MovieTimeहिन्दी
Crime · Thriller · Drama
Talvar (2015)
तलवार
2 Oct 2015133 minHindi
Talvar is a Hindi crime drama loosely inspired by the 2008 Noida double murder case. A teenage girl and the family's domestic help are found dead, and the film retells the investigation through the differing conclusions of rival teams, with the family names changed.
Editorial preview: written from official information, the trailer and public sources — not a full viewing of the film.
Synopsis
Talvar is a Hindi crime drama loosely inspired by the 2008 Noida double murder case. A teenage girl and the family's domestic help are found dead, and the film retells the investigation through the differing conclusions of rival teams, with the family names changed.
What Talvar 2015 is, and why it is told differently
Talvar 2015 is a Hindi-language crime thriller directed by Meghna Gulzar, with a screenplay by Vishal Bhardwaj. It is loosely based on the 2008 Noida double murder, in which a teenage girl and a member of her household staff were found dead. The film changes the names of the real people involved, so the girl's parents appear as the Tandons, and it presents itself as a dramatisation rather than a documentary.
The interesting choice is structural. Instead of walking you down one straight line from crime to answer, the story keeps returning to the same facts and lets different investigators read them differently. That is the idea worth carrying into the theatre or living room: this is a film about how a case is built, doubted and rebuilt, not a whodunit that hands you a tidy reveal.
Because the underlying matter was real and widely debated, it is sensible to treat the film as one filmmaker's interpretation. Nothing here should be read as a ruling on the real people, and we have not tried to settle that question in this overview.
Cast and crew worth knowing
According to the film's published credits, Irrfan Khan plays Ashwin Kumar, a CBI joint director, while Konkona Sen Sharma and Neeraj Kabi play the Tandon couple. Sohum Shah appears as Vedant Chaudhary, Gajraj Rao as Inspector Dhaniram Chaurasia, and Tabu is credited in a cameo as Reema Kumar.
The production came from Junglee Pictures and VB Pictures; Vineet Jain and Vishal Bhardwaj are listed as producers. Bhardwaj also composed the songs, with lyrics by Gulzar, and the background score is credited to Ketan Sodha. The soundtrack has four songs.
If you follow awards, the record is on the public page: the film is credited with the Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Audiography honours at the 63rd National Film Awards, and with Best Editing and Best Sound Design at the 61st Filmfare Awards. We mention these only as listed credits, not as a promise of how it will play for you.
Release date and where to watch Talvar
The film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on 14 September 2015 and reached Indian cinemas on 2 October 2015. It has also been listed internationally under the title Guilty. Its running time is about 133 minutes.
We could not confirm a current streaming platform from the sources we checked, and platform catalogues change often, so check the listings in your region before planning a watch rather than relying on a stale claim.
Who is it for? Viewers who like procedural, dialogue-driven films that ask you to weigh evidence, and who are comfortable with a sombre subject. If you want fast action or a clear villain, this is probably not the film. Since we have not watched it ourselves, treat this as a guide to what the film sets out to do, and form your own view on how well it does it.
Who will enjoy Talvar?
- Fans of investigative, dialogue-led crime dramas
- Viewers who follow Irrfan Khan or Meghna Gulzar's work
- Anyone comfortable with a serious, real-case-inspired subject
Cast
Irrfan KhanAshwin KumarBorn 1967 · Jaipur, Rajasthan
Konkona Sen SharmaNutan TandonBorn 1979 · New Delhi, India
Neeraj KabiRamesh TandonBorn 1968 · Jamshedpur, India
Sohum ShahVedant ChaudharyBorn 1983 · Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan
Gajraj RaoInspector Dhaniram ChaurasiaDungarpur, India
TabuReema Kumar (cameo)Born 1971 · Hyderabad, IndiaPhoto: TMDB
FAQ
When was Talvar released?
It premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on 14 September 2015 and was released in India on 2 October 2015.
Who directed Talvar and who is in the cast?
Meghna Gulzar directed it from a screenplay by Vishal Bhardwaj. The cast includes Irrfan Khan, Konkona Sen Sharma, Neeraj Kabi, Sohum Shah and Gajraj Rao, with Tabu in a cameo.
When was Talvar released?
Talvar was released on 2 Oct 2015.
Who directed Talvar?
Talvar was directed by Meghna Gulzar.
How long is Talvar?
Talvar runs for 133 minutes.
