Jana Gana Mana, Prithviraj plays an advocate and gives audiences some terrific entertainment moments by asking thought provoking questions about the deep-rooted casteism and racism prevailing in the country. The three hours long movie has its highs and lows. For Prithviraj fans it is not disappointing at all as he brings brilliance into his character.
Though Jana Gana Mana poses some serious questions about casteism and how we as a society predetermine someone as a rogue or a criminal through profiling, the movie doesn’t practice what it preaches. The underprivileged characters in the movie don’t get their own voice or agency, but rather all such characters are shown as weak, helpless characters who either kill themselves or get killed.
This makes the movie all the more pretentious. Prithviraj’s Aravind Swaminathan, who from his name is an upper-caste man, is shown as the saviour of the underprivileged. Another problematic aspect of the movie is the scene where a college lecturer, played by the director himself, asks his students in a pep talk before a protest: ‘Whether students in other universities are getting beaten up by police for going to ‘kiss of love’?
Before the title of the movie is revealed, we see Prithviraj’s character Aravind Swaminathan being escorted by policemen from the court to a jail and we get a sense that the character has a turbulent past. However after the title is shown, the movie follows an entirely different storyline starting with the murder of a professor named Saba Mariam (Mamta Mohandas) who teaches in a Central University in Hyderabad. The next day’s newspaper claims that Saba was brutally raped and murdered which becomes sensational news, and her students start an agitation demanding a fair enquiry into the murder.
Jana Gana Mana Movie Review: Prithviraj excels in the role of an advocate
To divert viewers or to fit in more political elements, the Vice Chancellor of the University plays the ‘religion card’ by saying Saba is from a particular community and ‘these’ people can be identified by the way they look and dress. This further agitates the students and suddenly one student leader, who by her name is Hindu, wears her shawl over head to show solidarity with the Muslim community. This act might be an inspiring moment for many, but it reeks of privilege.
Following sequences we see the agitated students are brutally beaten up by the police and the case is handed over to a high-ranking police officer named Sajjan Kumar, played by Suraj Venjaramoodu. Sajjan takes over the case and regains the trust of students and the public through a fair investigation. Within days he finds the culprits behind Saba’s murder. However, due to lack of evidence and pressure from above, Sajjan is removed from the case. Before he leaves the case, he shoots down the four convicts in a fake encounter which is celebrated by the public and media. The second half is set in a courtroom where Prithviraj arrives as Aravind Swaminathan and reveals the truth about Saba’s death. In the courtroom, Prithviraj’s Aravind asks all the questions that has shaken the democratic spirit of this country – from Rohith Vemula’s death to tribal Madhu’s murder in Kerala.
Prithviraj steals the show with his powerful performance as an advocate who asks hard-hitting questions in Jana Gana Mana. Suraj Venjaramoodu, as a police officer of many shades, also puts up a convincing performance. There are many characters that come and go in the movie, but none of them are memorable. Mamta also doesn’t get much scope to perform.