Dileesh Pothan’s ‘Joji’ is a loose adaption of Macbeth. The plot has a post-Covid scenario added to it, that has given in to the extensive symbolism of the central character, ‘Joji’. There’s a scene (one of the finest scenes), in the film where Joji is asked to wear a mask and attend a funeral, the mask here acts as a shield to hide, from the public the person Joji was becoming.
Joji is the youngest of three siblings, he shares a not-so-good relationship with his father and has plans of settling abroad. But he is not able to become the person his father wants him to become or rather he wants to become, because life certainly turns out differently than we think. While trying to pull out a valve from Joji’s father suffers from a stroke, and Joji is instantly allured into a heap of greed and this heap only rises.
The BGM that plays at intense moments, composed by Justin Varghese needs a special mention. It is gorgeous, making the already stunning visuals, more stunning embedding a sense of eeriness to it. The cinematography by Shyju Khalid infuses a lot of metaphors in almost every scene. Syam Pushkaran’s screenplay is engaging. Lastly Fahadh Faasil, the man who wears greatness on his sleeves.
What a performance! The transformation of the character, right from the beginning to the end, is the eyes, that do all the talking. Be it the scene where his face lights up when he hears for the first time about his father dying or the scene where he grasps his younger brother’s hand tight to ensure himself, he was not suspecting him. Sunny PN is scary as Joji’s father and Unnimaya Prasad as Joji’s sister-in-law or Lady Macbeth, a quiet spectator and supporter of Joji’s deeds.
‘Joji’ exposes the greedy nature of the human psyche with sheer brilliance, the part of human nature that pushes you into something, and instills in you the courage, pushing you to do it over and over again. ‘Joji’ has a beauty to it, the one that haunts, that unsettles. The Fahadh-Dileesh-Syam trio has indeed struck magic, once again.
Text by: Sreyoshi Sil, IBTN9
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