It has been a long time since I have been transported enough to write about a movie. Last Saturday, we caught Jaya Jaya Jaya Jaya Hey, directed by rookie Vipin Das. But boy, has he shown himself to be a master of the craft!
The main factors that drew us as a family to watch the movie were the positive reviews on FM channels and the star cast. As I waited in front of the theater, DH drew my attention to the poster, "Is that a foot in the last letter???" That was when I noticed the last letter and the negative space shaped like a kicking foot in it... curious.
When the movie started, I was drawn to the parallel it drew to the movie Rani Padmini, which had Rima Kallingal and Manju Warrier in the title roles. The character of Jayabharathi, played by the inimitable Darsana Rajendran (who is fast becoming one of my all-time favourite heroines) reminded me of the character Padmini played by Manju Warrier in that movie, down to the ubiquitous petticoat the character wears as a young child. The first part was depressing for me. Even though the treatment was comical, I DID NOT feel like laughing and was actually squirming in my seat, wondering when the torture would end. My parents used to regale everyone with the tale of 6-year old me reacting wildly to the villainous character played by Balan K. Nair in the movie Oppol as he tortured the character played by Menaka. Apparently, I jumped off the seat, shaking with rage, and asked my father to finish off the villain. (Clearly, even then, I loved to delegate all the dirty jobs!). Even though I was seething, the younger part of the audience was laughing all the way.
Then came the twist, and the turn. And it was a woohoo ride thenceforth. Each scene was riveting due to its unpredictability as the screen pair, Rajesh and Jaya tried to navigate the shark-infested waters of their marriage. Basil Joseph is an inspired choice for the role of a 'traditional' husband and reveals a new facet in this movie. His comic facial expressions are completely in character and he matches up to Darsana perfectly in each scene. The novice actors who play their close relatives have done a superb job as well. Rajesh's cousin played by Azeez Nedumangad is another memorable character. Manju Pillai's cameo at the end of the movie had every one ROTFLing. Aju Varghese is clinical in the execution of his short-lived character.
We watched Jaya Jaya Jaya Jaya Hey last Saturday. I am still going through the scenes of the movie in my head at odd moments of the day and have so far urged several of my friends and relatives to watch the movie. There are several moments in the story when the privileges accorded to the male population are shown up as ridiculous, which I recognized as passing unquestioned in several households that I know.
All in all, Jaya x4 Hey follows the footsteps of Rani Padmini and The Great Indian Kitchen, but with much more humour, which is somehow still effective in delivering scathing criticism of male hegemony. Kudos to the whole team who have supported each other very well to bring out their collective vision. If I have a complaint, it is only this, the title is a mouthful and is a pain to type out!!!
