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

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.

After a long break, BJP MP and Union Minister Suresh Gopi has acted as a lawyer in the film JSK. The movie was originally titled Janaki vs State of Kerala. Later, due to the interests of certain members in the censor board, it was changed to Janaki. V vs State of Kerala. I couldn't understand what difference that change made. But after watching the film, it becomes clear why a ruling party's censor board member worked against it.

There are several dialogues in the film that damage the government's image-references like "Manja Kutty", "Irattachankan", and the news scrolls mentioning "Robin Bus" etc. All these highlight, in the eyes of the public, nothing but the government's failures.

The story revolves around Janaki, a girl who suffers sexual assault, goes to court seeking justice, and eventually wins by relying on the Constitution and its articles. I felt that some of the characters did not fully do justice to their roles. Anupama, who played Janaki, delivered an average performance. But Shruti Ramachandran, who appeared in the final part as the pregnant lawyer Nivedita, was quite disappointing. Her courtroom arguments and counterarguments looked as if she was simply reading them from somewhere. Similarly, Divya Pillai's acting also felt mechanical. Both of them need significant improvement.

Interestingly, no one in the film has a full-fledged role. The one with the maximum screen presence is Askar Ali. Many newcomers were part of JSK-some in their first, second, or third films-and it is undeniable that they all remained loyal to the movie.

Suresh Gopi did not heavy scenes in this film, and most of his screen time is in the first half. Yet, whatever part he had, he executed it gracefully.

Direction maintained a quality that was above average. Editing, cinematography, music, and background score were all fairly good. However, there are several areas that need improvement-especially the background score, which should have been better. The final action scenes were poorly executed, though the art direction of those sequences was excellent. The climax was completely unexpected. I never thought there would be another case and another accused (Ranjith Menon, Venkitt) before even knowing who the villain was.

The director managed to connect many small scenes very well. He also demonstrated a good understanding of laws, constitutional articles, and courtroom procedures, which was evident throughout the film.

Bad screenplay followed by the overacting of SG. Bgm also lacked to feel the audience about the intensity of the scenes. As compared to other courtroom drama it's a below average one. Madhav suresh acting in the serious situation looked like he is acting in a old age drama. I don't understand why some people compare it to lalettans neru!!!!!

Excellent movie with wonderful story telling and a great feel to it. It's fast paced and surprises you on the way.

Anupama is excellent in her central role. She plays the character well. Suresh Gopi as always is on point. Everyone adds very well to the proceedings.

The right scene at the very end is stunning in its execution as is a chase scene. Credit to the action director for awesome stuff.

This is not a new tale, but the treatment is fresh. The courtroom scenes are not as good as it is usually in Malayalam movies.

Surely worth a watch for all the right reasons.

The movie sets out to be a gripping courtroom drama with a strong central story - a woman's unexpected tragedy and her relentless fight for justice against a failing system. The premise holds great potential, and the cast delivers commendable performances. No actor feels out of place, and at times the natural dialogue adds to the realism.

However, the film's promise quickly fades due to poor storytelling and weak execution. The early thrilling tone is overshadowed by overly dramatic and sometimes unnecessary dialogues, which break the flow and dilute tension. Direction remains average throughout, failing to hold the narrative together. The cinematography is particularly disappointing; in a genre that thrives on intensity and sharp visuals, the bland camera work makes the courtroom scenes dull instead of gripping.

The climax, instead of delivering a punch, takes an awkward turn with an unnecessary fight sequence that feels both forced and tiring. Worse, it shifts the focus away from the film's core agenda. The abrupt ending leaves the audience unsatisfied, making the journey feel incomplete.

Overall, while the core idea is strong, the film's execution undermines its potential. If you are a die-hard fan of courtroom dramas, it may be worth a one-time watch. For others, this is a film better skipped.