Manoj Bajpayee, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, Smita Tambe, Megha Mathur, Tannishtha Chatterjee, Rajshree Deshpande
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Where Joram excels, and what makes it stand apart, is that it is not primarily interested in its genre roots, or the manhunt, but instead the world in which it takes place and the bigger social issues that it tackles.
Devashish Makhija’s fourth film Joram (which had a high-profile premiere at Rotterdam), follows Dasru (Manoj Bajpayee), an indigenous construction worker from Eastern India residing in Mumbai with his wife and young child.
Already struggling to provide for his family, he finds his world turned upside down when he is pursued for a crime that he didn’t commit – from Mumbai back to his homeland in Jharkhand – by dogged police officer Ratnakar (Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub).
As Dasru journeys home, baby in-tow, the film become more of a social thriller, tackling issues of land development, deforestation, and the large-scale displacement of indigenous people.
Rather than concentrate on the chase, the film’s focus juxtaposes the plight of Dasru, a displaced person himself, with the lives of the indigenous tribes of Jharkhand.
There is a striking authenticity to the depiction of the tribes, their rituals, and way of life. This is aided by the work of cinematographer Piyush Puty, turning handheld and documentary-like as Dasru travels across Eastern India.
It is here that the film truly impresses, complemented by a terrific performance by Manoj Bajpayee.
While on the surface it may appear like a stock-standard man on the run thriller, Joram is anything but.
Where Joram excels, and what makes it stand apart, is that it is not primarily interested in its genre roots, or the manhunt, but instead the world in which it takes place and the bigger social issues that it tackles.
