01. LEC052039. 'JOJI' AND 'MACBETH'.

  

 "JOJI" : AN UNHEROIC MACBETH

 

 William Shakespeare’s acclaimed tragedy Macbeth has been of interest to filmmakers for a long time. Several film adaptations of the tragedy were produced by different countries. In India, Vishal Bhardwaj’s 2004 film “Maqbool” was a successful film adaptation of the play. The recent Malayalam film by Dileesh Pothan titled “Joji”, scripted by Syam Pushkar and starred by Fahad Fazil in the lead role, is said to draw its inspiration from Macbeth. The film Joji, though taken out of inspiration from Macbeth, deviates a lot from the tragedy in the portrayal of its characters. The extend of freedom taken by the scriptwriter is so intense that despite his mention of the film as an “inspiration”, one is less likely to draw similarities out of the movie with that of Macbeth.

When the movie is viewed along the lines of the tragedy, Kuttapan Panachel (Sunny PN), a high-handed man who is in his early seventies, plays the role played by King Duncan in Macbeth. His youngest son, Joji (Fahadh Fazil)represents Macbeth, and his daughter-in-law, Bincy (Unnimaya Prasad), portrays the character of Lady Macbeth in the movie. Jaison (Joji Mundakayam) and Jomon (Baburaj), the other two sons of Kuttapan, tend to represent the characters of Malcolm and Banquo. The movie displaces the grand Scottish setting of the tragedy with the rural setting of a rubber plantation in Kottayam. The plot of the film revolves around Panachel Kuttapan’s traditional feudal Christian family. He plays the role of a tyrant in the family and his three sons wobble and cringe in his presence, none more than his youngest son, Joji, who is bitterly frustrated out of the ill treatment received from his father, gets rid of him with the help of the silent aid received from his sister-in-law, Bincy.

Though both the murders are committed out of greed for power, there is a stark contrast in their portrayal. Macbeth is a valiant ruler and he kills Duncan out of his “vaulting ambition” (Mac1.7. 27) whereas the movie portrays Joji as a sluggard. He is an engineering dropout, inattentive to IELTS tutorials and has also placed a hand on horse marketing. He lacks any sort of ambition in his life. “If greed comes out of ambition in Macbeth, ambition comes out of greed in Joji” (Parasuraman). He is portrayed as a good-for-nothing fellow, whereas Macbeth was not so. The murders committed by Joji are not well-planned as in Macbeth because he murders out of mere provocation. The fratricide which he committed in order to cover up his patricide was merely an accident. Similarly, the portrayal of Kuttapan as an iron-handed father is in contrast to the portrayal of King Duncan. Duncan encourages and nourishes the growth of Macbeth, whereas this instinct is totally absent in the portrayal of Kuttapan.

Moreover, Bincy is portrayed as a mysterious submissive female who is helpless in the hands of patriarchy. This is in total contrast to the character trait of Lady Macbeth as she was dominant as well as eloquent in her speeches. The play portrays Lady Macbeth as more ambitious as well as ruthless than her husband. It is she who plots the murder of king Duncan, whereas Macbeth only executes it, unlike the role played by Bincy in the movie. 

Nevertheless, Syam Pushkaran’s portrayal of Bincy is subtle. It is she who first makes Joji aware of his worth in the family, “It’s your house too... Why would you ask for permission?” (Joji 20:40- 20:43). Later her direct assault on his lack of masculinity gives him the courage to finally confront his father about their inheritance “Your good days will be wasted on this kitchen slab” (Joji 42:52- 42:57). The above-mentioned dialogue of Bincy draws strong parallels with that of the dialogue delivered by Lady Macbeth in the play “Which thou esteem’st the ornament of life, And live a coward in thine own esteem, Letting “I dare not” wait upon “I would,” Like the poor cat i’th’ adage?” (Mac.1. 7.42-45). Thus, the protagonist in the film as well as in the play commits murder not only to access power, but also to assert his masculinity. Bincy, through her poignant loud silence, abets Joji in murdering Kuttapan. Also, towards the end, unlike lady Macbeth, she withdraws her support.

Syam Pushkaran neither portrays any witches nor omens in the movie but on the same hand he elusively mirrors their roles in the movie. The opinions of religious leaders as well as the gossips of neighbors rules and guides the private lives of the members of the Panachel family after Kuttapan's death. Pushkaran attributes a prophetic tone to the character Dr. Felix in the movie when he comments  Joji as a future "millionaire"( Joji 27:40). 

Though the movie does not provide a resolution in terms of the rightful owner gaining power. It is more likely that Jaison comes into power, therefore Jaison can be referred to as Malcolm in the movie. At the end of the play, Macbeth as well as lady Macbeth are deeply repentant about their sins. Blood, a strong symbol used by Shakespeare in order to highlight guilt and sin in the play, is almost absent in the movie. Macbeth truly grieves while Joji doesn’t, and this makes Macbeth a respected protagonist whereas Joji is a failed protagonist. The film cannot be considered as a successful adaptation of Macbeth because of its stark deviations from the tragedy.

WORKS 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.

Parasuraman, Prathyush. “Where Does Joji fit In The Moral Universe Of Macbeth”, Film Companion,8April2021,https://www.filmcompanion.in/features/malayalam-features/joji-malayalam-movie-fahadh-faasil-macbeth-amazon-prime-dileesh-pothan/. Accessed 13 June 2021.

Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. USA: Spark Notes, 2005. Print.