Joram Movie Review
This is Devashish Makhija’s third collaboration with Manoj Bajpayee, after Taandav and Bhonsle. The director has a yen for portraying the lives of the underdog. In Joram, he tackles the issue of how the so-called ‘development’ is going to be the death of the common man.
Our main protagonist, Dasru (Manoj Bajpayee), ran away from his tribal village in Jharkhand as he was tired of the violence. He was a member of a naxal organisation and couldn't tolerate the cycle of armed retribution that his outfit perpetuated. He hardly makes ends meet as a construction worker in Mumbai but is at least free from the harsh reality of his village. A chance encounter with a woman from his village unleashes another wave of violence. His wife is mysteriously killed, and branded as a terrorist by the media, he's on the run. He plans to go back to Jharkhand with his infant daughter only to find that he isn't safe there as well. Meanwhile, inspector Ratnakar (Mohammad Zeeshan Ayyub), of the Mumbai police, who is after Dasru, is dispatched to Jharkhand. He finds that the cops there serve as henchmen for the local politician and nothing is what it seems. While the cops have been ordered to shoot Dasru on sight, Ratnakar wants to capture him alive. Their worlds collide in an explosive afternoon set in a mine.
There's no respite for any of the characters present in the film. Everyone is experiencing a bleak existence. The tribals are being squeezed out of their land, in the name of progress. They're losing their jungles, their rivers, their way of life. No one, including their own elected representatives, care for them. If Dasru is on the run, then so is the politician Phulo Karma (Smita Tambe), who is running after revenge. Ratnakar sees his fellow policemen behaving worse than goons. In one harrowing scene, a constable, who has dressed up as a woman for a dance, is almost molested by his drunken colleagues. Ratnakar feels totally disoriented by the level of the moral corruption around him and doesn't know who he's anymore. Dasru is alive only because he has to look after his infant daughter, Joram. That keeps him motivated, keeps him running. But there's an end to everyone's endurance. How much can he run, and how far?
Director Makhija utilises stark cinematography to get his point across. Unfinished buildings, gaunt faces, depleted trees are his points of reference. There's a sense of unreality in the film because it showcases an India we've willingly chosen to ignore. It's the India of the unwashed masses who are devoid of dreams. Who are happy if they can earn enough to fill their belly during the night. Who've come to terms with their meagre existence and have no hopes ever of coming out of this morass. The police, judiciary, politics – our entire system refuses to even acknowledge their existence. The background score and editing too contribute much to the film.
What can we say about Manoj Bajpayee? He's one actor who's always been hungry for more, even after achieving it all time and again. He makes the character his own yet again. He totally looks the part and his accent is down pat. He has relied more on silences to get his point across. His haunting eyes, his brooding expression, efficiently convey his suffering and hopelessness. Mohammad Zeeshan Ayyub too has given his best. He too looks every inch a straightforward cop who sees circumstances spiralling outside his control and is unable to put a stop to them.
Watch the film for its grim glimpses of hidden India and for Manoj Bajpayee’s masterclass in acting.
Trailer : Joram
Dhaval Roy, December 7, 2023, 4:33 PM IST
Story: When a construction site worker’s wife is brutally murdered, and his life is in danger, he flees the scene with his three-month-old daughter. Thereon, he fights for survival while escaping a violent past, as well as a system and a powerful person who wants to crush him.
Review: Here’s a movie where you need just a few minutes of viewing to know that you’re in for an intriguing and intense watch along with a stellar performance by its lead, Manoj Bajpayee, who plays Dasru Karketta/Bala. The first instance he appears on the screen, squatting on the floor under the open sky, you are convinced he’s a tribal rooted in culture. He gets the look (with face tattoos) and the demeanour perfectly and has a tight grip on it until the end and through the different phases of his rich character arc.
The opening sequence sets the movie’s tone, with a tribal couple from Jhinpindi, Jharkhand, singing a folk song about nature as the wife sways on a rope swing. As the frame freezes, the swing and the couple have vanished. The unnerving stillness warns you of a storm about to unleash on the screen. Throughout the 121 minutes, the movie consistently builds intrigue, beginning with how the couple ended up in a cramped shanty in Mumbai five years later, or why Bala is unnerved when he comes face to face with MLA Phulo Karma (Smita Tambe D Dwivedi). The film unravels the mystery gradually while serving edge-of-the-seat drama, as Dasru is on the run trying to save himself and his baby, Joram. The chase sequence on a train when he tries to skip the city will totally draw your attention.
Writer-director Devashish Makhija excels in presenting a layered narrative — the super-tense survival scenes, the stark reality of the tribals and rebels, or the man versus nature conflict that’s destroying the ecology. It also depicts how the politicians and authorities are in cahoots with mining companies that relentlessly exploit the tribals. While some of these themes aren’t new, the storytelling is enticing, and although non-linear, the taut screenplay is not once confusing or fragmented. However, the initial thrill tapers off as the latter half of the film, the focus shifts to the socio-political side of the story.
Makhija handles the film’s political aspect well and refrains from overtly taking sides. While he shows how the tribals are being shortchanged and the environment is being destroyed in the name of development, he reveals another perspective, too. The MLA wants her community to enjoy every facility that urban people do, and one of the constables says that rebels and soldiers both wear uniforms for different reasons, but one cannot judge who’s right or wrong. The narrative also throws light on how those on the fence have it toiugh, too, as they are labelled ‘sympathisers’ of rebels or supporters of oppressors. Cinematographer Piyush Puty enhances the drama with his outstanding camerawork, whether depicting tribal life, a father on the run, cranes and diggers marauding nature, or what the verdant land will soon look like.
The film is also loaded with symbolism and meaning, whether Dasru ‘s wife Vaano (Tannishtha Chatterjee) swaying in the great wide open or the swing made of a saree inside the hut. While trying to escape Mumbai, an onlooker asks him, ‘Kuchh dhoondh rahe ho kya? (Are you looking for something?).’ When he reaches Jharkhand, a tribal asks, ‘Kisiko dhoondh rahe ho (Are you looking for someone?)?’ indicating Dasru is running but has nowhere to go. The dialogues are also heartrending.
Manoj Bajpayee is outstanding as the helpless and hapless father running from his dark past and bleak present. Scenes of him bonding with and caring for his baby will tug at your heartstrings. Smita Tambe Dwivedi steals the scene as the coldhearted MLA. She delivers a nuanced performance as an emotionally wounded but conversely unfeeling woman. Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub is excellent, too, as a conflicted Sub-Inspector Ratnakar Bangul tasked to capture Dasru. Tannishtha Chatterjee plays her part well in the special appearance.
Joram is a gritty tale that will stay with you for a long time. Although it strays from being a survival drama as the socio-political facet overpowers the narrative, it’s a must-watch for its intense storytelling and performances. The poignant movie will also make you think about what we are doing to Mother Nature in the name of development and progress. It deserves to be watched on the big screen.
