01.LEC052008.JOJI AND MACBETH
Macbeth, the Shakespearean tragedy about desire,power,greed and violence has been adapted and retold across the world countless times,that speak to the universality of the play.Macbeth tells the story of a Scottish general who embodies the humane thirst for power and wealth.The 2021 Malayalam movie Joji directed by Dileesh Pothan is a fresh inspiration of the Shakespearean play.
Dileesh pothan transplants the scottish legend to a Malayalee household in the Kottayam district and emerges victoriously in portraying the greed and power hunger of man.Panachel Kuttappan , who reminds King Duncan is the awe inspiring wealthy patriarch of the house .He has three sons Jomon,Jaison and Joji whose reactions reflect the power held by him.The family also includes Jaison's wife,Bincy and Jomon's teenage son Popy.Joji mirrors the character of Macbeth with stark differences.Contrary to the Shakespearean Macbeth ,a brave and powerful figure , Joji is a weak,skinny unemployed man,who spends his day cooped up in his room sleeping and scrolling through the internet.Voiceless and meek as he appears violence is the last thing expected of him.Joji might have continued his mundane 'uneventful' life but a series of favourable situations brings out the 'Macbeth' in him.He portrays the latent greed that runs through all humans triggered by rewarding circumstances.
Macbeth's hunger for power is sparked by the three witches.When it comes to Joji,they are replaced by Dr.Felix .In a sober state he refers Joji to “ kodeeswaran” (Millionaire) which provided ample fuel to his instincts to acieve his goals and destroy everything that comes in his way.
The Lady Macbeth is replaced by Jaison's wife Bincy.Lady Macbeth embodies the lust and greed and acts as the main force in persuading Macbeth.Bincy ,on the other hand ,portrays a typical Malayalee woman moving around the kitchen,doing chores and attending to the menfolk.She bottles up her frustration and ingeniously channels it to manipulate Joji thus achieving her ends under a quiet façade.Thus Bincy is a sharp and terrific spin off on the charcter of Lady Macbeth.
Joji offers a gripping visual tale of the horrific greed of man through the retelling of Macbeth while consciously ditching the repetitiveness of the characters of the original tragedy.Thus Shakespeare once again is invoked and praised for his stories that stay relevant to the humankind till its end.
Bibliography
“Joji”.Wikipedia.15 June.2021,joji.com/Wikipedia.html.
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