'Talvar' fills you with horror, sympathy, disgust and anger

Our reporters bring to you first cut reactions to Talvar from those who knew the actual characters – and those who didn’t. What’s common to the responses? Shock, anger, anxiety.
READ: Talvar Movie Review
Listen to songs of Talvar on Gaana.com
‘SAB KUCH AISE HI HUA THA’
I am shocked. Now I know that the facts were twisted to that extent. For people like me, who knew the Talwars, this is like time travel. Sab kuch aise hi toh hua tha – wahi hungama, wahi kahaniyaan.
– Rita Babbar, a friend of the Talwars
For me, as a lawyer, what the film brings out most poignantly, is the shoddy manner in which an investigation is done. What is shown in the film is exactly the way the police works – the first man says that it has to be an honour killing on the basis of his thinking, the second man seems to be a little scientific and then the next man comes, and his only job is how to overturn what the other investigator has done without any scientific evidence. What Irrfan says in the end – that you have to let nine guilty men go but you can’t hang the one innocent man – sums up the film’s message and is something a layman caught by a media trial loses sight of.
The dilemma that an investigating officer (Ashwin) in the film deals with is such a strong dilemma for any investigator – am I actually loading the dice against an innocent man just because I want to make a strong case? Whether it is a film like No One Killed Jessica, India’s Daughter or this, the public will always be interested in such cases.
– Geeta Luthra, a senior criminal lawyer who knew of the Talwars through friends
#LiveFromTheHall
It was an incident that happened in front of us. So, watching Talvar was my top priority .
– Mayank Bhandari, a resident of Jal Vayu Vihar
It’s a spine-chilling thriller. There were so many things we didn’t know about the investigation.
– Shweta, a college student

The cremation scene was exactly how it happened
It seems like that the filmmakers had put the camera and filmed our exact experiences. We are lived the whole incident again. Strenuous efforts must have gone into making this film as the cremation scene and the ones from Haridwar are a true depiction of exactly what happened. We are completely shaken. What happened to our daughter and grand daughter can happen to any family. We went through a gamut of emotions while watching the film – anger at establishment, then there is this anxiety – will our daughter come out of jail?
– Lata and BG Chitnis, parents of Nupur Talwar

It’s a must-watch for the Noida Police. I didn’t know that the first and the second CBI teams had this meeting together – it was an intense discussion which gave us insights into the case... I’m extremely moved.
– Rita Babbar, Rajesh and Nupur Talwar’s friend

#Beti or a #Whore
Meghna has brought back relevant debates
Meghna has got some things right – in getting people to ask certain questions that weren’t there in the mainstream discussions earlier and in bringing back relevant debates to the fore. This case was overtaken by social biases and patriarchal attitudes, with almost utter disregard for the material evidence available. There seem to be only men claiming the narrative as public property, and no women who lead the arguments. The movie shows that there are just so many men debating this young girl, with one narrative after the other. The film highlights the way in which patriarchal societies can only treat the woman as a beti or a whore, not as a person in her own right.
– Dr Sandhya, a professor at Jesus and Mary College
#DejaVu, #ReigniteDebate
The whole country will be talking about this film
I had an eerie sense of déjà vu while watching the film. It all came back – the memories, watching the news, the discussions with friends and all those theories and opinions we all had. The filmmakers have managed to capture and recreate the whole feel of the case and the locations quite well. In fact, the whole tone of the movie manages to be authentic in its portrayal of the people involved and the events that unfolded. I was a bit disappointed by the way the story has portrayed a part of the investigative system as incompetent and corrupt – not because it is inaccurate but because it just reaffirms the fact that a part of our police and investigative teams are caught in a vicious circle of sloppy work and complacence. It’s just sad. I’m sure that this film will reignite public debate about the case. Every single person coming out of the theatre is discussing the case, talking about its nitty-gritties and dissecting every scene. That is what the movie has managed to achieve that quite successfully I believe. In a few days, the whole country will be talking about this film and this case again.
– Sanjna Dua, 20, Aarushi’s friend and a law student from Noida
#Shocking #Disturbing
My servant needs to watch this film
This is one movie which my servant needs to watch. He is with me for the last 25 years, I will buy a ticket and send him. I was quite curious about the movie, but now I am worried about the middle class person. People like me, who have no big contacts, how will they survive in such a system? What happened to the Talwars can happen to any of us. Anyone can become a victim of the system. I am shocked, because now I know the facts were twisted to what extent. For people like me, who knew the Talwars, this movie is like a time travel. Sab kuch aise hi to hua tha, wohi hungama, wohi kahaniyaan. I will speak to my friends and neighbours and we will raise funds and invite the whole department of Noida Police to watch the film. It’s a must-watch for them. I didn’t know that the first and the second CBI teams had this meeting together – it was an intense discussion which gave us insights into the case. After watching the movie, and the narco test scenes, now I completely believe the second narrative where Irrfan is the investigative officer – it’s not the Talwars, but the servants who were guilty. Hamare desh mein masoom logon ko saza milti hai. I am extremely moved right now. The film is really disturbing, it needs time to sink in, but it’s great that while the incident was confusing, the movie presents everything in a coherent manner. People who want to know the truth should watch the film.
– Rita Babbar, Rajesh and Nupur Talwar’s friend

#SadReality #KillsYou
Portrayal of Rajesh couldn’t be any closer. I had never seen him getting aggressive.
This is what a botched up investigation can do to you. By the time the CBI took over the case, the damage was already done, as rightly shown in the film. The portrayal of Rajesh by Neeraj Kabi couldn’t have been any closer. During a golf match, you would see players cursing a bad shot, getting angry or scolding the caddie. But I had never seen Rajesh getting aggressive. I had even read that the couple now does social service inside the jail. Doesn’t that tell you something about the character of these people? (By the time the movie ended, Sood had failed to keep up with his phlegmatic side up. He was overwhelmed and distraught) It’s a sad reality that I have seen twice now – once in real, now on reel. A happy nuclear family destroyed. That last scene, where Rajesh and Nupur look at the camera before entering the jail, kills you. That gaze tells you that they are looking at us for answers. Unfortunately, none of us have them.
– Commander (Retd.) Subodh Sood, neighbour and fellow golfer of Rajesh Talwar
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WATCH: Everything you need to know about 'Talvar'-TOI