Manish Gupta’s ‘Rahasya’ similar to Aarushi Talwar murder case?

On the outset, the film tells the story of the murder of an 18-year-old teenager (played by newcomer Sakshi Sem) in her Mumbai apartment. Seven suspects, including the father, are being investigated by the police for the crime. Reprising the role of the tough cop is Kay Kay Menon, who is the lead investigator in this case. The other cast comprises Ashish Vidyarthi, Tisca Chopra and Mita Vashist.

“I wanted to make a ‘whodunnit’ kind of story where the needle of suspicion swings from one person to another,” adds Gupta, a fan of the works of Agatha Christie, filmmakers Christopher Nolan, Stanley Kubrick and Ridley Scott. Gupta finds no merit in the petition filed by the Talwars. “Any given film can be compared to a case somewhere in the world,” he adds.

Gupta has a penchant for picking up subjects with a realistic and gritty element. His previous project, Hostel, in 2011, was based on the ragging cases in higher education institutes; in 2009, The Stoneman Murders, retold the story of the killings that terrorised Bombay during 1983. This is Gupta’s fourth film, and entirely fictional. “We could only promote the film a fortnight before the HC verdict. The litigation has destroyed the prospects of this film.”