It could have been anyone

Yesterday I watched No One Killed Jessica & my sister will write a review on it on the other blog. It’s all the more depressing to know that someone actually was killed in this manner & later on her family suffered like anything. What I find commendable is how people & the media put up the fight. Candle Light protest & Middle Finger protest were superb ideas.

What happened to Jessica could have happened to anyone. You don’t have to be a party person. You can be at the wrong place & someone will shoot you out of madness. Life is too cheap. When you watch the movie, you will think about other incidents in which justice has been denied & today no one even cares it. You only remember tragedies if they hit you hard.

Anyhow, NOKJ is a must watch. The character of Vidya Balan is realistic & I would say it’s all in all Vidya’s movie. Rani has performed well, but I personally think Priyanka Chopra or someone like Mallika Sherawat could have done a better role. There was too much effort on Rani’s part & she couldn’t make a deep impact. Even when she said what the fuck or shut the fuck up, it wasn’t big deal. Haan that Hindi dialogue ‘wahan hotay tou…’ was delivered very nicely. That character was an amalgam of 15 journalists & I think it was a difficult character. Priyanka would have been the best person to pull it. You needed someone really smart. Since Raj Kumar Gupta is in love with Rani, so it’s understandable.

Jessica Lall was just 34 year old when she was murdered. Although 300 people were present at that socialite party & yet the accused was acquitted the 1^st time in 2006. Even her so-called friend kept changing his statement. It makes us question about our best people who would change statements under pressure.

But thank God the culprit is in prison now where he belongs & this is certainly the victory of people & the media.

Rani's 'innocent' confession

Rani Mukerji, who comes from a film family and has been working in the film industry for 13 years, says she was naïve and innocent but has become smarter with time.

"From the time I began to now the only change in me has been that I have become more confident. I was very naïve and innocent before. I have become smarter now because you have to be smart to be in this industry," said Rani

"When I had started I used to get hurt about certain things, but today I have been able to develop a slightly thicker skin than I had. That has been the only change in me," added the 32-year-old.

The actress is all set for 'No One Killed Jessica', where she will be playing a news reporter. Releasing Jan 7, the film, based on the murder of model Jessica Lall, is the first big release of the year.

Rani-Vidya at Radio Mirchi

This wasn't a very nice pose, but I guess she wasn't aware of it.
2 chums
Rani has a lot of attitude problem.

Rani giving tips to Vidya.
Uff what a nerdy look! In fact she reminds me of my cousins. Even when I studied all night, I never managed to look nerdy. I think it's god-gifted.

Rani jee has changed her shades & she feels proud about it.
Oh man the 1st lady to walk on this planet!
The 1st lady to pose for the camera!
Now she seems used to the idea of being first.

Totally nerdy! I didn't like what these ladies were wearing, but they both looked a lot better this time. And it's commendable how they both are promoting their upcoming movie.

What happened when Sallu met Veena, Rani and Vidya?

This is indeed a very apt expression for being thrown out, but I must say that she did stay in the house for too long & now people are not enjoying the show anymore.



Salman Khan certianly looks more beautiful than these 3 women.
I think Vidya looks fine when she dresses fine.
Veena Malik doesn't seem to miss any opportunity of giving these looks. Anyway, Salman Khan looked really cool on that day.
I think it was more fun to watch the real thing on TV.

When Rani bowed before Madhuri

Rani Mukerji made for a Kodak moment when she prostrated in a 'sashtang namaskar' before dancing diva Madhuri Dixit on the reality show 'Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 4'.

Rani admitted she is a self-proclaimed Madhuri Dixit on the show's episode which was aired on Monday.

Rani came as a special guest along with Vidya Balan to promote their upcoming film 'No One Killed Jessica', releasing Jan 7.

The pics depict that Rani must be a huge fan of Madhuri. In fact, it seems she worships the lady. Vidya Balan as usual looks more like an aunty. I think Madhuri still looks better than these 2 ladies.

"There's no rift between Rani and Vidya"

It was reported that Vidya is not very happy with Rani because the Bengali beauty is hogging the limelight and taking maximum space in promotions. But Gupta called all the rumours baseless.

"I have been accompanying Rani and Vidya on most promotional events and they have been having a fabulous time. These are just rumours and there is no truth in these claims," Gupta said.

"I've seen how well they gel and the camaraderie that they share and the positivity with which they shot the film. So these are just rumours and not to be taken seriously," he added.

Kareena and Rani at Mumbai Police Show 2010

Rani aunty looks terrible in red and has very tyrant like expressions. And of course, Kareena wants us to know she is beautiful as usual.

Rani's gaalis might just create trouble for Jessica at the censor board

There's trouble ahead for the much talked-about real-life drama No One Killed Jessica. In the trailer, Rani's shocking use of the term 'g..nd phat jaati' has been managed with a beep. But if the film's makers get down to deleting every expletive Rani's character utters there would be huge gaps in her dialogue.

According to sources, Rani's character's flow of profanities is so non-stop that if the censor board decided to beep her gaalis, Rani's dialogue soundtrack would have more beeps than words.

Laughs and protests director Rajkumar Gupta, "It' not that bad, really. You are making it sound like a non-stop abuse binge. My film is not that. But yes, Rani's character is very brutal and graphic in her speech. I don't know if, as you say. Rani is the same way in real life. I didn't know her before I shot with her. But she was thoroughly professional in mouthing squirmy words."

Now the question looming over No One Killed Jessica is, would the censor board allow Rani's character to speak her mind so graphically?

Says Rajkumar Gupta, "We voluntarily beeped out Rani's expletive in the trailer because it was to be screened on the home-viewing medium. But now when we submit the film for censorship, we will go with the entire language content intact hoping the censor board would see the context and not just the hard-hitting nature of the language."


Another area of discomfort for this controversial film would be the legal ramifications of showing real-life people, particularly the hostile witnesses in the real-life Jessica Lal murder case. Apparently, some of the key witnesses are already inquiring about the content and getting ready for legal action.

Says Rajkumar Gupta, "We're ready for any eventuality. I made the film the way I wanted to as a mix of realism and cinematic entertainment. No One Killed Jessica is not a documentary on the Jessica Lal case. But it is about her sister's fight for justice. And if the real-life characters recognize themselves they are welcome to react how they want."

Jessica Lall Case In Detail

No One Killed Jessica, is all set to be released on Januart 7th, 2011. The two main characters in the movie played by Vidya Balan and Rani Mukherji are already working on the promotion campaign of the film.

No One Killed Jessica is based on a true story. Rani Mukherji plays the role of a smart and cunning reporter while Vidya Balan plays the role of Jessica Lall's elder sister, Sabrina. The movie is based on the controversial murder case of model Jessica Lall in New Delhi in 1999. However, the director has clarified, that he took the name of the film from a headline that came in Times of India in 2006 about this case when the murderer of Jessica Lall was allowed to walk freely instead of a fair trial. This made the masses furious and led to nationwide protests so that the court reopens the case and give justice.

Jessica Lall was an Indian model in New Delhi who was born in 1965. She was working as a celebrity bartender at a socialite party where she was shot dead on April 29th, 1999 by Siddharth Vashisht a.k.a. Manu Sharma. Manu was the son of a wealthy and influential politician, Venod Sharma. Due to his influential background, it was very difficult to prove the charges against him. Most of the witnesses refused to co-operate. The case was a difficult one since the evidence was hampered and even the murder weapon was hidden.

Above you can see the picture of Bina Ramani, who was the owner of Tamarind Court restaurant, a refurbished haveli overlooking Qutb Minar where the murder took place. She used to arrange Thursday Special Nights, where models and celebrities used to serve as bartenders to the guests. Though, Tamarind Court didn't legally have a liquor license but liquor was served there. This was exactly how Jessica Lall happened to be there. She was one of the models acting as the bartender on that night along with a few other celebrities such as Bina Ramani's own daughter - Malini Ramani and Jessica's model friend Shayan Manshu.

That was a busy and crowded Thursday night party and so drinks were finished by 2 am. Manu Sharma and his friends at 11:15pm. Manu asked Jessica for a drink but she refused to give, perhaps because there were no more drinks. There are many versions of what happened. But Manu Sharma got angry for not getting a drink and he shot her in the presence of hundreds of witnesses at point blank range twice. One bullet was missed but the other killed her. She died that night.

Malini Ramani had told the court the following statement: "I won't give you a sip even if you give me a thousand bucks!" – (overheard by Malini Ramani)

Manu Sharma and his friends ran away from the spot after the incident. Manu hid the murder weapon. It was said, that later on one of his friends took the murder weapon one of his friends who was visiting India from USA for a wedding. That friend called Titu was never discovered. He left for USA after hiding the gun.

The Ramanis were arrested very soon after the murder, but none of them were Indian nationals and so not much harm was done to them.

Manu Sharma gave a statement to the Police, which was taped, in which he admitted shooting Jessica Lall. "The idea at that time was to shoot in challenge. It was embarrassing to hear that even if I paid a thousand bucks I would not get a sip of drink." This audiotape was obtained and aired by the TV channel NDTV, but it does not constitute legal testimony. Subsequently, however, the confession was retracted, and a not guilty plea was entered in the trial.

It was said, that justice could hardly be given because there were many laws that did not help in solving the case. There were many aspects of the case that could not be used in the right manner because of rigid and unnecessary articles in their own system.

After the verdict many experts pointed fingers at the flaws in the Indian Evidence Act of 1872, especially Sections 25-29: 25. Confession to police officer not to be proved. No confession made to a police officer shall be proved as against a person accused of any offence. 26. Confession by accused while in custody of police not to be proved against him. No confession made by any person whilst he is in the custody of a police officer, unless it be made in the immediate presence of a Magistrate, shall be proved as against such person. Though, the clauses were initially added for the protection of the defendants from giving confession under police torture, it was later exploited by many a guilty defendants as well, as in this case, where many a witnesses withdrew their testimony, after first giving it to the police during interrogation.

However, media and common people didn't accept the fate of the case and they protested.There was an outrage and people wanted justice for Jessica Lall.

Above you can see the aspiring model and an acquaintance of Jessica's, Shayan Munshi, who was serving behind the bar with Jessica when the shooting occurred. In his initial statement he said unequivocally that Manu Sharma had fired the gun twice, once into the air, and once at Jessica. This testimony was recorded by the police in their First Information Report (FIR), which Shayan signed. However, during the trial he claimed that he did not know Hindi and that he was not aware of what he had signed.

At the trial, Shayan said that Manu Sharma had fired only once, and that also into the air. He described Manu's clothes carefully. Subsequently, he said that another bullet, fired by someone else, was the one to hit Jessica. About this man's dress, he was evasive, and saying only that he was wearing a "light-coloured" shirt. This led to the "two-gun theory" - where the forensic report said that the bullets were fired from different weapons.

The good part was that unlike our very own country, after a good 10 years, justice was delivered. Although Manu Sharma was influential, he was finally punished for his crime. He is now serving life imprisonment for the crime he committed in 1999 by murdering model Jessica Lall.

Manu Sharma is one of several high-profile criminals brought to trial in India through media activism. Along with that of some other murderers, his conviction is viewed as demonstrating the impact of the general public in correcting imbalances in the Indian legal process.

A boring morning

This is a boring Thursday morning. I haven't slept well in weeks now. And today is a long day at work. I'm waiting for one of my weird clients to come and she is getting late.

As I go through some bollywood tweets, I will write whatever seems interesting.

Just read that was a rumour till a few days back that Dev Anand is dead. But the oldie is alive and finalizing his latest production. Another interesting thing is that Saif Ali Khan will be working with the same guy who casted him in Omkara and gave Saif his biggest hits and amazing recognition as a real actor.

Sanjay Leela Bhansali is bring Aishwarya Rai, Kareena Kapoor and Priety Zinta in his new movie "Heera Mandi". The movie is of course based on lahore's red light area. Earlier he thought of bringing Madhuri, Rani and Sonam Kapoor for this venture. But people say the final selection is much better and sizzling.

Karan Johar turned 38 and he planned to stay away from the crowds and clutter and decided to be on his own in Manhattan. Like we say, everybody needs some personal space.

Ranbir Kapoor is working on publicity of his new film Rajneeti. He looks handsome as he portrays Rahul Gandhi. He was travelling in train to promote the movie.

The client has not come in as yet. No respect for time man. This pisses me off.