We spoke to Meghna Gulzar on the evening of the Aarushi verdict that acquitted the Talwars, after a walk through Jalvayu Vihar, revisiting the scene of the crime that her film Talvar so meticulously dissected
Anshul Chaturvedi Aarushi Nigam (BOMBAY TIMES; October 15, 2017)

Lasyapriya Sundaram (BOMBAY TIMES; October 14, 2017)

MID-DAY (October 13, 2017)

In an interview in 2015, Vishal Bhardwaj had said that truth is stranger than fiction, referring to the investigation in the Aarushi Talwar double murder case — the 2008 murder was the subject of his production, Talvar.

As doctor couple Rajesh and Nupur Talwar were acquitted of the murder charges by the Allahabad High Court yesterday, the film’s team, including director Meghna Gulzar, views it as their own triumph.

When mid-day reached out to Gulzar, she said, “It is a triumph of justice. I can only imagine what the parents must have gone through.”

Gulzar added that with her critically acclaimed film, she tried to present a neutral narrative of the case. “I did not do that film to tell the story of a particular side. Our intention all along was to see that all the versions of the case are out in the open. I think this is what has happened in this appeal. The facts and testimonies were examined carefully.”

Bhardwaj echoed Gulzar’s sentiment. “I’m relieved to hear of their acquittal. This strengthens my faith in the Indian judicial system. However, it pains me to think about the precious years lost in prison and the emotional trauma that the parents had to go through, so much so that they couldn’t even mourn their daughter’s demise.”

The High Court upheld the Talwars’ appeal against the special CBI court order, which had convicted them in 2013 for the murder of their 14-year-old daughter.

Gulzar, in conversation with his daughter about her upcoming film, Talvar, and equations
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 24, 2015)


After a seven-year break, you have chosen to return with Talvar, a film on the controversial Aarushi Talwar double murder case. Gutsy move...
MEGHNA GULZAR: I took time off to raise my son, Samay, but the mind was churning as I worked on corporate films and documentaries. But the inspiration to get into a real space came from Vishalji (Vishal Bhardwaj). I've following the case since it broke, believed every story put out, it flummoxed me. Yesterday it was one thing, today another, and tomorrow something else. That, I thought, would be exciting to explore.

When the idea of the film came, the trial was on, conclusions had been formed, but the journey towards it was still foggy. So, we decided to focus on the investigation rather than murders. We were clear Talvar wouldn't be a biopic, a placard-bearing bandwagon or a voyeuristic look at a tragic incident. What was left was showing all sides fairly and leaving the audience to make their conclusions.

(Smiles) And as for the move being gutsy, if you are going to leap off a cliff, it's better to leap into the ocean rather than swimming pool.

GULZAR: (Laughs)Well said. I saw her filing cuttings and contributed with my own. It's an intriguing journey, based on the mysterious way the case was handled, raised a personal concern about the law or as TS Eliot puts it, "streets that follow like a tedious argument". But Talvar is not my kind of a subject. I wouldn't have been able to handle it. Even Filhaal was not a subject I'd have thought of on my own. I'm glad Meghna went to Vishal who has dealt with such characters before. He gave her a sharp script. (Smiles) I can only write songs for her.

When my daughter was seven, based on what she was hearing on TV, she asked my husband if a father could kill his daughter. Did your son raise any awkward questions too?
MEGHNA: He's too young, only five-and-a-half. For him Talvar is a film which has Irrfan Khan, Gulzar saab and Vishal mamu. I wouldn't know how to answer such a question. As a daughter, with age and experience on my side, I can process it, but as a mother, it's difficult.

There's still reasonable doubt about whether the parents, Rajesh and Nupur Talwar, killed Aarushi but the Sheena Bora case is supposedly black-and-white. I shudder to think what impact this could have on the psyche of our children who have been raised to believe their parents are their protectors and will love them unconditionally.

What do you think would be the mindset of Rajesh and Nupur Talwar who are in jail?
MEGHNA: If I assumed that they were guilty I'd think they would probably be remorseful, suffering and trying to a find way out. If I assumed they were innocent, I can't image worse circumstances for a human being to be in. If we go by the honour killing theory, then it's an admission that she was having an affair with the household help, Hemraj. They have done this to their 14-year-old child and no one would want to be in their place today. It makes me question the arguments against capital punishment. In a case like this it's easier for them to be hanged than die everyday.

Will the Talwars see the film before it opens on October 2?
MEGHNA: I know the family asked to see it, but I left for the Toronto International Film Festival and don't know if they did. I know a member of the family, a journalist whose writings on the case were part of my research, saw it at TIFF, reviewed it, believed it presented a balanced view. I'm sure the family must have got that feedback.

The response at TIFF was pretty overwhelming given that it was a localised case?
MEGHNA: But it's a human case, about the failure of the system. Human beings letting down human beings, and that happens everywhere in the world. That was what resonated with the audience.

After both screenings, at the Q-and-A sessions, the inevitable question I was asked is: "Are the parents still in jail?" That proves the film has engaged the person asking it. At Toronto, the question was asked by a non-Indian, who also wondered where the people who were accused of the murder are today. That threw me off!

Gulazar saab, which has been your most difficult film?
GULZAR: On human relationships it would be Ijaazat, revolving around three good people wanting to do good for each other and all of them suffering in the process. Then, Maachis. If Talvar looks at the way the judiciary works, then Maachis, like my first film, Mere Apne, was on how politics works vis-a-vis youngsters who get involved in violent movements.

Meghna, any work of your father's that put you on the road to becoming a filmmaker?
MEGHNA: For me to process him as a filmmaker is difficult because he's such a great father who left his filmmaker coat outside when he came home. I got familiar with his work when I was about 16, by which time other influences had played their part too. But yes, he put me on the road with lessons in music, dance, painting, ballet and karate. And eventually, I settled for visual communication. I've not discriminated between ads, music videos, documentaries or films. But films are the biggest and the final milestone and I'm gratified I got the opportunity to make them.

Getting back to your question, I wasn't influenced by my father's work because our sensibilities and subjects are different. What I have consciously imbibed are his qualities of brevity and simplicity. He keeps things simple, short. If a scene lends itself to a moment he won't meander but get to it fast.

How much have you changed between Just Married and Talvar?
MEGHNA: There's more patience and gravity that motherhood brings and translates itself in the way I look at and handle things. This subject required to be treated realistically and I found the realism liberating. I had entered the space with Pooranmashi in Dus Kahaniyaan, tasted it again during the documentary Closer on pervasive development disorders. I was veering towards it subconsciously.

GULZAR: Even Filhaal was a mature film. I wouldn't have been able to write that way. Just Married was aai wai, she was tired of being seen as a serious thinker and wanted to break with a chalnewali comedy.

MEGHNA (CUTS IN): Arranged marriages was a relevant issue.

GULZAR: Yes, there was serious substance under the light narrative. She never seemed like junior, now she's my senior. She's made a strong social film. Her film is better than any I have made. My films were never invited to festivals, hers got an international premiere. I'm so proud my child is leading me today.

Any partnership in the offing?
GULZAR: That depends on whether any of my stories inspire her. But I wouldn't want to script it. Let her do it herself or go to Vishal. She makes me write two-three versions of the songs. I'm not ready to do that with a script. But gaane ke liye sher ko bhilli ke paas hi aana padega. I taught her everything except how to climb a tree.

Hopefully, this time the gap wont be seven years?
MEGHNA: Naukri milegi to kar lenge, I love making films.

GULZAR: It makes her more relaxed and Govind is so supportive, taking over the baby sitting and even the cooking. She's lucky, every woman should get a husband like Govind. You should give him full marks in your film, Meghna?

MEGHNA: Oh, I forget to thank him in the credits.

GULZAR: Then we will have to rely on Mirror to thank him. (Laughs) And don't forget to say that Megna forgot.

MUMMY'S DAY OUT

Meghna Gulzar had not wanted to show her mother, Raakhee, her upcoming film, Talvar, with subtitles. So she waited till she got the domestic print to arrange for a screening for mom, dad Gulzar, Salim Khan and Helen. The actress looked happy, directing a reluctant Salim Khan as he posed for a photograph. When he presented his best profile to the camera, she smiled approvingly, "You look like a hero."After that she disappeared inside the theatre to watch the movie her daughter had directed. Gulzar was convinced that after seeing Talvar, she would start looking at their Bosky as a 'senior' too. His daughter was cautious, "Pata chal jayega." 

Meghna Gulzar opens up about her upcoming film, Talvar and is happy to be back after eight years
Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 12, 2015)


Rakesh Maria's abrupt transfer as Mumbai's police chief in the middle of the highprofile Sheena Bora murder investigation has fuelled speculations that Irrfan Khan's character in Talvar, who is also shunted out in the middle of a case, is inspired by Maria, who has now been promoted to Commandant General of Home Guards, Maharashtra. Brushing this off, director Meghna Gulzar tells Mirror, "Irrfan Khan's character is not in any way close to that of Rakesh Maria. The only similarity could be the sudden ousting of an investigative officer from a case."

Meghna, who made her directorial debut with Filhaal in 2002, following up with Just Married: Marriage Was Only The Beginning! and a segment for Sanjay Gupta's Dus Kahaniyan, Puranmashi, five years later, took a sabbatical from filmmaking after that to raise her son, Samay. She's happy to be back with Talvar which opens on October 2.

"It's been a long time, but I didn't want to be a part-time mother to my son. I'm grateful to be given an opportunity to make a film like Talvar," says the director.

The film is based on the Aarushi murder case. Meghna herself had tweeted, "Talvar treads down a tricky blind alley. Here's our Patli Gali!" Given its controversial subject, was she ever in two minds about doing the film? "On the contrary I felt that this is a story which had to be told as there are so many unanswered questions still. And I am happy that we didn't trivialise or sensationalise the subject, but made it with utmost responsibility," she asserts.

Buzz is, the Talwars, Dr Rajesh and Nupur Talwar, who are currently in jail and the prime accused for the murder of their daughter Aarushi, want to see the film before it releases. "That's what I too was told at the press conference today. If they want to see the film, we will be happy to show it to them," she says.

Talvar which also features Tabu and Konkona Sen Sharma, will have its world premiere at the 40th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). "It's going to be a very special moment which I will cherish forever," she says.
-------------------------
Sonali Joshi Pitale (MID-DAY; September 12, 2015)

With Meghna Gulzar’s upcoming whodunit based on the Aarushi Talwar murder case inching closer to release, lawyers of the slain teenager’s parents have requested the director to show them the film before it makes its way to the theatres. Aarushi’s doctor-parents, Rajesh and Nupur Talwar are currently in jail for the alleged murder of the 14-year-old and their domestic help Hemraj in 2008.

A source says, “Meghna’s film, Talvar, is based on the investigation of the case and her team has done thorough research in this regard. Aarushi’s parents feel that their lawyers should watch the film first to be sure that there is no misinterpretation or misrepresentation. The film focuses on three different point of views of investigation so, ideally, there should not be any issue.”

The film has already obtained a censor certificate with no major cuts, but since it deals with a sensitive issue, the Talwars’ lawyers insisted on watching the film “immediately” before it releases on October 2. “The movie has the Talwars as its central characters and so, their concern is justified. We have agreed to arrange a screening for them after it is showcased at the Toronto International Film Festival, which is currently underway. The lawyers are okay with it,” a source close to the project reveals.

Meghna confirms the story and the film’s spokesperson says, “Yes, we have received a letter from the lawyers to show them the film.”

Vickey Lalwani (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 10, 2014)

Nupur and Rajesh Talwar, who were sentenced to life imprisonment in November 2013 by a UP court for the 2008 murder of their teenage daughter Aarushi and domestic help Hemraj, have approached the Bombay High Court seeking a stay on the release of Manish Gupta’s Rahasya. The Talwars in their petition claimed that the movie is based on “distorted facts surrounding the gruesome death” of their daughter.

This has put a question mark on the future of the film and Sakshi Sem, the child actor of Darna Zaroori Hai and Raju Chacha, who is playing the lead. Defending the film, 19-year old Sakshi told Mirror, “Rahasya is not based on the Aarushi murder case per se. So, I don’t understand the Talwars' objection to the film. It doesn’t end with Kay Kay, who plays my father, being convicted for the murder. The actress playing my mother is not an accused.”

On February 17, the Talwars sent a legal notice to Gupta and UVI Films Production Ltd asking for a private screening. When they didn’t respond, the Talwars filed a petition in the High Court. They have also challenged the Central Board of Film Certification for clearing the film.

Parag Maniar (BOMBAY TIMES; December 3, 2013)

Reports have it that the incarcerated dentist couple Rajesh and Nupur Talwar’s lawyer, Manoj Sisodia, said that legal action would be taken against anyone who attempts a film or a book on their daughter Aarushi’s murder. Reacting to this news, director Manish Gupta — whose latest offering Rahasya is speculated to be based on the Aarushi-Hemraj murders — says, “My film’s story is about a senior investigator probing the murder of a young girl whose father is accused of the heinous crime. It is just that parallels have been drawn between the case and my film, but I never said it was based on it.”