Jallikattu Review - Lijo Jose Pellissery, Antony Varghese

Once you finish watching Jallikattu, you will be in awe of the fact that how a politically sensitive subject was conceived based on the mere escape of a buffalo. Jallikattu is for those who prefer to understand the political undercurrent of any movie. If you are someone who felt Maoist never came in Unda, then Jallikattu might feel like chaos to you. The impactful depiction of chaos in the most cinematic way is what Jallikattu is.

The plot of the movie is actually really thin. Kalan Varkey runs a slaughterhouse along with Antony and he has customers from all areas of the society. One day a buffalo from his slaughterhouse escapes and creates chaos in the neighborhood. The whole village unites to capture this beast and the movie depicts the two eventful nights of buffalo hunting.

We as humans have always claimed that we are the most evolved species. From the first instant to the very last frame, what Lijo is trying to do is break that claim in the most brutal manner. In the movie, people are calling the buffalo a threat and the movie sort of exposes the humans who are a greater threat to everything. The hypocrisy, violence, selfishness etc in human nature are teased very effectively. The irony of a society cheering a man whom they once called a criminal is also shown in the movie and thus Jallikattu is mockery at the human double standard.

The performances are somewhat on the weaker side as Lijo has cast some faces who aren’t professional actors, Tinu Pappachan for eg, who is Lijo Jose Pellissery’s associate in the movie and plays the role of an SI. Antony Varghese becomes a bit too eccentric in certain areas. Chemban Vinod Jose was fine. Sabumon as Kuttachan was extremely impressive. Other prominent names include Jaffer Idukki, Santhy Balachandran, etc.

Somewhere one would feel that the making is a creative mix of Angamaly Diaries and Ee Ma Yau. The violence and other things have that Angamaly touch while the political inclination reminds us of Ee Ma Yau. The rhythmic edits of Deepu Joseph establish a peculiar vibe to the movie. The script co-written by S Harish has this very sharp attack on almost every aspect of the society. Girish Gangadharan shows his impeccable ability to film the sequences and with the sound design and background score doing its best in the climax, the ending becomes all the more surreal.

The viewer is in the middle of extreme chaos in Jallikattu. Through the eyes of an onlooker, it exposes the nature of humans who are reluctant to evolve at the core. Some may feel that there is no story or message in this movie. But if you observe closely there is a very relevant message engraved in this thriller.