Joji Review: A Slow-Burn Drama with Realistic Elements!

Dileesh Pothan’s Joji on Amazon Prime Video is a 2021 Malayalam drama that revolves around the events in the lives of Joji and his brothers in an unusual path. Produced by Dileesh Pothan, Syam Pushkaran, and Fahadh Faasil, the latter plays the pivotal role of Joji alongside Baburaj, Shammi Thilakan, and Unnimaya Prasad. With a realistic 113-minute runtime, the film takes off to a thrilling drama in the final half that confronts the acts of Joji, inspired by the famous Macbeth by William Shakespeare.

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Panache family has a rich legacy to its name, where Kuttappan (Sunny P N) holds the ultimate superiority over his three sons, Jomon (Baburaj), Jaison (Joji Mundakayam), and Joji (Fahadh Faasil). Joji is a loser in the eyes of his father, who had great aspirations in life and he is so desperate living around the house.

Except for Jomon, everyone has disagreements with the order of control in the family, and the panic kick-starts following an unexpected event. Joji grabs the opportunity of getting rid of tensions around him, which in-turns dips him further into the turmoil of events. Will he overcome and turn things around?

Syam Pushkaran has written a clean script that burns at a decent pace with impeccable reality blended into it. The storyline that is built around rich plantations in Kottayam matched well to real life, and the script had the right elements to cement the realistic side. On the Director’s chair, Dileesh Pothan had the independence of having an OTT release, which ensured giving a purely cinematic experience without any gimmicks like any added masala or colorful songs.

The background score by Justin Varghese was the stand-out of the movie, which was too immersive and something that the Malayalam film industry might never have experienced. The sound Design by Ganesh Marar had elevated the film to higher standards with decent edits by Kiran Das. Shyju Khalid had captured the raw images of typical rural plantations and poured life into naturalistic visuals.

Fahadh Faasil had delivered yet another class performance, dramatizing the psychological emotions, and the grudge from within. Alister Alex had a remarkable debut as Popy (Son of Jomon), and his feat is bright in the future. With good screen time, Sunny P N and Joji Mundakayam have entered into the limelight, who had no past notable appearances. Baburaj, Shammi Thilakan, and Unnimaya Prasad had done a decent job playing their parts splendidly.

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Overall, Joji on Amazon Prime Video is a well-paced slow-burn drama that had realistic elements portraying the raw emotions in captivating the ambitions that one carries inside. It is a complicated movie that everyone will feel a different flavor to it. Watch ‘Joji’ on Amazon Prime Video here.

Rating – 3.75/5 | Grade – B+

Images via Amazon Prime Video