Talvar (2015, directed by Meghna Gulzar)
[No. 33 of 52 in #52FilmsByWomen]
Talvar is a murder mystery based on a real life case known as the 2008 Noida double murders. While the names and characters are fictionalised for the movie, lots of the procedural details of the case were similar to its real life couterpart.
The case is about a murder of a 14-year-old girl, who’s body was discovered by her parents early in the morning. Soon thereafter the body of the family’s servant was also discovered on the roof. Irfan Khan plays the lead investigative officer who takes over the case from the bungling incompetence of the local police. He is great as the calm professional, who might sometimes bend the rules a little bit to get the job done, though not in the extreme way like in Luther or The Shield, but in a more subtle and believable manner.
This movie is gripping right from the start, the mystery and investigation moves forward at a brisk pace, with some comedic moments here and there to relieve the intensity. There was especially great performances by Konkona Sen Sharma and Neeraj Kabi as the victim’s parents, who goes between sympathetic mourning parents, to suspicious murder suspects, depending on the opposite points of view by different investigating teams taking charge of the case.
This is one of the best police investigation stories, which is a must-watch for fans of Broadchurch, The Fall and Top of the Lake. Irfan Khan’s character might even make this a slightly more mild-mannered version of Luther.
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