‘Jallikattu’ Review : The Official Entry for 2021 Oscars
Jallikattu is a Malayalam movie which was released in October 2019, and lately it has been in the news again. This rough and uncut regional movie is India’s official entry for the 2021 Oscars, so let us have a moment of silence for glittery and polished Bollywood.
That the word ‘jallikattu‘ refers to a bull-fighting tradition, but the movie is unrelated to it and ostensibly, uses the title in a metaphorical sense. You can watch it here on Amazon Prime India. The audio is in Malayalam, but English and Hindi subtitles are provided. Unfortunately, I do not speak Malayalam so my review is based upon the subtitle experience.
On The Horn For The Oscars :
Some people say they are oh-so-proud when an Indian movie bags an Oscar nomination, or even shows up on the entry list. Others say they don’t care. Some say that the Academy Awards are ‘for-profit’ and rigged anyway. My opinion is that if a movie has been chosen as an entry for the Oscars, it is worth a watch at least. The viewer ultimately has the right to like it or not. I would also like to congratulate the full cast and crew of Jallikattu.
If we have a look at our previous entries for the Oscars, we had Gully Boy in 2019. While Gully Boy was an entertaining, clear cut underdog story, Jallikattu’s storytelling hints at something deeper and cryptic. Let us dive in to the review, horns first.
The following is a spoiler free review of Jallikattu (2019)
The Plot :
The movie is directed by Lijo Jose Pellissery. It is an adaptation of a story titled ‘Maoist’ from the Malayalam-language book Aadam. It is penned by author Hareesh S, who teams up with writer R. Jayakumar for the screenplay.
The story is set in a remote, hilly village in Kerala. Since I do not belong to the region, I will refuse to make any judgements about the demographics, neither do I believe that the film represents Kerala in any manner.
The opening shots of the film establish the setting of a quaint village where every day is the same. A variety of human eyes open and the fauna of the village stirs under the rising sun. The echo of the ticking clock is joined by the chorus of morning activity, followed by the bustle of the day till the dark night puts a lid on it. And then it all repeats. The visuals through which these events are presented are remarkable, and I would give an Oscar to Gireesh Gangadharan for the captivating cinematography, and Deepu Joseph for the editing.
The village has some textbook ‘village characters’ – a butcher named Kalan Varkey (Chemban Vinod Jose), his customers, a priest, men, women, an inspector, a homeless guy, a spinster, a flirt, rivals Antony (Antony Varghese) and Kuttachan (Sabumon Abdusamad). Notably, there is little background or character development for any individual. The movie presents ‘the village’ as a character in itself which appears harmless on the surface as it keeps itself well-harnessed together with a clockwork system.
One night, Kalan’s buffalo escapes the slaughterhouse. The uninspired village experiences an adrenaline rush. Search parties are formed and tensions rise as the villagers ponder the consequences of a buffalo on the lose. The villagers’ actions and reactions here call for a suspension of disbelief, considering it is a village connected to the rest of the country and not a secluded tribal area.
The manic hunt for the animal brings out the worst in humans. It elicits unwarranted fear, anger at the ones competing for the bounty, and resurfacing of buried rage amidst the chaos. ‘You thought I came here for the buffalo?’ roars one of the search party leaders, as a vehement fight goes down. It does not end well for anybody.
The Good, The Bad, The Ugly :
The cinematography and sound of the film makes a consistent progress with the story. As the villagers abandon their senses to become a roaring mob, the scenes become uglier to look at, and the sounds become harsher, making you reach for that volume button.
The depiction becomes unabashedly raw, as the humans are stripped away of their human veneer. The best way to describe it is vibhatsa.
I felt some scenes towards the end were exaggerated for the sake of shock value. I believe that above all, a story must be entertaining to a point where as a viewer, it stays with me even as the credits roll. Alas, the movie’s ending was a crashing wave that washed away some of the experience.
I must say that is an interesting and unique choice for the Oscars. Other titles which almost made it to the list are mostly Bollywood flicks starring mainstream artists, but Jallikattu outshines them. I hope for the best for the movie’s cast and crew.
Rating :
