No One Killed Jessica (2011), starring Rani Mukerji and Vidya Balan, completed 15 years on January 7. It was director Raj Kumar Gupta’s second film after the much-loved Aamir (2011) and is memorable for several reasons. It brought two powerhouse performers together. The subject – the shocking Jessica Lall murder case – became known to a majority of the audience thanks to this film. Also, it redefined female film genre. It was one of the first female-driven films to work at the box office and gave confidence to many filmmakers attempting such films. Also, it broke the first Friday jinx and the only film to do so; no other film, which released in the first week of the year, was able to be a hit since then. The last film to break the jinx before this flick was the Rekah-Om Puri starrer Aastha (1997). While Rani proved her worthy as the fearless go-getter Meera, Vidya too left a mark as a sister fighting for justice. She followed it up with The Dirty Picture (2011) and Kahaani (2012) and became a force to reckon with then. As per industry insiders, Kahaani’s release was stuck and No One Killed Jessica’s success accelerated the process of its release.
Its due to these reasons why Raj Kumar Gupta, also the sole writer of No One Killed Jessica, deserves to be hailed and talked about. In an exclusive interview with Bollywood Hungama, the talented filmmaker spoke about the process of working on the film and a lot more.
Aamir was in a different zone and it was set in Mumbai. Mumbai was a character in that film just like how Delhi was a character in No One Killed Jessica. Also, the subject and treatment were different than Aamir. What made you do so and pick up this idea for your second film?
I was toying with different subjects and the idea of this film interested me the most. I was in college in Delhi when the incident took place. I remember we were all shocked by it. So, that motivated me to pursue it. But the problem was that there were many documentaries available on this subject and also the media had widely covered it. Hence, I was a bit apprehensive. Nevertheless, I researched for 1 ½ - 2 months. I also met the late Sabrina Lal and various other people. I discussed with Sabrina her experiences and what she went through. That gave me an insight into the personal aspects and the finer details of the case.
The research material was so enormous and overwhelming that I was not sure if I’ll be able to adapt it into a script. Also, it was a complicated subject born out of tragedy. I took a break for a month after which I started writing, albeit with doubts in my mind on whether I would crack it. I penned the prologue of No One Killed Jessica, where the character, Meera, speaks about Delhi (depicted in the film during the opening credits). It was my experience of the capital city and how I looked at it. By the time, I reached the ninth or tenth page, I realized I can make this film.
I wrote the script in a remote place in the mountains of Himachal Pradesh. I had booked a cabin which was situated on a hill top. I finished writing the script in 2-3 months.
The writing of the film was topnotch. One particular scene that stood out was when Sabrina starts laughing in the court when a witness claimed he was on the roof and didn’t see the murder being committed. The prosecutor claims he’s lying and adds, ‘Kab tak chhat pe rahega…ab toh neeche aa ja mere bhai’. Did you fear that this scene might backfire? After all, Sabrina’s sister has died and she’s the first one to laugh…
I got the idea for that dialogue while speaking to Sabrina. I met her for 15 days. I used to go to her residence there in the evenings for 1-2 hours; I would ask her my questions. She touched upon instances when the characters would retract their statements. Aaj kuch bola, kal kuch aur bola. This used to shock and also amuse her. She used to tell me, ‘Log court mein aisi-aisi baatein bolte the ki hum sab ko hasee aa jaati thi’.
I was wondering how to incorporate it. While writing or fine-tuning this scene, I would read it and laugh. This is when I felt that it was working. After all, it was coming out of a situation and also a lie. Luckily, I got good actors and that further helped. Even when we shot for it, people used to laugh on the sets. I knew it then that people would remember it. And that’s what happened.
The film ends showing Jessica smiling heartily and posing. What was your idea behind ending this film in such a manner? Did you want that audience should not feel heavy while exiting the theatre?
No. In fact, I wanted them to feel heavy and that the content should hit them hard. These two protagonists fought against all odds. They were not friends. One was stuck by a tragedy and the other was affected by a cause and wanted to get justice. However, they fought for Jessica; I wanted the audience to not forget what this cause was or what it feels to lose an innocent life. Whatever happens, no one has the right to kill anyone. Hence, I wanted to remind the audience about that innocent person and for whom the whole country came together.
No One Killed Jessica is based on a real-life incident and real people. The character of Vikram Jaisingh (Neil Bhoopalam) was said to be inspired by Shayan Munshi. Did he or Manu Sharma (who shot Jessica) or his family ever pressurized you or ask you to change the script?
I had no pressure. I did my research and spoke to the required people. There was a lot of material available and I worked on it. I had no trouble of anyone calling me or (asking me for any change).
A conversation about No One Killed Jessica is incomplete without talking about its cool and unique music score. But since the subject was so serious, I wanted to know if you ever thought of having no songs at all for this film?
Never. I always knew that there would be songs. I even use English songs. In Aamir, I had incorporated ‘It’s A Good Day’ by Peggy Lee while in this film, ‘Lust For Life’ by Iggy Pop was played in the party scene. So, songs are always essential for me though I use it in a different way. For instance, In Aamir, ‘Ha Reham’, which a like a prayer, was played in a fight scene. In No One Killed Jessica, the first few pages of the description of Delhi in the script called for a song. That’s how music director Amit Trivedi and lyricist Amitabh Bhattacharya came up with ‘Dilli Dilli’. I had a great experience working with them while working on Aamir. I used to send my script to them and its updated drafts. They were so enthusiastic that they used to suggest about song placement. For ‘Aitbaar’, my brief was that we should depict Sabrina’s state of mind and it should also hit hard. That’s how the song came about; there’s also a transition from 1999 to 2006 that occurs in the film while the song is playing in the background.
Firstly, people at that time were not making female-oriented films as it was believed that such movies don’t work at the box office. And my film had two females! So, the doubts increased for my film among the industry members. And yes, that concept of first Friday jinx existed. The producer thankfully believed in the film but nobody else did. No one knew how the film would fare in theatres but I believed in the story and also the release date. With that belief, we went ahead and it broke that jinx. It also gave strength to filmmakers who wanted to attempt female-oriented movies.
When Aamir released, it paved the way for smaller films. When No One Killed Jessica released, it paved the way for female-centric movies. Both films are cult in their own way.
The film was widely appreciated, especially the courtroom scenes. They were realistic and still had entertainment quotient and lot of drama
I got a lot of compliments for it. Whenever any legal drama would release, it used to be compared with the courtroom scenes of No One Killed Jessica – its writing, the way dramatic moments were enhanced and yet keeping realism and the way it was shot. Its heartening to see that happen.
You had a release last year, Raid 2 (2025). What next
I have just finished writing a drama thriller; that would be my next film. We are just about to start our casting for it.
Your films stand out as they are all different from each other and also you have taken risks. Even a commercial film like Raid was one of a kind…
Thanks. Yes, I have tried to do different films in different genres, be it Aamir, No One Killed Jessica, Raid (2018) or Ghanchakkar (203). Ghanchakkar has a cult following now; some people hate it while some people absolutely love it! And true, Raid was risky as 70% of the film was inside a house. If you give the script to anyone else, the first thing they would have asked, ‘how can a film like this be executed?’. Meanwhile, in Raid 2, we didn’t make it repetitive; we have taken a different story than part 1.
My effort will always be to tell different stories. That gives me a high, as a filmmaker.
More Pages: No One Killed Jessica Box Office Collection , No One Killed Jessica Movie Review
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