The Jessica Lal case - To Each Its Own

2009 began with Ghajini with Sreeragh & Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi with Saroja(Though release in end of Dec 2008), 2010 with 3 Idiots, with Sujith and Anup, again release in the end of Dec 2009, 2011 was with No One Killed Jessica in Hindi; with Barkha, Gaurav, a week before she was to leave WLI.

A role model to every one around, Barkha, who my my colleague in office, is an enlightened personality and a thorough professional to the core. She is ambitious, independent, with good managerial ability, and communications skills, punctual, ambitious, honest in her opinions, Intelligent, Achiever. She is a wonderful colleague and a good person to be with. Though we will miss her.

While watching the move, we kept relating the roles to most of us in WLI, as it had similar names but different character and vice versa.

The Jessica Lal case - To Each Its Own. Case reopened to a wider public on 7th January 2011

New Delhi, 1999. The guns at Kargil were still blazing when another one goes off, this time in the nation's capital. Jessica, a young attractive model trying her hand at bartending, is shot dead at a celebrity party. Her crime - refusing to serve a drink after closing hours!

Based on the famous Jessica Lal murder case, No One Killed Jessica is a class apart in the sense that never ever a film, based on a true life incident, has turned out to be so thrilling and interesting. A film that surely deserves a watch by each and everyone!

Untill the movie released, I for that matter many, had expected Rani to play the role of Jessica, but Jessica (Myra Karn), is shot dead by Manish Bharadwaj (Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub), son of a powerful politician (Shireesh Sharma). Jessica’s sister Sabrina (Vidya Balan) and their parents are shattered with the news of Jessica’s death. The police arrests Manish and his accomplices and it seemed like an open and shut case. After all, there were 300 people in the party with few prime witnesses.

Although the film has few fictional add-ons, it has tried to give as true an account of the incident as possible. This was definitely not an easy task especially for a filmmaker who’s out there to make a feature commercial film and not a documentary or a docudrama like Black Friday. But director Raj Kumar Gupta manages to come up with a film on a true story with thrill, shock, tragedy and all other elements well in place! Kudos to him!

The first half has more of Vidya who plays Sabrina, the elder sister of the deceased Jessica. She has a quiet demeanour that hides a dogged, never-say-die spirit. She has made it her life’s mission to seek justice for her sister.

In the first half Rani is Feisty and fearless, Meera (taking you to Barkha for NDTV) a celebrated TV journalist who does whatever it takes to seek the truth. When the Jessica murder case catches her attention, at the interval, she is determined to teach the culprits a lesson. She drum up every resource at their disposal to outwit Manish at his own game, if the truth is to have any chance of prevailing over money and political clout.


How they go about doing it in order to get justice for Jessica is what the film is all about.

It also portrays relationships: Parent-children, siblings.

The move is with the heavy-metal background song, "Dilli Dilli"



More on the actual case and facts thereafter:
The court had relied on the evidence of four key witnesses namely Bina Ramani, her daughter Malani Ramani, George and Deepak Bhojwani who testified in the courts despite threats to their lives.
November 11, 2009 — In the midst of a gigantic controversy over his parole, the man who killed Jessica Lall, has returned to Tihar Jail, two weeks before his parole expires.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnSUiUJ3HEA Jan 19 2010
Jessicas photo and mothers face in the first instance, and Justice for Jesscia movement, by media gave strength to Sabrina Lal to fight the case..
http://news.rediff.com/report/2010/apr/19/jessica-lal-case-11-year-long-battle-for-justice.htm
• April 29-30 1999: Jessica shot at a party in Qutub Colonnade restaurant in south Delhi [ Images ].
• April 30, 1999: Doctors at Apollo Hospital declare Jessica brought dead.
• May 2, 1999: Delhi Police recovers Tata Safari [ Images ] car belonging to Manu Sharma, son of Haryana Congress leader Venod Sharma, from Noida, Uttar Pradesh [ Images ].
• May 6, 1999: Manu surrenders before a court in Chandigarh. Subsequently 10 other co-accused, including Vikas Yadav, son of UP politician D P Yadav, arrested.
• August 3, 1999: Chargesheet filed against accused for killing Jessica under various sections of IPC.
• January 31, 2000: Magistrate court commits the case to a Sessions court for trial.
• November 23, 2000: Sessions court frames charges for murder against nine persons and discharges one accused, Amit Jhingan, while declaring Ravinder Sudan alias Titu as proclaimed offender.
• May 2, 2001: Court starts recording of prosecution evidence. Deepak Bhojwani, an eye witness deposes before the trial court.
• May 3, 2001: Complainant and eye witness Shyan Munshi turns hostile and fails to identify Manu in court.
• May 5, 2001: Another eye witness Shiv Das, an electrician at Qutub Colonnade, turns hostile.
• May 16, 2001: Third key witness Karan Rajput turns hostile.
• July 6, 2001: Malini Ramani, eyewitness, identifies Manu.
• October 12, 2001: Socialite Bina Ramani, owner of the restaurant and bar, identifies Manu.
• October 17, 2001: George Mailhot, Ramani's Canadian husband, deposes and identifies Manu.
• July 20, 2004: Surinder Sharma, controversial investigating officer in the case, deposes after returning from UN assignment in Kosovo.
• February 21, 2006: Trial court acquits all nine accused due to lack of evidence against them.
• March 13, 2006: Delhi Police file appeal in the high court.
• October 3, 2006: High Court begins hearing on appeal on a day-to-day basis.
• November 29, 2006: High Court reserves its verdict.
• December 18, 2006: High Court convicts Manu, Vikas Yadav and Amardeep Singh Gill alias Tony and acquits Aloke Khanna, Vikas Gill, Harvinder Singh Chopra, Raja Chopra, Shyam Sunder Sharma and Yograj Singh.
• December 20, 2006: High Court awards life imprisonment term to main convict Manu Sharma with a fine of Rs 50,000 and also sentences co-convicts Amardeep Singh Gill and Vikas Yadav to four years' prison term with Rs 3,000 fine each.
• February 2, 2007: Manu Sharma appeals in the Supreme Court.
• March 8, 2007: Supreme Court admits Manu Sharma's appeal.
• November 27, 2007: Supreme Court rejects Manu Sharma's bail plea.
• May 12, 2008: Supreme Court again rejects Manu Sharma's bail plea.
• January 19, 2010: Supreme Court commences hearing on Manu Sharma's appeal.
• February 18, 2010: Supreme Court reserves verdict on the appeal of Manu Sharma.
• April 19, 2010: Supreme Court upholds conviction and life term of Manu.

Just a note, Movie Halla Bol : Could be more on Shayan Munshi, but not exactly Jessica.

This film explores how justice can be pursued even when denied at the first go. Also it drives the attention of the massed who did not know much of this case, and what next in similar situation.

Is'nt The Jessica Lal case - To Each Its Own?