Jana Gana Mana has hit theatres across India.Director Dijo Jos Antony had earlier claimed that Jana Gana Mana does not project a political stance. However, the Prithviraj starrer reminds viewers of some tragic incidents that had major political repercussions. From the death of Rohith Vemula in University of Hyderabad that ignited discussions about the wretched casteism prevailing in India’s premier educational institutions, to rape cases, to the recent encounter killings of accused rapists in Hyderabad, Jana Gana Mana has touched upon many relevant political topics, all through a lengthy courtroom sequence. But has the movie succeeded in projecting these issues in all its seriousness? To be frank, other than reminding us of all these issues through an emotionally charged and indignant advocate played by Prithviraj, the movie as a whole is a tiring watch.
Just like Dijo’s first movie Queen, where Salim Kumar asks some relevant questions about gender equality, in Jana Gana Mana, Prithviraj plays an advocate and gives viewers some goosebump moments by asking relevant questions about the deep-rooted casteism and racism prevailing in the country. Other than that, the movie follows an outdated and exhausting narrative style that stretches for three hours.
Before the title is shown, we see Prithviraj’s character Aravind Swaminathan being escorted by policemen from the court to a jail and we get a sense that the character has a turbulent past. However after the title is shown, the movie follows an entirely different storyline starting with the murder of a professor named Saba Mariam (Mamta Mohandas) who teaches in a Central University in Hyderabad. The next day’s newspaper claims that Saba was brutally raped and murdered which becomes sensational news, and her students start an agitation demanding a fair enquiry into the murder. To divert viewers or to fit in more political elements, the Vice Chancellor of the University plays the ‘religion card’ by saying Saba is from a particular community and ‘these’ people can be identified by the way they look and dress. This further agitates the students and suddenly one student leader, who by her name is Hindu, wears her shawl over head to show solidarity with the Muslim community. This act might be an inspiring moment for many, but it reeks of privilege.
Coming back to the movie, the agitated students are brutally beaten up by the police and the case is handed over to a high-ranking police officer named Sajjan Kumar, played by Suraj Venjaramoodu. Sajjan takes over the case and regains the trust of students and the public through a fair investigation. Within days he finds the culprits behind Saba’s murder. However, due to lack of evidence and pressure from above, Sajjan is removed from the case. Before he leaves the case, he shoots down the four convicts in a fake encounter which is celebrated by the public and media. The second half is set in a courtroom where Prithviraj arrives as Aravind Swaminathan and reveals the truth about Saba’s death. In the courtroom, Prithviraj’s Aravind asks all the questions that has shaken the democratic spirit of this country – from Rohith Vemula’s death to tribal Madhu’s murder in Kerala.
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Though Jana Gana Mana poses some serious questions about casteism and how we as a society predetermine someone as a rogue or a criminal through profiling, the movie doesn’t practice what it preaches. The underprivileged characters in the movie don’t get their own voice or agency, but rather all such characters are shown as weak, helpless characters who either kill themselves or get killed. This makes the movie all the more pretentious. Prithviraj’s Aravind Swaminathan, who from his name is an upper-caste man, is shown as the saviour of the underprivileged. Another problematic aspect of the movie is the scene where a college lecturer, played by the director himself, asks his students in a pep talk before a protest: ‘Whether students in other universities are getting beaten up by police for going to ‘kiss of love’?
What the director or the screenwriter doesn’t understand is that Kiss of Love was a relevant and innovative form of protest against fascism and moral policing. The makers seem to be blatantly ridiculing the spirit of that protest.
Coming to the performances, Prithviraj steals the show with his powerful performance as an advocate who asks hard-hitting questions. Suraj Venjaramoodu, as a police officer of many shades, also puts up a convincing performance. There are many characters that come and go in the movie, but none of them are memorable. Mamta also doesn’t get much scope to perform.
Except for the courtroom sequence, Jana Gana Mana is a complete drag.
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