On Tuesday, Siddharta Vashishtha aka Manu Sharma, the convict in 1999's Jessica Lal murder case, was released from the Tihar jail after 21 years of imprisonment. The decision came after Delhi LT Governor Anil Baijal approved Manu's release on the grounds of 'good conduct' over the years. Soon after the news broke out, Vidya Balan, who played the role of Jessica's sister Sabrina Lal in her biopic No One Killed Jessica, spoke to a leading publication regarding the decision. The actress, disappointed by Manu's release, told that no amount of time in jail is sufficient for people like him. She further hoped that he is now a reformed person after spending years in prison.
"Personally speaking, I don’t think any amount of time for him or for people like him in jail is enough. So that will always play in my mind. Yes, maybe he has turned a new leaf. I hope he has. I hope he is a reformed person. So that’s all one can hope you know, after spending so much time in jail. That is the point of being in prison, right? That you reform. So let us hope that has happened," Vidya told.
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Vidya, in Raj Kumar Gupta's No One Killed Jessica (2011), essayed Sabrina who ran from pillar to post to seek justice for her sister. The film traced her struggle after Jessica was shot dead at a Delhi-based night club in 1999 after she refused serving liquor to Manu, son of former Union minister Venod Sharma. Manu was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Delhi High Court in December 2006.
Sabrina reacted to Manu's release and told media, "I really do not have anything to say. I am not feeling anything. I feel numb. The only thing I hope and pray to God is that he never thinks of repeating that mistake again."
(Source: The Quint)
