scot-free, as India watched in wide-eyed astonishment and horror at how the people in power had hoodwinked the Indian judiciary. 

The two protagonists suit their roles to a T, while Vidya Balan in her loose tees and massive specks gives a restrained yet powerful performance, Rani Mukherjee, as a hardened media person, shows us after a long time just why she is one of the leading ladies of Bollywood. Myra Karn as Jessica puts up a spirited performance while Rajesh Sharma as the tough cop, who wants the killer behind bars yet doesn’t shy from accepting Rs 70 lakh in return for not hurting the accused, is simply superb. 

“No One Killed Jessica” was a difficult film, for while the makers hold that it is a fictional take on the case, the audiences in the theatres do already know the plot and even the climax. Given that, director Raj Kumar Gupta creates a film with great pace, suspense and emotions, however, it does not manage to strike hard enough. Ruminate and reflect, yes, but it does not make one tremble with rage or curse hard enough at the sordid state of affairs in our capital. After “Aamir”, Gupta had set his bar rather high, and while he does succeed in creating a very good film, it stops short of being excellent.