Vishal Bhardwaj is developing a Rashomon-style film on Tarun Tejpal case.
Variety India interview reveals Bhardwaj’s approach to conflicting court judgments.
Filmmaker wants multiple perspectives rather than a predetermined view of events.
Vishal Bhardwaj is developing a film based on the Tarun Tejpal case, with the filmmaker planning to approach the controversial legal battle through a Rashomon-style narrative. In an exclusive conversation with Variety India, Bhardwaj said the contrasting court judgments and the details contained in the legal record became the starting point for the project.
Vishal Bhardwaj on his Tarun Tejpal film
Vishal Bhardwaj told Variety that he had read the Goa trial court’s 527-page judgment several times and was struck by the differences between that ruling and the Bombay High Court’s subsequent verdict. “The contradiction between the two judgments makes it a perfect case for a ‘Rashomon’-style narrative,” he said.
The filmmaker added that the case contains details that have not been widely discussed. “There are a lot of facts and incidents in this case that nobody knows about, and people will be amused and surprised to discover them on screen,” Bhardwaj said.
The director, known for films such as Maqbool, Omkara and Haider, said he remains undecided about the film’s ultimate perspective. “It’s too early for me to make up my mind on what the film is about,” he said, stressing that he wants to approach the material “like a true film journalist”.
What is the Rashomon style or Rashomon effect?
The term comes from Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa’s 1950 film Rashomon, which tells the same incident through conflicting accounts from different characters. Rather than presenting one definitive version of events, the narrative allows each perspective to reveal a different understanding of what happened.
‘No story is complete without all the different points of view’
Bhardwaj said the film must avoid beginning with a predetermined conclusion. “Any crime of this nature, one with many points of view beyond reasonable doubt, must be approached without preconceived ideas or a biased starting point,” he said.
He also revealed that he wants the actor playing Tejpal to approach the role as fiction rather than imitate the real-life figure. The film is being produced by Bhardwaj with a major Bollywood studio, whose identity has not been disclosed.
The project comes after the Bombay High Court overturned Tejpal’s 2021 acquittal and sentenced him to 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment in the 2013 sexual assault case. Tejpal has said he will challenge the verdict in the Supreme Court.
For Bhardwaj, however, the film is ultimately about something larger than the case itself. “It’s not about India in 2026,” he said. “It’s about the truth, which must come out at any cost, at any 26th year of any century.”
