Irrfan Khan refuses to court controversy with his upcoming film, Talvar
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 29, 2015)

Irrfan Khan has done a fair share of prep to play the role of the investigative officer in Meghna Gulzar's upcoming crime thriller, Talvar, which opens this Friday. The film is inspired by the Noida double murders which grabbed headlines in 2008, following the unnatural deaths of Aarushi Talwar,14, and her domestic help, Hemraj Banjade, 45.

"This film impresses on people the need to look beyond headlines and dig deep to discover what lies beneath. Cinema should go beyond news and gossip. If you make snap judgements before the court has processed the case, it can sometimes influence the judiciary, which is unfortunate," says Irrfan.

He chatted with an officer who knew the case well to get a better grip on his character, CDI detective, Ashwin Kumar, who builds a case against the father's resentful assistant and his two accomplices and on June 22, 2008, officially exonerates Shruti Tandon's parents. On July 9, the CDI hands over the case to a new probe team. On February 20, 2011, it files a closure report in a Ghaziabad court, naming the parents, as the prime suspects, Ramesh and Nutan Tandon. There are strong parallels with CBI officer Arun Kumar who was working the Aarushi case till July 2008 when he was recalled by the UP government. A year later, in September, the case was transferred to a new CBI team, headed by SP Neelabh Kishore with Additional SP AGL Kaul as the investigating officer. On December 29, 2010, the CBI filed a closure report, naming Aarushi's father, Rajesh Talwar, as the sole suspect.

Irrfan refuses to be drawn into a discussion on the controversial case or Avirook Sen's just-released book, Aarushi. "I've yet to read it, I've been travelling extensively. Anyway, it came out after the film was shot. I have a lot of books with me which can lend themselves to good cinema and future projects, including Amitav Ghosh's Sea Of Poppies and The Hungry Tides," the actor smiles.

The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival to an overwhelming response. Irrfan believes it will reinstate that India is producing a new kind of cinema. "The perception that Indian cinema is all about song and dance is changing, it's now about different kinds of drama," he maintains.

He adds that Talvar is not your usual potboiler so they were cautious during its making. "We were constantly questioning, debating and ensuring that we didn't take sides but rather we raised questions about the system. There's no attempt to create a sensation but reinvent media-created perceptions," Irrfan asserts.

The actor's been filming a Japanese TV mini series, The Tokyo Trials, but is quick to point out that's a different show in which international politics can colour and influence judgement. "It is far removed from this film, just as Lithuania is far distanced from India. But it's a beautiful country and I see it getting more and more popular with both tourists and filmmakers alike," he signs off with a smile.

Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 8, 2015)

Irrfan Khan is taking 48 hours off, to fly down from Lithuania, where he is filming a Japanese TV miniseries, The Tokyo Trials, to fly down to Toronto for the world premiere of Meghna Gulzar's upcoming thriller-drama, Talvar. Also featuring Tabu and Konkona Sensharma, the film is based on the 2008-Noida double murder care, where a teenage girl, Aarushi Talwar, and the family help, Hemraj, were found murdered. The girl's parents, Dr Rajesh Talwar and Dr Nupur Talwar, have since been arrested for the murder and are currently in jail awaiting the trial.

"Irrfan is flying down to Mumbai and reaches Toronto on September 10 for the premiere. The same night, he will fly back to Lithuania," a source close to the actor informed Mirror. The Tokyo Trial is a decade long investigation of crimes in the Pacific, during and after World War II. It is jointly being helmed by Canadian writer-director Rob W King, and Dutch director, Pieter Verhoeff.

The National Award winning actor plays an Indian judge.

After the TIFF debut, Talvar will have an European premiere at the British Film Institute (BFI) - London Film Festival and then travel to the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) for an Asian premiere.

"It is an honour to get invited to these film festivals across the world. It's euphoric to get such an amazing response to the film which is really close to my heart even before it release," exults Irrfan.