Gayathri M G
Dr. Joseph Koyippally
LEC 5016
09 June 2021
Finding Macbeth in Joji
Shakespeare’s plays
have been adapted for years now. The universal nature of his works has allowed
them to be enacted with adequate changes to accommodate the local cultures.
Many adaptations or films inspired from the plays have been produced in India. Macbeth
is one of the greatest tragedies of Shakespeare. In India, two main adaptations
of the play are Maqbool and Veeram. Joji is a Malayalam
movie which is a recent addition to the list. Rather than being an adaptation,
it has taken inspiration from the play. With the required changes needed for
the location and culture, the movie underscores the main theme in Macbeth
– how ambition and greed can lead to one’s own ruin.
Panachel Kuttappan is the domineering
patriarch whom everyone is frightened of. The movie starts with a long shot of
his house and plantation. He rules over his kingdom and all the people living
in the household are controlled by him. They are all financially dependent on
him. Joji is his third son. He is an engineering dropout who is lazy and spends
his time doing nothing. Kuttappan is physically abusive to him. The other two
sons are Jomon and Jaison. Jomon is a divorcee and an alcoholic but is
completely devoted to his father. Jaison, on the other hand, handles all the
business in town and lives by following his father’s orders. The other members
in the house include Popy, Jomon’s son and Bincy, Jaison’s wife. Even when
sick, Kuttappan wields power. The scene where Joji asks permission to get car
keys to an injured Kuttappan proves the point. Apart from the fact that both of
them rule their kingdom, King Duncan and Kuttappan do not have much in common.
King Duncan is the weak father figure but Kuttappan is a tyrant.
Joji undoubtedly stands
for Macbeth. Like how the play had an eponymous title, the film does too. Joji
is constantly rebuked and humiliated by everyone around him. He is often
referred by his father as “second piece”. Joji murders his father just like how
Macbeth murders King Duncan. While it is vaulting ambition which drove Macbeth
to commit the crime, constant humiliation and the wealth which would come his
way, added to the freedom, makes Joji commit patricide. Despite similarities
with Macbeth, the characters differ in their basic personality. While
Macbeth is portrayed as a valiant and noble warrior, respected by everyone at
the beginning of the play, Joji is weak.
While Lady Macbeth in
the play is the co-conspirator who persuades Macbeth to commit murder, the
character in the movie who can be considered along the same lines, Bincy
remains a silent spectator. She is always seen doing household chores. The
gender prejudice in the society is brought up in the movie. When Joji replaces
the pills everyday which will eventually kill Kuttappan, Bincy just looks on
without reacting against it. For her, death of Kuttappan would mean an escape
from the patriarchal setup of the house and give her the freedom she wishes
for. Lady Macbeth uses her voice to control everything but Bincy uses her
silence.
Jomon can be recognized
with Banquo. Macbeth kills Banquo when he becomes a hindrance to his throne. Joji,
on other hand, kills Jomon when he starts getting suspicious of Joji’s
involvement in the murder of their father. It was not a planned crime like
Banquo’s murder was. Thus, Joji’s action of greed has led to consequences from
which he can’t return. The ghost of Banquo plays a major role in the play but
such an element cannot be seen in the movie.
One major difference
between Joji and Macbeth is that Macbeth felt guilty of his
actions. Joji never did. Through every crime he committed, he did not feel an
ounce of guilt. His nightmares, in contrast to Macbeth’s, were not out of
guilt, but only because of the fear of being caught. At the time of his
father’s funeral, Bincy asks him to come outside only after covering his face
with a mask so that his glee wouldn’t be seen by anyone. While Lady Macbeth’s
words were the tipping point which led Macbeth to commit the murders, all the
plotting in the film took place in Joji’s mind. In the end, he who commits
suicide after blaming the society for his actions. Even when his attempt fails and
he is bedridden, he refuses to be defeated.
Joji is set in the
framework of Macbeth and shades of the play can be seen in it. The movie is
Macbeth reimagined in contemporary times. It does not have any witches, moving
woods or blood as in the play. It presents a wealth of insights into Malayali
culture and customs along the way. Thus, the movie is more realistic in the
sense that it is relatable. It has taken the idea from the play and created a
tale of its own which was brilliantly portrayed through its cast.
Works
Cited
Joji.
Directed by Dileesh Pothan, Performance by Fahadh Faasil and Unnimaya Prasad. Bhavana Studios, Working Class Hero and
Fahadh Faasil and Friends. Amazon Prime
Video, 2021.
Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. UK: Cambridge University Press,
2005.
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