Joram(Opening Tomorrow)
Written & Directed by Devashish Makhija
Rating: 4 stars
There are many ways of looking at Joram,all equally satisfying . But to me Joram is a whiplash statement on the brutal exploitation of tribals and their culture, a plunder blunder that makes wonder, is there any justice in the world?
As we see Dasru(Manojpai) flee from his homeland in Jharkand to Mumbai with his wife(Tannishta Chatterjee) having incurred the wrath of a local politician(Smita Tambe) and then flee back with his baby to his homeland , an entire ethos of exploitation and oppression unfolds before eyes, rendering as, at times, numb with empathy and disbelief.
Manoj Bajpai’s performance goes a long way in imbuing the underdog’s tale with empathy, compassion and dignity. There is also a sleepless cop Ratnakar(Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub,excellent as always) on Dasru’s trail. But Ratnakar, you sense, is not on a bloodthirsty mission. He is as conflicted about Dasru’s alleged crime as we all are.
Is this what civilization has come to? First fell the trees, then the local population ,then fill up the forcibly vacated land with dams and iron ore mines, thereby snuffing out an entire culture. The elegance with which writer-director Makhija sets up the restless plot of landgrabbing immorality leaves us with a profound sense of guilt and grief in Joram,as if the the director though determined not to turn his film into a bleeding-hearts statement, must unburden .
The sharp narrative taps into the culture of exploitation and usurpation with vigorous savoir-faire , never crossing the line of restrain as plot travels from Mumbai to Jharkhand.There is this incredibly macabre and funny sequence where a man in drag performs a raunchy item song in the courtyard of a derelict police station in Jharkhand. As the cops get aggressive, the dancer loses his rhythm, falters and withdraws fearfully.
Piyush Puty’s camera captures the despair of abject powerlessness in frames that are at once lyrical and convey the directness of a documentary.
Joram is not a film for those who think cinema is about titillation and sensationalism. This is a non-exploitative film about exploitation with performances that do not scream for attention.
Manoj Bajpai’s is the best onscreen representation of exploitation since Om Puri in Govind Nihalani’s Aakrosh.
