Our intention was to humanise the tragedy: Vishal Bhardwaj on ‘Talvar’

The human tragedy at the centre of Aarushi-Hemraj murder case attracted Vishal Bhardwaj to write “Talvar” as the director wanted to bring out the “absurdity of the system” through the real-life inspired film. 50-year-old Bhardwaj, who penned the script and served as the co-producer on the Meghna Gulzar-directed movie, says they were careful to avoid sensationalism while telling the tragic story. “The intention of the people behind this was not to sensationalise it but to humanise the story because it is a human tragedy. It is a very disastrous case where one agency has two versions and both the officers were honest, honourable and known for their investigation,” Bhardwaj told PTI in an interview over phone from Mumbai. “It was very important for us to present this to the audience because it is a deep-rooted human conflict.” The movie has garnered critical praise for its taut narrative where the different versions of the 2008 case have been treated sensitively, while deftly avoiding the sensational elements that hit headlines. 

While fairly presenting different versions of the investigation, the film does tilt in the favour of Aarushi’s parents — Rajesh and Nupur Talwar, who were convicted in the double murder case. “Why the parents should be punished for police botch up? The CBI teams had two versions. There was not enough evidence against either party (the parents or the servants who were questioned initially). I am not saying that the parents are innocent or guilty but as an artiste it is our duty to bring out the injustice.” The film is replete with a lot of black humour, something that Bhardwaj says was inherent in the story despite its very tragic tone. “That was intentional. You feel bad after laughing because that was not the point to laugh. It was important to bring out the absurdity of the system and the procedure.” The director has a propensity for dark themes that are visible in his brilliant adaptations of the three Shakespearean tragedies in “Maqbool”, “Omkara” and “Haider”. Bhardwaj says he likes to explore such stories in his movies. “You make a film about the things you are interested in. Filmmaking is a very tedious job, you don’t want to give one and half years of your life to things which you don’t like.” Bhardwaj’s next film as a director is “Rangoon”, starring Saif Ali Khan, Kangana Ranaut and Shahid Kapoor. The movie is a love-triangle set in the backdrop of second World War.