FILM INTERVIEW: RAJ KUMAR GUPTA

 

The story of the 1999 murder of model Jessica Lall at a Delhi-area nightclub by the son of a Haryana politician, Manu Sharma, Mr. Gupta struggled to come to grips with how best to tell the story on the big screen.

 

“The seven (to) eight months that I spent writing the story were the most difficult. The material is very sensitive, and I had to bring it in the realm of cinema,” Mr. Gupta told the press during promotional interviews for the film. “There was hesitation. Will I be able to do justice to the spirit of the story? I was not sure. Finally, I took it as a challenge. It’s my interpretation of the events.”

 

It was the second time Mr. Gupta portrayed his interpretation of actual events on celluloid--the first coming when he debuted at the helm of the 2008 production of Aamir, a film about terrorism and the common man.

 

With No One Killed Jessica, Mr. Gupta hoped to depart from the docu-drama format of Aamir and instead captivate his audiences with a dramatic thriller. Accordingly, Mr. Gupta fictionalized certain elements of his story interpretation while accurately staying true to the essential facts.

 

“The film is inspired by a series of true events. The inspiration angle to the story attracted me. The case brought people together. So many unlikely heroes emerged. But it is not a biography or docu-drama,” Mr. Gupta, whose filmmaking style was influenced by his work as an assistant director on Anurag Kashyap’s Black Friday, candidly informed the press. “I wanted to take the spirit of the story and add drama, emotion, and thrill. It is part fiction and part fact, and a very engaging and entertaining thriller. As a filmmaker, I thought it was worth raising the questions.”

 

Mr. Gupta was not the only one raising questions. It was not even five years ago the general public was doing more than raising questions--it was raising hell. The initial criminal trial resulted in Mr. Sharma’s acquittal in early 2006 due to an apparent lack of evidence. Strong media scrutiny and an overwhelming public outcry forced a retrial later that same year, in which Mr. Sharma was sentenced to life imprisonment after being found guilty of Jessica Lall’s murder.

 

No One Killed Jessica revolves around the first trial and its dramatic acquittal. After the trial, a reporter (Ms. Mukherjee) refuses to stand silent and allow Jessica Lall’s untimely death to remain unsolved. The reporter’s quest for justice invariably puts her in touch with Jessica’s sister, Sabrina (portrayed by Ms. Balan).

 

With a solid cast and compelling story, Mr. Gupta believes he is onto something special with No One Killed Jessica.

 

“Script did everything. The story became so inspirational and important that everyone started connecting to it--UTV, Rani, and Vidya. They all thought that the story needed to be told,” the young director, who is currently working on Rapchik Romance, told the press.

 

The story is finally being told this weekend, as No One Killed Jessica opens in theaters and multiplexes around the world on January 7th.