Nagpur: I am really happy and proud that an offbeat movie like Talvar has opened to full houses in Nagpur – though most multiplex’ have only two shows of it daily at odd hours. Commercial considerations have a one star movie like Singh in bling running continuously while a thought provoking and disturbing Talvar gets pushed to the late night, 10.30 slot. But what gladdened my heart was seeing crowds, who I was sure were there to see the pot boiler, getting tickets for Talvar instead. ( Even those who shouldn’t have – like parents with little children who could be quite disturbed by the contents)
Actually,Talvar isn’t a film at all, it is a mirror of today’s India and how our police, the CBI and even judiciary functions. How the electronic media conducts Kangaroo courts and holds a couple guilty so comprehensively and so completely that many educated Indians too will swear that the “parents did it – no doubt about it” without bothering to know the facts.
It is about how a high dignitary like the CBI Director who should be of the most sterling integrity is easily compromised by crony consideration and ego gratification – to hell with truth and justice! Viewers will be shocked to see how to serve his ends, he bribed one officer with out of the way promotion and handed over the case to an Asst. Superintendent of police Kaul who consistently figured in the agency’s(CBI) ODI list of “Officers of Doubtful Integrity”. Like many policemen, he appeared to have been fond of using strong-arm tactics, threats etc.
Vijay Shankar, director, CBI retired two months after the agency was handed over the investigation. After Talwars were found guilty he has often said, “This is one of the most unfortunate cases, one in which the cause of justice has not been served as yet. I’ll say that”.
What makes the movie worth watching is also how well the subject has been handled by the trio of Meghna Gulzar, Vishal Bhardwaj and Vineet Jain of Times of India. The film has been produced by toi as well. May be because of this fact, it stays close to the real characters and real happenings a 100%. In any one else’s hands it could have degenerated to sensationalism or become boring like a documentary, but not when you have names like Vishal Bhardwaj, Konkona Sen and Irfan Khan to back it up.
Finally the name of the movie – Talwar isn’t based on the name of the characters ( though it is a handy pun). It evolves out of a dialogue between CBI Director Vijay Shankar and meritorious officer Arun Kumar who had succeeded in painstakingly cracking the case before the CBI itself sabotaged it.
Says Shankar “we all know that the Goddess of Justice is blind and holds a balance in her hands. What not many are aware is that she also holds a ‘talwar’-sword. This sword is to strike away the falsehoods and get at the truth, in our country, right now, it is all rusted. You have to remove that rust”.
Yes, we are all waiting to see that day. When we have police who are well trained and do their job as it should be done; when we have investigating agencies who are free and fair and judges who are compassionate, wise and of impeccable character.
What we have today is so far removed from these ideals that it seems a lost cause.
Just imagine this scene – Dr. Rajesh and Nupur Talwar spent their 25th wedding anniversary in jail last December. Their plea for bail was turned down by the Allahabad high court. When their lawyers pleaded for bail, pointing out that they had been model citizens and an affectionate father, a high court judge icily and insensitively retorted that they wouldn’t be able to kill another child of their own as they had none left.
A judge can say this, really? Who put him there we would like to know.
… Sunita Mudaliar- Associate Editor
