Neha S. Remanan
Dr. Joseph Koyippally
LEC5016
15 June 2021
Joji - Contemporary version of Macbeth
Joji, a cultural film adaption of William Shakespeare's
tragedy Macbeth. It brings together an excellent movie by the collaborative
teamwork actor Fahadh Faasil and director Dileesh Pothan.
Fahadh portrays Joji, the central eponymous character in the
Malayalam film, which is set in contemporary present society and is
expected to characterize with some similarities as of Mabeth. Due to Co-vid
pandemic constraints, this criminal drama, written by Syam
Pushkaran, premiered on Amazon Prime's virtual online platform on
April 7. The other prominent roles are played renowned
Malayalam artists Baburaj (Jomon), Shammi Thilakan (Dr. Felix), Unnimaya Prasad
(Bincy) etc. The latest picture Joji has certain parallels drawn between the
Shakespeare's tragedy, Macbeth in just some sequences, but not
entirely.
Joji, is an engineering dropout and the youngest son of a
wealthy plantation family who desires to be a super-rich NRI. His father
regards him with contempt and considers him as a failure. Joji, driven by
avarice and unbridled ambition, finally resolves to carry out his intentions to
win over his rightful property by eliminating the barriers. When his father
becomes ill, Joji anticipates finally receiving his half of the land, but his
hopes are destroyed when his father begins to recover, causing him to commit
terrible acts such as fratricide and patricide respectively. It a sprawling
narrative of greed and ambition told from the point of a family on a wealthy
Kerala plantation during the COVID era. In the backdrop of household life,
there are some sequences and sentiments that are comparable to those
with the play Macbeth. The film is filled with subtleties and intricacies
that move the characters ahead, such as Joji's unstable state.
The Panachels family consists of four men, a woman,
and a little kid who live in an eerie bungalow in the midst of large rubber
fields. Due to familial power dynamics, there is isolation prevailing in the
family which is pictured in different frames. The family's seclusion is
metaphorically heightened by the large secluded environment in Joji, which
is literally separated from society in the aftermath of a pandemic outbreak.
Strong patriarchal dominancy is viewed from the point of
view of the gender roles. Like the incidents, when his father is laying prostrate
and unconscious and Joji asks his permission to grab the car and transport
him to the hospital. He is not allowed to move without first obtaining
permission to obtain the key. Though Joji is appeared as a frail looser, he is
pictured as a vigilant observer of power dynamics in the home and in society,
attempting to replicate what he perceives to be the ideal masculine behavior
at times. Just like, Lady Macbeth poisons the mind of a Macbeth, leading a
terrible political desire to grow. In this movie it is presented by the female
character Bincy, though not with menacing serpentine dialogues she manipulates
Joji effortlessly with her few words and venomous silence.
The portrayal of personalities neatly integrated the
cathartic impact. Joji, who is mentally dissatisfied and restricted to four
walls, is reliant on his father, who regards him as a failure. Even though he committed
many sinful deeds, his dying assertion that society was to blame for his acts
can only be viewed as a wish to be in command. From the standpoint of a guy who
has lost fundamental control over his actions and “the masculine performance
that is demanded by society”
Thus, though the characters committed baleful sins they are
not titled as villains but tragic heroes as that of Macbeth. Joji
overcomes his initial dread of killing his father in the same way as
Macbeth does when he decides to kill his monarch. The guilt is indicated
symbolically through his sleeplessness and through dream visions of his dead
father rejuvenating from the pond. Joji commits fratricide killing Jomon, as
Macbeth murders his pal Banquo. Even without the Shakespeare version label, Joji
stands as a well-executed film tackling contemporary societal concerns of the times.
Work Cited:
Joji. Directed by Dileesh Pothan,
Performance by Fahadh Faasil and Unnimaya Prasad. Bhavana Studios, Working
Class Hero and Fahadh Faasil and Friends, 2021. Amazon Prime Video.
Moideen, Azhar. the quint. 17 April 2021. https://www.thequint.com/entertainment/indian-cinema/fahadh-faasil-joji-study-of-manhood-syam-pushkaran-dileesh-pothan#read-more. Accessed on 15 June 2021.
Shakespeare, William. Macbeth.
USA: Spark Notes, 2005. Print.
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