An Analysis of the
Rashomon Effect in the Movie Talvar
Sumita Kumari
PhD Research Scholar
Department of English
School of Languages
Central University of Himachal
Pradesh
Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh,
India
Abstract
The present research paper seeks to demonstrate that everything we see
and comprehend is a perspective. We live in a world full of perspectives and
narratives. The cinema gives a boost to the cultural alliances between Japan
and India, be it a matter of shooting the best of the scenes of Indian movies
in the unparalleled locations of Japan or the adaptation of Japanese movies to
the Indian context. The objective of this research paper is to analyse the
Indian movie Talvar taking into
consideration the ‘Rashomon effect’ or the ‘Kurosawa effect’ named after
Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa, which is a technique of storytelling in the
cinema that upholds the multiverse approach to solving the mysteries. The
representation of the how and why aspects of the events give a twist to the
ending of the movie. The unreliability of the narrator, whether protagonist or
antagonist is at the forefront here and makes the mystery more beguiling and
gripping. The suspension of judgments and the making of unwarranted assumptions
based on the limited information have been instantiated throughout the movie by
entailing and introducing the ‘Rashomon effect.’ The indeterminate and
divergent slant aggravates the thematic as well as the technical rigor of the
movie.
Keywords: Film style, Narratives, Narrator, Rashomon
effect, Suspense, Unreliability
Introduction
Here and now,
everything and everyone is saturated with narratives. Narratives are
fundamental in the meaning-making process of the world individuals inhabit;
they structure how one person tends to organize, interpret, and order
information. The proliferation
of narratives in the 21st century is also commensurate with the proliferation
of new media, where one sees and interprets the world differently in this age
of technology and ubiquitous visuals. This ever-changing digital terrain has
made it possible for the emergence of various new modalities of storytelling.
Social and new media have also enabled narratives to inhabit a deeply personal
realm while being circulated amongst the public all over the world at the same
time. The newness of narratives, the ways they have transformed, and the
different forms they assume in building an understanding that breaks free from
the conventional ways of storytelling.
Cinema being the most efficient tool in the
contemporary time to propagate a certain body of concepts and set of beliefs to
the people, who can easily connect to the ground reality by relating and
understanding the deep-rooted expressions, narration, and background. It
broadens up the horizons of knowledge and fictional characters appear as
representations of one’s selves and emotions; hence, are once again taking
center stage in literary fiction. This dissemination of knowledge engages
earnestly with real-world problems of literary and cultural episteme and
revolutionizes all realms of intellectual inquiry in varying degrees.
The association
between Japan and India goes back a long way in history, and the intricacy of
their cultures is one of the many factors they have in common.Films give a boost to the cultural bonds
between Japan and India. In the era of mid 1950’s the cinematic connection
between Japan and India was established. The artistic bond between two
celebrated directors Satyajit Ray (Indian) and Akira Kurosawa (Japanese)
exemplifies this alliance. Satyajit Ray in his book titled, Our Films, Their
Films, talks about his meeting with Kurosawa. Even Ray was posthumously
awarded the Akira Kurosawa Award for Lifetime Achievement in Directing
at the San Francisco International Film Festival in 1992. On top of that
Japanese phrases and words are used in Indian movie songs as in ‘Sayonara’
which holds a tremendous influence to date in Indian cinema and thus reinforces
the cultural exchange between two countries besides Buddhism. Rajesh Williams
in an article holds the view that, “The cultural and social worldviews of India
and Japan have a close similarity. The larger-than-life Indian films are much
appreciated by Japanese audiences. Indian film directors are often inspired by Japanese
themes just as Japanese audiences find the energy of Indian movies quite
exciting” (69).
Films propel the texts to unfold the popular
cultural narratives from the nooks and corners of the region, regardless of the
genre, within the orbit of serious academic dialogue and critical inquiry.
According to Edward Branigan, “Film narrative is a way of understanding data
under the illusion of occurrence” (Branigan Qtd. in “The Role and Purpose of
Film Narration”).As films are a form of storytelling, they can be considered as
texts to be surveyed. In the contemporary world, where we all are connected
through technology-enabled social media and other channels of communication,
there is a plethora of speech and conversations. Through the subtle nature of
the film genre, there come the a stereotypical and unusual representations.
According to Encyclopedia Britannica, film theory is “developed to
explain the nature of motion pictures and how they produce emotional and mental
effects on the audience” (film theory).
The very ‘Rashomon effect’ based on the
eponymous movie Rashomon (1950) by Akira Kurosawa, which is highly
regarded worldwide alike, provides various asseverations and evidence to an
event that what has been happened. It is the way of seeing and perceiving the
things and events out there. The different comments and interpretations for the
same event only add to the dissension rather than ironing them out in a smooth
way. ‘Rashomon’ is a Japanese word, having the literal meaning “dispute” which
is translated as “a gate in the middle of the woods” (Crawford “What is the Rashomon Effect and How to Use
it Narratively.”). There are numerous explanations and testimonies of
various eyewitnesses, where facts are twisted with the cause-and-effect
technique. Ratnayake holds the view Kurosawa has been influenced by the
“Japanese traditional Classic dramatic compositions” that provide “two
alternative concepts. One is, the Innovative interpretation of a selected
section of the existing naturalistic world and the other, the mental formation
of an idealistic world for our aspirations to materialize. Out of these two,
Kurozawa had selected the latter to make his dream a reality through Rashomon”
(“The Tapestry of Rashomon: An Analysis of Its Social Background.”). The
explication of the events, the altered state of consciousness, the render
ability of the narratives, the inference and expectations of the narrators, and
the reception by the viewers and listeners, all these factors shed light on the
process and dimensions of the power system. In the Rashomon phenomenon,
Kurosawa used the technique of multiple narrators to strike at the inflexible
notions of right and wrong and rather concluded that the absolute truth might
be a disoriented hodgepodge of faded memories, social and cultural influences,
and deceptions. It throws light on the dishonest and wicked manners of the
people involved who provide contradictory explanations of the occurrence based
on their speculations. In the ‘Rashomon’ technique, the intentional actions,
representations, and narratives directly contradict or challenge mainstream
narratives. Additionally, acts of resistance against the dominant discourses
are multi-layered and often characterized by quiet negotiations, amends, and
defiance. Specifically, the ‘Rashomon’ effect emphasizes the capacity of
individuals to act, resist, and modify the dominant narratives.
Talvar (2008); directed by Meghna Gulzar and written by
Vishal Bhardwaj is a powerful, layered, nuanced, multiplex, suspense thriller,
and intricately complex movie, that promotes the plurality of voices. Meghna
Gulzar employs ‘Rashomon’ here and extols it by rendering that every suspect
has their own story to tell. She exploits the psychological complexities of the
characters. The movie depicts the investigation and analysis of a case from
three perspectives; first, the parents of the dead girl Shruti Tandon are
accused of her murder according to the police investigation and they are
considered innocent by the same police inquiry, second, the perspective of the
first CDI probe i.e., Central Department of Investigation and the third from
the perspective of a different CDI investigation. Besides these three main
perspectives, there are also some mini-narratives which are the statements and
judgments of the people or the bystanders of various strata of the society to
which the Tandon family belongs be it the servant’s perspective, the
compounder’s outlook or the distorted version of the reality propagated by the
media. The diverse contradictions and convictions of the views twist it and it
remains exacerbated till the end. The eyewitnesses in the movie Talvar conceptualize
the problem of perfidiousness and the contradictory statements seem plausible. According
to Berger, in his seminal work, The Narrative Turn in Social Inquiry,
“[the] lived experience can be understood through the stories people tell about
it” (5). It is the common human propensity to cheat and alter the facts and to
lie to cater to their moods and position and benefit. The cinema has also been
known to reinforce a range of human experiences and ignite layered discussions;
it juggles the tensions of questioning conventional practices while sometimes
supporting them. David Bordwell claims that the narrative “is the activity of
selecting, arranging, and rendering story material in order to achieve specific
time-bound effects on a perceiver” (Bordwell Qtd. in “The Role and Purpose of
Film Narration”). With the inherent dynamics of acceptance and rejection by the
audience, there exists a profound space for investigation and discourse.
Meghna Gulzar intentionally places some
humorous dialogues to add some sophomoric humor and comic relief to the movie. For
instance, when Dr. Nutan Pathania rearranges the furniture, she says to her
husband “It is time to start crying” (Talvar 01:49:55) so that the maid
can believe in their story. The intricacy of the plot reveals the pluralistic
approach and various strands of moods and perspectives.
The narratives and the dialogues of the
characters provide enough information to the audience about what’s going on and
at that same time, the audience might have some other speculations,
interpretations, perceptions, and conceptions. So, it will be no exaggeration
to say that the ‘Kurosawa’ effect endorses that every individual out there
creates a narrative universe to suit his psychological bent and frame of mind
and lives in a make-believe world sometimes ignoring and sometimes accentuating
some of the unbridled facts. Macfarlane rightly asserts that, “Kurosawa has not
only represented the human activities of the social, political and economical
environment but had also reflected in depth the deeper realities of humanity
itself” (Qtd. in “The Tapestry of Rashomon An Analysis of Its Social
Background.”). And the absolute truth or the manner to approach reality remains
a fantasy as in such discords; no one comes to know what happened. The very
essence of the ‘Rashomon Effect’ which is a style of narration is very well
perceptible in this mystery where all the characters who are involved in this
case argue about the twin murders from a different and contradictory point of
view. The version and altered versions of the murders create confusion and a
sense of havoc all around. The multifaceted interpretations of the twin murders
and all the suppositions seem exactly true and convincing and find a parallel
with Rashomon.
The movie starts with the finding of Shruti’s
dead body by her parents, a dentist couple when the housemaid enters the
apartment, and her mother Dr. Nutan Tandon tells the maid, “Look at what
Khempal has done!” (Talvar 00: 06:32). The compounder Kanhaiya says
during a police investigation that, “Khempal is a lustful guy” (Talvar
00:12:03). Based on his argument, police concludes that servant is the culprit
who “killed her and ran away” (Talvar 00:12:03) and just because of this
assumption police officer considers this murder as “a open and shut case” (Talvar
00:11:02-00).But the discovery of the dead body of Khempal, who has been
presumed as the murderer, makes a turn to the theory of Police. Inspector
Dhaniram Chaurasia conducts the initial investigation and makes a report that it
is a case of honor killing as Dr. Ramesh Tandon finds his daughter Shruti
Tandon and his servant Khempal in an objectionable position and it becomes his
motive and provocation to kill them both as he is also at that time under the
influence of drink.“Two are alive and two are dead” (Talvar 00:23:03)
and the case is solved.
The narrative structure of the film
emphasizes the subjectivity and unreliability of personal tales and the
complexities and uncertainties in determining the real facts and absolute
truth. The ‘Rashomon Effect’ underscores the labyrinthine plots and
counterplots of the events by throwing light on the intricate aspects of the
interpretations associated with the issues. It challenges and provokes the
natural state of mind of the audience with its puzzle-like incomprehensible
structure.
Every incident contains evidence, both go
hand in hand. The police chief organizes a press conference and makes a statement
while considering Dr. Ramesh as the real culprit, “He is as characterless as
his daughter is”(Talvar 00: 30:15).It becomes the media sensation in the
twinkling of an eye and the way media represents rather dramatizes and
exaggerates the issue instead of concluding, it misleads and creates distortion.
Theorists like Stuart Hall have claimed accurately that media is not only a
reflection of society but also actively shapes its narratives. It influences
and changes our value systems, social organizations, and practices. For
instance, social media modulates individuals’ speculations towards certain
social groups and organizations. There has been a huge hue and cry about the
case and a more shocking thing about it is that media and CDI both being
breaking parts have contradictory versions of the event. Riesmann aptly
observes that, “Storytelling is only one form of oral communication; other
discourse forms include chronicles, reports, arguments, and question and answer
exchanges” (Qtd. in “What is Narrative?” Narrative 215).
Evidence from the initial inquiry by a police
investigation, the chain of events, and the cause-and-effect relationship makes
the detectives believe that Dr. Ramesh Tendon is the prime suspect and
therefore, he is taken under judicial custody. The police report considers Then
Dr. Ramesh and Dr. Nutan dragged the body of Khempal from the spot and hid it
on the terrace, removed the traces of blood from the room, and made the room
clean and tidy as it was before the murder. The police team conducts a
polygraph test on the couple and concludes that it is a shame killing. Now the
police also propose another interpretation of the murder by claiming that
Shruti was a life threat and also was an act of revenge on her parents as she
becomes aware of the wife-swapping game or activity of her parents and also
about the extramarital affair of her father with a colleague. The famous
socialites of the society suggested the DNA test.
Even they assert that the router continuously
keeps on switching off and on. All these little diversions make the couple in
trouble and under suspicion. The methods of police investigation are unseemly,
not ethical in any sense as depicted in the film. In the movie Rashomon
there is not any instance of privileging one interpretation over another. The
recounting of the four different versions of the events in the movie where each
version differs from the other. The versions of the police, CDI investigation,
and the Tandons’ viewpoints are highly focused the film which shows the impact
and studying the case from the style of Rashomon's storytelling.
As the case remains unsolved, everything is
left for the audience to ponder over the circumstances. The perceptions and
human existence have been related to a “vast distorting mirror or, better, a
collection of prisms that reflect and refract reality. …[ellipsis in original]
the world is an illusion, you yourself make reality, but this reality undoes
you if you submit to being limited by what you have made” (Richie Qtd. in “Film
style and narration in Rashomon” 5).The very capturing of the emotions reflects
the impact of the ‘Rashomon’ technique.
Joint Director Ashwin Kumar seems not
convinced by the evidence; he probes into the case again and begins a fresh investigation.
He questions the way the cops investigate and work on the case because most of
the crucial reports and evidence were tampered with and ruined due to their
carelessness as in the analysis of the handprint on the wall and the forensic
reports of the same, even the DNA samples were missing. Moreover, the timing of
the murder is contaminated between am and pm. There were typographical errors
claimed by ACP Mr. Vedant Chaudhary. Ashwin adroitly exposes the heedlessness
and negligence of the police. They are left with the circumstantial evidence only.
No one was taking accountability for the reports and the evidence. Ashwin says
that, “It’s all contaminated. The crime scene was heavily compromised” (Talvar
00: 55:44).The unreliability of the spectators, and narrators and the lack of
objective truth is the result of the various social, cultural, situational, and
even psychological differences. The non-linear narrative of the movie leaves
the audiences in speculation, and even though the narrators are also not sure
of the absolute facts and reality, gives the movie an unconventional twist.
The report of Team A claims that the two
characters Kanhaiya and Rajpal are also suspect in this case. As per the
report, Rajpal who is a driver of a colleague of Dr. Ramesh Tandon, has a
feeling for Shruti. Kanhaiya, a compounder or assistant of Dr. Ramesh Tandon,
Khempal, and Rajpal are shown drinking, partying, and dancing together in
Tandon’s apartment at Sameer Viharon the same night. According to this
interpretation or narration, Rajpal and Kanhaiya are too drunk and involved in
an argument with Khempal when the latter rebukes them on entering Shruti’s room.
All these facts are revealed during the narco-analysis test that has been
conducted on Rajpal and Kanhaiya. In the Narco analysis test, according to
Kanhaiya’s version, he has stabbed the girl with the dagger. However, the
narco-analysis test is not admissible in the Indian legal system as a piece of
evidence to conclude, thus only based on pure guesses and speculations, the
mystery has been concluded that Kanhaiya is the real culprit, not the parents.
Rajpal during his Narco analysis confesses that, “Kanhaiya was the one
responsible” (01:16:49).In his version, Khempal’s character is depicted as
innocent as he says to Rajpal that, “She’s like a daughter to me” (01:11:10)
but Kanhaiya stabbed Khempal brutally. But in the subsequent meeting, Rajpal
contends that “You drugged me and said whatever you wanted to hear” (01:21:09),
so there comes a twist again in the interpretation. Then the making of the
false treatment and version of Bakabaun, so that he can testify it before the
magistrate again enhances the unreliability of the narrative analysis.
But because of emotional attachments and a
subjective approach from the side of Ashwin prompted the reopening and
reinvestigating of the case by the new CDI team led by investigative officer
Paul. Mr. Paul states that, “Evidence and conviction are like mother and child”
(01:40:59). The distortion and dispersion of the facts are presented in a
discrete way that it becomes really difficult to rely on one account or version
of the case. The fundamental aspects and rules of investigation are “inquiry,
evidence and conclusion” according to Mr. Ashwin, (01:49:50), and “Everyone’s
testimony has changed” (01:50:07). From dagger to surgical instrument to golf
club, the depiction of the different weapons and different murderers from
different perspectives makes the situation very tense and unnerved. Team B
conducted a Narco-analysis test of the parents.The dimensions of a golf club stick
owned by Dr. Ramesh Tandon were similar to the dimensions of the injuries
provided in the post-mortem report. Throats were slit similarly and
professionally.
Team A and Team B of CDI present a report
from each of their perspectives, bit by bit, in an alternating manner till the
very end. Both investigative teams worked on different hypotheses and presented
their reports to the CDI chief. Personal
biases, emotional judgments, cultural backgrounds, norms, ethics, past
experiences of the characters, cognitive abilities, and perceptivity led to a
skewed interpretation of the events that cannot explicitly reflect and produce
reality. Ashwin comments that, “Human reactions can be different” (01:54:57).It
is shown that there is no decision, conclusion, unified version, logical end,
or evidence and these factors become responsible for the closure of the case
and the teams considered the accused parents as guilty of the murders showing
indiscretion and injudiciousness on their behalf. The narratives, the approach,
and the evidence create a division between the teams. Team A and Team B are
like the two sides of a coin. The head incharge says, “Both are as different
the ideologies of the Democrats and Republicans!” (01:48:42).By declaring it
the “[R]arest of the rare case” (Talvar 00:33:21), and due to the
insufficient evidence to prove parents as murderers, the officers involved
decided to close the case with a logical ending and a closure report.
The knots remain
tangled and the film has an open ending that creates a space for the audience
to develop their version and reach a conclusion logically. Everybody tends to work
out an explanation based on the culled-out information. The ‘Rashomon Effect’
reinforces the elusive nature of truth and the fluidity of the individual’s
perception of things and discernment skills. The narrator acquires the center
stage here. Narration, narratives, and narrators are the fundamental pillars of
this Japanese technique which opens up infinite possibilities and ideologies
for telling stories, coming from the social fabric of life directly and
indirectly. Through the deep scrutinization and the peeling of the layers of every
version and interpretation, the conclusion is achieved in the ‘Rashomon’
technique.
Conclusion
Upon analyzing the movie from the ‘Rashomon’
effect, it can be inferred that there is an obscure connection between the two.
The positive as well as negative reviews of the movie show the importance of
subjective interpretation. The impact of the Rashomon effect is considered and
much welcomed across the world in the legal sphere by lawyers and judges when
it comes to resolving conflicting and complex testimonies and testaments. This
effect intensifies the complexity and uncertainty of the differing perceptions
and conceptions, interpretations and misinterpretations, multiverse
probabilities, and varying accounts of the same event that pose a challenge for
legal officials to ascertain the truth. Rashomon with its authentic
storytelling leaves a lasting impression on the trajectory of Indian cinema as
well as the mutual representations.
Works Cited and Consulted
Berger, Ronald J., and Richard Quinney,
editors. Storytelling Sociology: Narrative as Social Inquiry. Lynne
Rienner, 2004.
Carmona, Carlos
Ruiz. “The Role and Purpose of Film Narration.” Journal of Science and
Technology of the Arts, vol. 9, no. 2, 2017, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/318911656_The_Role_and_Purpose_of_Film_Narration.
Cobley, Paul. Narrative. 2nd ed.,
Routledge, 2014.
Crawford, Matt.
“What is the Rashomon Effect and How to Use it Narratively.” FilmmakingLifestyle.
https://filmlifestyle.com/rashomon-effect/.
Cuddon, J. A. The
Penguin Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory. Penguin, 1991.
Hariharan, Praveen.
“The Intricate Relationship between the Rashomon Effect and the Indian Evidence
Act: Disentangling Truth from Perception.” Linkedin, 24 April 2023, https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/intricate-relationship-between-rashomon-effect-indian-hariharan.
Kaushal, Sweta.
“Talvar review: A sharp narrative makes it taut, gripping thriller.” Review of Talvar,
directed by Meghna Gulzar. Hindustan Times, 02 Oct. 2015, https://www.hindustantimes.com/movie-reviews/talvar-review-a-sharp-narrative-makes-it-taut-gripping-thriller/story-z1WcjGnWxa5YYnxedPJ33O.html.
Kuiper, Kathleen. “Film theory.” Encyclopedia
Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/art/film-theory.
Kumar, Dheeraj. “Evolution of Indian cinema.”
Times of India, 26 June 2019, https://times
ofindia.indiatimes.com/readersblog/seethroughmyeyes/evolution-of-indian-cinema-4289/.
Prince, Stephen. “The Rashomon Effect.”
Criterion Channel, 2012, https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/195-the-rashomon-effect.
Ratnayake, Patrick. “The Tapestry of
Rashomon: An Analysis of Its Social Background.” Journal of Aesthetic and
Fine Arts, vol. 01, no. 1, April 2016, http://repository.kln.ac.lk/bitstream/handle/123456789/17107/12-21.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y.
Redfern, Nick.
“Film style and narration in Rashomon.” Journal of Japanese and Korean Drama,
2014, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/261703042_Film_style_and_narration_in_Rashomon.
Williams, Rajesh. “Indian Films –
Strengthening CulturalTies Between Japan & India.” Japan Spotlight,
June 2021, https://www.jef.or.jp/journal/pdf/237th_Culture_03.pdf.