Review: Meghna Gulzar's "Talvar" is one of the best Hindi films of the year.

There are several things Avirook Sen's chilling non-fiction book on the Noida double-murder case, Aarushi, did right, but three it did splendidly. One, it managed to commendably reconstruct the events that led to the murder and provide a shade of clarity in a case muddled with "facts," genuine and manipulated Two, it served as an expose of the Indian media's ballooning appetite for sensationalism. And three, it slowly but with a great surge of anger revealed how a botched-up investigation has led to a possible miscarriage of justice.

While flipping through the provocative, extensive and superbly written piece a month ago, I found myself getting more and more engrossed in the web of the details of the horrific crime. I visualized how the house looks, pieced together the minute bits of the puzzle and read into the records of the people on the case until I had a good idea of who, what and when. And the first thing I felt while watching Talvar was not shock nor disgust; it was a strong sense of deja vu.

For those who haven't read the book, Meghna Gulzar's Talvar will be riveting to the hilt; it's a cold docudrama of the crime and its aftermath that gets so much right factually (here, I need to point out that I'm assuming Sen's book is the most factually accurate account of the crime) that one can't help but marvel at the research put into it. But for those who have read the book, it is a satisfying trip to see on-screen that tiny film that played in our heads as we read the book.

Talvar digs its claws into the pulp of facts right away. Faithfully reconstructing the events that led to the discovery of the body of the murdered girl, we see the cops nonchalantly stroll into the crime scene, monotonously burning through their usual questions as the grieving parents come to grips with what has just happened. The following day, a second body is discovered. In between the simple formalities, a vital piece of evidence that could have led to the identity of the murderer is turned a blind eye to by a paan-chewing officer who couldn't care less. It is this terrifying illusion of living in a lawless land Talvar introduces us to that makes it so effective a thriller.

The story, or the many versions of it, unfolds in three different scenarios where three motives are discussed. Akira Kurosawa's classic Rashomon used this strategy to unforgettable effect to unveil how humans readily put the truth at stake to save their dignity. While Talvar is not as neutral as it would like to have been, one must hand it to Vishal Bharawaj who recognized the parallels between that and the real-life outcome of the Noida double murder case, using it to chew over every possible motive but weaving it into the script in such a way that it doesn't hamper the narrative flow. And like Rashomon, it deals with how the truth is willingly put in peril for something as petty as self-importance. Or maybe, as Talvar reminds us, it is not so petty.

Vishal Bharadwaj's tremendous script allows room for little outside of hard facts. It takes stabs at the media's tendency to sensationalize details before they are clarified, how evidence is extracted from a contaminated crime without anyone batting an eyelid and how truth is fashioned from it. But with Bharadwaj, we know it's not going to be as simple as I make it sound. A splash of dark humor, typically sharp dialogue and detailing that helps shape the characters and a nod -- always that nod! -- to his influences (loved the occasional references to Ijaazat; that's where he got the title from for Kaminey, too, I feel) makes it an unmistakable Bharadwaj vehicle.

There's no doubt that this, along with Shoojit Sircar's Piku, is the best-acted Hindi film of the year. A few unnecessary sequences aside, this is top-notch stuff that, unlike other Hindi films based on true events, does not lapse into preachiness and sentimentality. And somewhere near the end, a lethally funny scene dares us to laugh as the morbid details of the crime are discussed and dismissed. We do laugh because it amuses us how an investigation has been fouled up. But what are we laughing at, really? Two people have been incarcerated for life for a crime they might have not committed. We haven't heard about the three other suspects in a long time. It is hardly worth chuckling about.


(Not For Reproduction)

Review: Matteo Garrone's "Tale Of Tales" is an enthralling celebration of the grisly.

In one of the early scenes of Matteo Garrone's new spellbinder, a man battles a sea monster for its heart. Literally. The scene plays out in pure cinematic fashion in the fogginess of the sea, with the monster snoozing while the man readies himself with a spear. In one swift stab, the monster that looks like a colossal pale lizard is impaled and it thrashes around, trying to come to terms with this sudden attack and in the process, the man takes a hit from its scaled tail. Later, its still-beating heart is pulled out and cooked, and a princess feasts on it.

It's a dreadfully ugly but weirdly comical sight. The opening twenty minutes serve as a perfect introduction to the many oddities attached with Tale Of Tales, a horror-fantasy fable conceived with great impishness. Meshing three parables set in a fanciful kingdom, each with its own set of quirks, Garrone's film is grotesque, strangely moving and often witty, maintaining that balance with vigor for most of its runtime. An adaptation of a collection of tales by Neapolitan poet and courtier Giambatissta Basile, it is the kind of film whose tendency to turn to the bizarre lends it an unpredictability. This could be an advantage or disadvantage, because once you are sucked into its world, it captures you. Expecting the usual fare from it becomes a foolish want. We are at the mercy of a storyteller who may or may not know the weight of the risk they just undertook. They need to shoulder our expectations, then, and show us something remarkable or risk a disappointed audience.

But in the case of Tale Of Tales, the risk pays off.

And that could be attributed to the fact that Garrone is a clever filmmaker. He is in complete command of the tone of the film, the pace at which his world unravels and the twists that show up at regular intervals. It is not a sprawling period piece that one would expect from a plot, or several, that involve kings and queens and princesses and princes. With only a handful of characters and moody shots of deserted alleys and tiny kingdoms, the film has a quaint touch to it, evoking images of yore that we had only seen in our imaginations through vivid fairytales. Vanished is the realism and stark storytelling of Garrone's masterful Gomorrah.

I wonder: when was the last time a film bragged about sequences where a sea monster was eliminated, a flea was nourished until it became an intimidating beast by an eccentric king, an ogre was not so likable anymore (sorry, Shrek), a lustful king was conned by a bunch of hags and a woman was flayed in accordance to her request? In the same film, too. That's quite, quite mad, to have everything stuffed in a single film, but Tale Of Tales walks its own wonderful path littered with the choicest peculiarities. And nowhere does it seem excessive. Beneath the blanket of macabre humor and inexplicable emotion, each tale is narrated with imagination and deftness, bringing to the table a sweeping cinematic experience with an unmissable philosophical undercurrent.

The parables cross-cut between one another fluidly. Gomorrah is an excellent example wherein he navigated between several parallel strands so skillfully that, for the duration of the film, we knew exactly what was going on with whom. Here, we have less characters to keep track of, which gives Garrone more space for character development. And, indeed, by the end, each character has weaved their spells over us.

However, even with numerous factors tipping the scales in favor of greatness, Tale Of Tales is flawed. Some twists are either foreseeable or simply feeble, not adding enough spice to the proceedings for their inclusion to be justified. But for the most part the film is busy plying us with rich, vibrant storytelling for it to be a foil.

Tale Of Tales is not for everyone, but it is a great way to introduce adults to the joys of, um, adult fairytales, if you will. Of course, with "adult" comes with a large dollop of morbidness and a bright red sign instructing children to keep away.


(Not For Reproduction)