It was fitting that the team of Talvar, the film based on the Aarushi Talwar murder case, were in the city of the crime, so to speak, when they discussed what the case revealed about Nyodda (this was supposed to be the film's title initially). The movie shows, among other things, a fundamental cultural divide between the UPwallahs investigating the case and the upper middle-class, urban family they were looking at, in this uneasy suburban mingling of gaon and sheher.

How this shaped the investigation, and what, in a broader sense, it reveals about the 'us' and 'them' mindset of the middle class and Indian suburbia, is what the team explored. Excerpts from a conversation with director Meghna Gulzar, writer Vishal Bhardwaj, and actors Irrfan and Konkona Sen Sharma.

There's a strong sense in the film of the divide between the state and middle class, the pervasive attitude of 'the other' - poor and rich, urban and rural, 'English medium' and 'Hindi medium', all think of the other as 'these people'...
Vishal Bhardwaj: Actually, there is a significant class divide,bahut hi purana aur badaproblematic, because rich is becoming richer and poor is becoming poorer. Till that narrows... but that would need a revolution, and a revolution will never happen in this country.Kyunki hum log jo... hamara iss zindagi mein ho raha hai, uss par toh kabhi hum logquestionnahin karte hain, jo hamare saath bura ho raha hai usse pichhle karmon pe daal dete hain. That is very deeply rooted in our society, and that has also come from the rich. Otherwise in this country, there is such a large divide - with a slum and a 25 crore ka industrialist side by side -aur phir bhi nahin woh chheen raha hai gareeb uss se, tohthere is something wrong in our DNA.

Irrfan: Also, the way the police is deputed, the way the laws are, they come from the Raj. It needs amendment, it needs to be updated.Poore taur tareeke tab ke chale aa rahe hain.The way the policewallahfunctions,uske bechaare apne ke liye hi bahut badi dikkat ki baat hai.

The class divide begins at home. Our lifestyles are such that we can't do without servants, but there are two separate worlds that exist within the confines of our houses. It's a politically incorrect thing to say, but then isn't the feudal model a safer model -kai pushton se hamaari sewa karte aa rahe hain, you would be less afraid of them murdering you?
Vishal: Feudal systemhamaare andar hi kahin hain. When we go to the US, we live without maids, we wash our own dishes in the dishwasher. We can buy dishwashers here too, in our homes, butnaukar mil raha hai na, ek jeeta jaagta insaan jo aapki aawaaz sunke aa raha hai.The feudal system is within us. Middle classjo shareef ban kar khadi hui hai, woh itni shareef bhi nahin hai.Depending on what it finds convenient, the middle class picks what it wants from the feudal system and from modern life.Aur phir gareeb bhi bani rehti hai, ki hum tohmiddle classhain. Everyone has maids and servants in their homes.

Apparently, the film was supposed to be called 'Nyodda' earlier - with that spelling (the exaggerated Hindi pronunciation Nyodda, not Noida). What was the reason for the name change to Talvar?
Vishal: Actually, we were apprehensive about using the title Talvar earlier - it's the family's surname, plus that title also belonged to someone else then. At the time, we thought 'Nyodda' would be a very good title. I even made a song for it, but Gulzar sahab said I will not write lyrics for a song like this - woh bol thay ki Noida mein yeh hota hai, yeh hota hai aur yeh hota hai. Oh, and he also thought ki Noida ke log bura maan jayenge.