J.S.K - Janaki V v/s State of Kerala

I watched JSK, a film headlined by none other than the legendary Suresh Gopi. The story and direction are credited to Pravin Narayanan, but unfortunately, the film struggles to deliver on both fronts.

Story and Screenplay

The storyline is weak, and the screenplay is disjointed. The film is cluttered with too many subplots and an overwhelming number of characters, making it difficult to follow the narrative. At times, it's hard to tell which plot thread is being discussed or where the story is headed. To make matters worse, the film includes several unnecessary songs and dance sequences that add no value to the plot-just filler to stretch the runtime to a bloated 2.5 hours.

Performances by the lead characters:

* Anupama Parameswaran, who plays the titular character, was given a grand buildup before the release. But shockingly, she barely appears on screen for more than a few seconds at a time and has virtually no dialogue. Her most notable contribution is a few screams of frustration-perhaps reflecting her own dismay at being cast in such a marginal role.

* Suresh Gopi, as expected, dominates the film. He starts off as a lawyer arguing against the rape victim, gets the case dismissed, then has a change of heart and decides to fight for her. He brings in his sister to argue in the High Court and eventually joins in with a lengthy closing argument. True to form, the film delivers the expected monologues and action sequences, including a moment where Gopi single-handedly subdues a villain the Kerala Police couldn't handle. Classic.

* Madhav Suresh, Suresh Gopi's younger son, makes an appearance but doesn't get a single line of dialogue. He does, however, get a fight scene. His performance lacks expression-perhaps a sign of inexperience.

My Verdict

JSK attempts to tackle a sensitive subject-a rape case and its legal battle while raising the question about her rights including to abort - but fails to do so with coherence or emotional depth. The film leans heavily on Suresh Gopi's star power, but even that can't save it from its structural flaws and poor execution.

The rape victim is an adult, educated, moneyed, unmarried and orphaned, with literally no one to stop her from doing what wants. And yet she decides to wait for 7 months (of the gestation period), before going to court for the right to abort! Has the Director/Writer forgotten that we live in India - and this story also happens here - where every woman has the right to get an abortion - unlike the grand USA where women, including rape victims cannot get an abortion!

**Rating: 3/10**

A disappointing watch, even for die-hard Suresh Gopi fans.

Suresh Gopi, his fake beard, and a band of bad actors - what could have been a gripping courtroom drama, almost like a Criminal Justice episode, collapses under amateur filmmaking. It begins well, grabs attention, then loses track midway. Poor direction drags it down, and so does an overdramatic, pointlessly political Sureshgopi. His dialogue delivery has strong effect, but this film needed a grounded performance, far from his theatrics.

The story is stitched together and carried by weak actors: Madhav Suresh, who has no clue what he's doing, and Askar Ali, who reminds us of Asif Ali but with dull, unconvincing acting. On the brighter side, Anupama and Shruti Ramachandran are decent, and the villain comes across as believable.

The story had promise, but all the intrigue and suspense are wasted on shallow references and courtroom scenes that lack credibility. The screenplay needed tighter, sharper treatment, sticking to its core plot instead of drifting into agenda-driven dialogues and pointless politics. By the end, it pushes in a social (pro-choice) angle that was simply not well done.

If done differently, this could have been a far better film. But the flaws are too many to ignore.

That focuses on a strong female protagonist seeking justice. The plot suggests a dramatic and possibly intense courtroom battle, with elements of action and suspense. The dual ratings of 6.9/10 from a wider audience and a perfect 10/10 from a smaller group of users indicate a film that may be polarizing but is highly appreciated by some viewers. The long runtime suggests a detailed and complex storyline.

Rating - 3/5

A courtroom drama portraying the investigation procedurals but missed on hooking the audience on right notes.

The crux of the story is about Janaki and her fight for justice against the State over the untoward event in her life and will Judiciary and the system stands by the plaintiff unfolds through the story.

Pravin Narayanan has penned a sensitive story portraying the life of physical abuse victims and the emotional and mental agony they face from the society through their empathetic eyes. The screenplay slips in few places where the audience misses the spark in the story giving a conclusion of a cliche survivor story. The story inspired from multiple incidents has been synchronized and portrayed on screen but fails to make a lasting impact altogether rushing through investigation and onset proceedings.

Good performance by Suresh Gopi through his power punch dialogue modulation and delivery. Anupama has given a stunning performance in the movie conveying the right emotions demanded by the character. Askar Ali, Yedhukrishnan,Vaishnavi & Divya Pillai made impressive performances. Madhav was giving a stone looked face struggling to say the dialogues felt preachy in few sequences.

Good music by Girish blending with the storyline added with Ghibran's background scores.

A watchable drama with decent performances ruling out the minor flaws.

The movie talks about the atrocity that happened towards Janaki & how with the help of the judiciary she fights for her justice is all about shown in the film.

Performance wise SG & Anupama had given justice to their roles. In the 1st half we could see the fire brand performance of SG which raised the expectations to watch for 2nd half. Another lead role was of Shruti Ramachandran which came late in the 2nd half but she also gave a notable performance in her screen presence.

Director Pravin Narayanan who also penned the story had done a good research in legalities aspect which made the courtroom sequence interesting but speaking of the content, it's been too old to discuss.

The path at which the 1st half which made it interesting & raised the urge to watch for the 2nd half, but when comes to the 2nd half it was a nose div. It was a mixture of investigation and drama & at one point it became bored as it feels repetitive.

Performance space of SG was not much in 2nd half which further lowered the interest. Climax fight sequence was well choreographed but the excess of drama had overshadowed.

Ghibran's score had given some escalating moments. Cinematography was not captivating.

Another major drawback was of casting of Madhav Suresh. The worst performance in this movie. If given an electric shock, still there would be no expression coming from his face.

Well as a whole JSK is not a movie where we would be forced to leave in mid way but it also doesn't quench the thirst we were looking for a SG Film.