Review: Janaki V vs State of Kerala—A Turbulent Watch That Fails to Deliver

Review: Janaki V vs State of Kerala—A Turbulent Watch That Fails to Deliver

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Janaki V vs State of Kerala (JSK) plot: The case of sexual-assault survivor Janaki becomes the most followed in the State, especially after the government comes under scrutiny for the death of her father. The case takes a turn when David Abel Donovan, a well-known supporter of the defendants, makes an appearance. Is it possible for a broken system to provide Janaki the justice she deserves?

Review of Janaki V. vs. the State of Kerala: When the male protagonist of JSK, attorney David Abel Donovan, physically waves the Indian Constitution in the face of High Court judges and then delivers a speech while interacting with an opposing counsel who supports the nation's conservative family system, you know the filmmakers weren't trying to be understated about their narrative. However, while creating a film about a sexual assault survivor who fights a protracted, solitary struggle against the system for justice, the filmmakers should have given priority to subtlety and sensitivity.

The subject matter may have been selected by writer-director Pravin Narayanan with the best of intentions, but JSK never does it justice. The story is rather straightforward, and it should ideally have focused on Janaki in order to have a greater effect. In contrast, we have a number of underdeveloped characters, such as Suresh Gopi's David, who is the antithesis of Mohanlal's Vijayamohanan in Neru, as well as Madhav Suresh and Askar Ali's supporting roles, who are attempting to figure out what happened on the night Janaki was attacked. This undermines any attempt the film makes to create tension, particularly since the discoveries aren't anything novel.

David, a prominent case that causes him to engage in conflict with the powerful figures in politics and religion, a protest that prevents him from entering a police station, and then, ultimately, Janaki and her case are all introduced in the film's opening moments. Because the filmmakers attempt to cater to Suresh Gopi's character in the second half, giving him an unneeded action sequence and lengthy, jarring statements of the obvious, the story's main protagonist, which we assume is Janaki, is not treated fairly throughout the film.

Instead of being physical and preachy, you would want the film to have emphasized the characters' tact. The director does, however, succeed in portraying the difficulties that a survivor must face if and when she chooses to seek legal recourse for justice, but that aspect of the narrative is flawed in its delivery.

From what she is given in the script, Anupama Parameswaran makes the most of her role as Janaki, but you get the impression that, largely as a result of its subpar screenplay, she is reduced to a supporting character in this. One of the highlights of the film, which might have benefited from better editing, is Shruti Ramachandran, who has a prolonged cameo.

The producers of JSK might have done a better job depicting the courtroom drama with accuracy and sensitivity, as was done in other Malayalam films like Neru, Vaashi, Nna Thaan Case Kodu, and Kaathal: The Core. You know that justice hasn't been served well when everything you're attempting to communicate has to be packed into the last ten minutes of a movie, and that too through monologues.

Verdict on Janaki V. vs. State of Kerala: The film, which stars Suresh Gopi and Anupama Parameswaran, is not particularly interesting to viewers because of its weak script.

Read Also: Sattamum Needhiyum Review: A Nearly Flawless Courtroom Drama

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