A MURDER MOST FOUL
The quintessential metro read, Swati Chaturvedi’s Daddy’s Girl has it all – sex scandals, incest, a gruesome murder, and melodrama played out against the backdrop of India’s allpervading corruption. The protagonist is an honest journalist fighting to prove that an influential lawyer and his family – the Nalwas -- killed their teenage daughter. Politically-motivated hawks, corrupt cops and unknown powers from the Rashtrapati Bhavan all pull the chords of the narrative. There’s also a sob story of a mentally-challenged cousin – the other victim who is forgotten by the media that is feeding the frenzy with plump conspiracies on primetime television. Go on, prod your memory. Doesn’t it remind you of the Aarushi Talwar case? Included in the cast of characters are some archetypal Indian caricatures – bloated politicians and police officers. Sadly, they don’t have the dimensions it takes to admire or hate them. The central character, Meera Upadhyay, isn’t extraordinary either. She fits into the mould of a righteous journalist driven by her need for newspaper bylines. The cop Arun Singh, however, has a lot of depth. He is the only character who oscillates between the greys as he struggles with a system eager to sabotage his investigation. Still, even with all these sensational elements, Daddy’s Girl falls short. All the scandals in the plot, revolting as they may be, fail to make an impact. There is little intrigue in the story that demands the thrill and pace of a mystery. What stands out, though, are descriptions of the power nexus. While the cops are portrayed as being intent on extortion and on doing the bidding of Delhi’s politicians, Daddy’s Girl is really a harsh critique of the fourth estate. Featuring scripted stories and newsroom theatrics to augment TRPs, Chaturvedi has turned the spotlight on a profession that is supposed to deliver just facts. In vying for the best seller spot by retreading a gruesome true story, Daddy’s Girl has, incidentally, emulated the monster it attempts to expose. Yet, the esson to be learnt here is that rumours will always thrive until another upright citizen is curious enough to search for the truth.