Talvar Is Not An Over-The-Top Suspense Thriller Says Meghna Gulzar

Meghna Gulzar is back to film-making after eight years, with the film, Talvar, which is loosely based on the 2008 murder of 14-year-old Aarushi Talwar. What’s interesting is that just when Talvar is up for release, the murder of another young woman, 24-year-old Sheena Bora, who was allegedly killed by her mother, has also come to light. “It is an unfortunate coincidence. I would say that it’s eerie, as both the cases have several parallels running between them. And ironically, Sheena’s murder investigation is following a trajectory like Aarushi’s,” says Meghna. She adds, “Even in Talvar, Irrfan’s (Khan; actor) character (he plays a police officer in the film) gets removed abruptly from the case, just like Rakesh Maria (former commissioner of police, Mumbai, who was heading the case).”

Considering that the Aarushi murder case has been sensitive and under the public glare, was it easy to get enough support for research? “We have only used information that is readily available on the public domain. We haven’t twisted any facts. It’s not an overthe- top suspense thriller. Sensationalism was never the intent. Of course, we did meet some people as we wanted to give a fair picture,” says Meghna.