Vishal Bhardwaj to make Rashomon-style film on Tarun Tejpal after conviction in 2013 sexual assault case

The Goa Bench of the Bombay High Court sentenced former Tehelka editor Tarun Tejpal to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment in the 2013 sexual assault case.

The Bombay High Court on Thursday convicted Ex-Tehelka editor Tarun Tejpal in the rape and sexual assault case of a junior colleague at a five-star hotel in Goa in 2013. This controversial case seems to have inspired filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj to make a film about it. As per the latest update from Variety, the National Award-winning filmmaker is developing a film based on the Tarun Tejpal rape case.

Vishal Bhardwaj will make his next case on Tarun Tejpal's conviction.

Vishal Bhardwaj sets film on Tarun Tejpal case

The report added that Vishal has read the Goa trial court’s 527-page judgment multiple times and described the divergence between the two rulings as the creative catalyst for his film. He was also in Goa for the case hearing.

“The contradiction between the two judgments makes it a perfect case for a ‘Rashomon’-style narrative. 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… As they say, the devil lies in the detail. How do you expect people to go through the tiring, dry legal language of a 500-plus-page court judgment? I have gone through the minutest details. I have read the judgment many times and am still grappling with it. It’s a very important case for society,” he added.

Vishal added why the structure of the film is important. “No story is complete without all the different points of view, especially in a Rashomon structure, because half a glass of water is also half empty at the same time – the only difference is perspective… I want the actor to be unaware of the crime, if possible, and to set the judgments aside. I would love for him to approach it as fiction,” he added.

The Rashomon effect is a narrative storytelling technique in which the same event is described in contradictory ways by multiple characters or witnesses. The name originated with Akira Kurosawa's 1950 film Rashomon, a legendary film that first established the trick.

Vishal is the director behind Shakespeare adaptations Maqbool, Omkara and Haider. He also directed Makdee, 7 Khoon Maaf, Kaminey and his most recent, O Romeo.

About the Tarun Tejpal case

The court sentenced Tarun Tejpal to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment and fined him ₹5 lakhs for charges under IPC section 376, one year of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of ₹10,000 for charges under section 354 (A), and three years of rigorous imprisonment for charges under section 254 (B).

Justices Neela Gokhale and Amit Jamsandekar of the Bombay High Court at Goa overturned Tejpal's acquittal in the case granted to him by sessions judge Kshama Joshi in 2021. "We set aside the trial court order of acquittal. The respondent (Tejpal) stands convicted," the HC bench said.

In 2013, Tejpal was booked under the Indian Penal Code’s Sections 376 (rape), 354 A (sexual harassment), 354 B (criminal assault with intent to disrobe a woman), 341 (wrongful restraint), and 342 (wrongful confinement).

In May 2021, a fast-track court in Goa acquitted Tejpal of rape and sexual assault charges as he maintained that he was falsely accused. He was acquitted and given the benefit of the doubt due to insufficient evidence.

The complainant had accused Tejpal of raping her in the lift of a five-star hotel in Goa in 2013 during the ThinkFest conference on November 7, 2013, and attempted to assault her again the day after.