What is the truth? That is one of the questions that filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj is hoping to address with his upcoming film Talvar, based on the brutal murder of Delhi teen Aarushi Talwar. The film stars Irrfan Khan and Konkona Sen Sharma, and follows the chain of events that transpired after Aarushi’s murder, and the subsequent court proceedings involving her parents, Rajesh and Nupur Talwar. Bhardwaj is producing the film while Meghna Gulzar is directing it.
Bhardwaj said that Talvar will present an amalgamation of the three versions of the event. “The idea behind making Talvar was, why not present all the versions of the truth? So it will feature multiple narratives — with each one taking a different stance. The truth depends on what you want to believe,” Bhardwaj said on Saturday.
He further added that Nupur and Rajesh Talwar were not approached for their permission before work on Talvar began. “We have not taken the permission of the Talwars. But we have stuck to the information available with all honesty,” he explained. Talvar isn’t the only film to have been based on the Aarushi case. In January this year, there was Rahasya, which featured Tisca Chopra. While that film ran into several controversies, Bhardwaj is confident that Talvar will not face similar issues.
“I have not seen Rahasya, but the makers of that film denied that it was based on the Aarushi case. With Talvar, we are openly saying that this film is inspired by the original case,” he said. Talvar has received a U/A rating from the CBFC.
For director Meghna Gulzar, the intent of Talvar was important. She said, “We have put a lot of effort into the research for this film. However, while I was filming Talvar, I had to keep in mind the fact that the characters in the film are not just characters — but real people. We had to be very careful in our treatment of the subject.”
Konkona Sen Sharma felt the story needed to be told. “The legal challenges that followed the incident overshadowed what a terrible tragedy it was. As a mother, I am able to understand that now. The story needs to be told so that it never happens again,” she said.
