Director Suresh Triveni delivers a one-of-a-kind casting coup with a stellar ensemble cast of actors, as well as portraying a relatable and intriguing story on how a self-righteous approach breaks down under circumstances.
Director Suresh Triveni delivers a one-of-a-kind casting coup with a stellar ensemble cast of actors, as well as portraying a relatable and intriguing story on how a self-righteous approach breaks down under circumstances.
Yash Chopra since timeThe quirks of fate have played an important role in driving the narrative of Hindi cinema. Screenwriters often test characters who take pride in their honesty. This week it is the turn of Maya Menon (Vidya Balan), a good journalist who is presented as the face of truth by her digital channel.
One night, a minor inattention turns into an accident that threatens to derail Maya’s career and life.
Her life is that of her young, specially-abled son Ayush (Surya Kasibtala), who spends more time with housekeeper Rukhsana (Shefali Shah) and her grandmother Rukmini (Rohini Hattangadi) than with her busy and allegedly single mother. Is. Aayush’s father Anand (Manav Kaul) is just a living filler, probably someone who can’t keep pace with Maya.
On one fateful night, Maya inadvertently enters Rukhsana’s life. The rest of the story is about Maya who hides her guilt under layers of confidence, who has accumulated over the years in a profession that hates self-doubt. When Maya gets stuck in this situation, her senior colleague, a friend and well-wisher Amar (Iqbal Khan) tells her that it is real life as news that they generate 24X7.
On the other hand, there is Rukhsana who seeks justice from a system that provokes her to compromise or else… In a way, Maya and Rukhsana are mirror images. Jalsa It is about people who seem to overcome the barriers of class inequality. But when fate keeps them in one place, the fault lines surface again. It is also about those who want a dignified life, but when life tests them, the weaknesses of the poor come to the fore.
Director Suresh Triveni, who had earlier made Mithai Your Sulu, Has put struggles in front of its characters but they don’t cry to get attention. They are mere coincidences that can happen to anyone, and are therefore all the more relatable and mind-numbing. Thankfully, Triveni doesn’t bring religion and gender into play, and goes on to explain how a self-righteous approach breaks down in circumstances; What we call ‘stress’ these days.
Inside the big arch, Rohini, a young fearless journalist, is looking for her first big story and then there is Sub-Inspector More (Srikanth Yadav) who is on his last case before retirement. How these two live is another compelling short story of how coincidence, at times, governs our conscience. Add to this an intense background score and crisp editing, and we have a sleek social thriller that veers towards some raw truth. Sometimes, camera angle conveys a meaning that doesn’t communicate. Take the scene where Rukmini, while sipping tea at the dining table, tells Rukhsana sitting on the floor how they always treated her family. Here the camera sees Rukmini from Rukhsana’s side.
Be it the youth’s craze of being ‘liked’ on social media or the journalist’s urge to suppress the subject, the film touches on many aspects of today’s society without judgment.
Triveni conveys many things through the scenes and between the lines. Perhaps, there’s a spiritual ring to it too, as Amar told Maya, the retired judge that he steamed up during an ‘exclusive’ interview, it didn’t bode well for him! When Maya gets stuck in the traffic of a political rally, a sleek cardboard hand larger than the life of a local politician asks Maya what she is doing.
At the cost of repeating herself, the depth of Shefali’s eyes and the emotions she could capture continues to bewildered and baffled. Her Rukhsana is that weak slave of the margins who tries to hold on to a life of dignity. She is someone who takes pride in her work and honesty, just like Maya. Bhagya tests both Maya and Rukhsana equally, and both the actors grasp this opportunity very well. If Shefali brings to life all these contrasting emotions in flesh and blood, Vidya captures Maya’s broken self-confidence with her body language and gaze,
The casting coup isn’t limited to Vidya and Shefali; Surya Kasibtala’s most striking performance as Ayush, a physically challenged, is by far. Surya, who is reportedly fighting cerebral palsy in real life, is a natural artist who doesn’t have a single piece. Let’s not forget the student captive as Rohini George, the harmless journalist found in every newsroom, who breaks through the biggest black hole. Iqbal’s timing gains weight and the veteran Rohini is immersed in the Hattangadi house.
However, the pace and tense mood couldn’t hide some of the gaps. For example, why doesn’t any other channel show interest in the story of a famous journalist? The climax feels like an over-extended bid to capitalize on a belief in humanity. The decision Maya makes towards the end seems a little impossible, and the way Rukhsana returns from the edge seems a little… but then that’s life, isn’t it?
Jalsha is currently streaming on Amazon Prime