- Release Date: 17/05/2024
- Cast: Sarmistha Chakravorty, Eepsita Hazarika, Reeky Sharma, Aradhya Mahanta
- Director: Kenny Deori Basumatary
A deeply personal and poignant tale of struggle and triumph, underlined by fantastic performances and able direction
— Ambar Chatterjee
Years ago, I happened to share a wonderful and memorable friendship with a recently divorced lady who I still consider to be one of the most gracious, well-informed, eloquent, and well-read people I’ve ever known. She had a 10-year-old son who was surpassingly smart and well-read for his age. I thoroughly enjoyed her company and always came out of any discussion with her a little wiser about something or other.
When our friendship caught the attention of some of my friends and relatives, I was one day called up for a much-needed advisory session on whom to be friends with and whom not to be. As advice regarding the risks of being so friendly and close to a divorced lady with a child was violently hurled at my face from left, right, and center, my mind drifted away from the advisory session. The voices turned into silence.
All I could think of was how difficult life must be for this lady when talking to someone was enough to incite such animosity for herself from a group of people who were otherwise sweet and comforting to her. I thought a lot about her life and how hypocritical the society was in its treatment of men and women in a similar situation. I wondered whether she would be able to hold her own in a world like this and what would her child grow up seeing her mother endure. The deeper I thought the more nightmarish her ordeal felt. That’s exactly how I felt while watching Kenny Deori Basumatary’s first foray into serious dramatic cinema. “Jiya” is an unforgiving and uncomfortable look at the ordeal of a single mother who is fighting tooth and nail to have a respectful existence for herself and her daughter, but situations constantly prove detrimental to her efforts to achieve the same.
The Story:
Jiya (Sarmistha Chakravorty) is fresh from a divorce, and we see that she is still in an extremely vulnerable state. Her only oasis of calm and comfort is her friend Pallavi (Eepsita Hazarika), who not only understands her but comforts her in a way that calms her down and inspires her. Jiya’s mother wants her to remarry, her boss wants her to surrender to his advances in exchange for better pay, and easier work, and a young adult sharing the same building where she lives has developed a sudden and bizarre curiosity about her and her young daughter that borders on being a risk.
Jiya navigates all these challenges, ends up getting a decent job, and finds comfort in the company of a man, Abhi (Reeky Sharma), who seems to be the man who could give her and her daughter the kind of love that they deserve. She finally rents a great new place to stay where the landlord doesn’t have a problem with her being a divorced woman. However, as is the rule of nature, things take a different turn that not only forces Jiya to question her belief in life and the people surrounding her, but also fills her up with the courage to embark on a brand-new journey of self-reliance, independence, and happiness.
Structured And Intriguing Approach to Storytelling:
“Jiya” briskly moves from one situation in Jiya’s life to another. Each of these situations is treated as an individual and self-contained portion of the story where the bit is initiated, developed, and then culminated. This fills the screenplay with energy and makes the proceedings interesting. The audience is encouraged to think about what the next ordeal Jiya might have to deal with and how she will deal with it. This feeling is maintained throughout.
Kenny Deori Basumatary does the smart thing of not just filling the screenplay with one ordeal after another but also infusing the narrative with enough moments of happiness, victory, positivity, and moments of courage to fill the character of Jiya with strength, vision, authority, and a sense of purpose and happiness. She never surrenders to anyone, and even when she is in love, she sets her terms regarding what she envisions the future of her daughter to be in the relationship. These traits of the character lead to some interesting drama and always ensure that the audience is enamoured and inspired by the character.
Sarmistha Chakravorty is Exceptional as Jiya:
It was extremely easy to go overboard with the rendition of the character, and that would have been to the detriment of the realism and poignancy of the film. She looks like someone we all know, and the ordeals that she is depicted going through are all too well known. The way the character is written is also a key factor in ensuring that the audience finds its voice in the things that she is shown saying or asking different characters. Her depiction of grief and misery was particularly wonderful. I was absolutely blown away by the scenes where she has to face her mother and her incessant requests for her to get remarried. She holds back a visible and simmering rage but never misbehaves with her since she is her mother. How she reacts in these moments felt heartbreakingly true to the character.
Sarmistha Chakravorty Shares Great Chemistry with The Ensemble Cast of The Film:
Her camaraderie with Eepsita Hazarika’s Pallavi was easily one of the best-rendered portions of the film. One must give due credit to Eepsita Hazarika for turning in a natural and beautifully balanced performance. The brewing romance between Sarmistha and Reeky Sharma is masterfully developed. The chemistry between the two works so well that never for a moment does their romance feel awkward or manufactured. There is an easy flow of lines between the two characters, and it is complemented by wonderful timing and awareness from the two actors which, in spite of the uneven dubbing in many places, just flows without any hiccups.
Reeky Sharma has two facets to his character. The reveal of the second unsavoury facet of his character came less as a surprise and more as a shock. The final scene that the two share was poignant and beautiful, and I could completely grasp the emotions that were flowing between the two characters. It was heartbreakingly real and I couldn’t help but wish that their story ended differently. The rest of the supporting cast of the film does well too, even though my attention was primarily transfixed on the three primary characters.
Kenny Deori Basumatary’s Direction Shines:
I have to admit that I went to see this film only because it was directed by Kenny Deori Basumatary. There was nothing else in the promotion of the film that made me feel like watching it. Now that I have seen the film, I am glad that I trusted Kenny Deori Basumatary and his craft. The screenplay is co-written by Basumatary and Sarmistha Chakravorty, and while I could see some of Basumatary’s deft touches and characteristic moments, it felt like a film that was very different from what we have seen from him so far. However, he was successful in dealing with such a heartbreaking story and presenting it with the kind of drama and intrigue that keeps the audience invested from start to finish.
Once again, Basumatary was able to extract the best performances from his actors, which is fast becoming one of his defining factors. It isn’t easy to extract performances that render characters real and impactful, especially when the story is so rooted in real life and existence. It is equally difficult to keep the proceedings interesting and the drama flowing organically. Kenny Deori Basumatary succeeds in all of the above, and for that and a lot more, he deserves the highest praise.
Not Enough Emotionally Disarming Moments:
Having said all that, there were still a few meddling issues in the film that I cannot ignore. In a dramatic film that is so high on emotions and drama, it didn’t nearly have enough emotional moments that were disarming. Whether it was the moments that documented the tragedy faced by Jiya or ones where her character was on the receiving end of some genuine love and care, the film fell short. Moments, where Jiya warmed up to individuals and situations resulting in something warm and sweet, were present but came and went so fast that Kenny was never able to milk them for the drama and impact that they could have had.
Every time a moment built up to become that seminal moment in the film that you end up talking about with your friends, it was unceremoniously cut short. There was also a lack of punch in the dramatically charged moments. The gamut of emotions that I felt for the characters resulted partly because of my colourful imagination and what I could draw parallels to from my life, breathing life into the scenes in the film that left room for varied interpretations.
Dialogues Between Characters Could Have Been Better and More Memorable:
This was also the second Kenny Deori Basumatary film where the dialogues were not memorable at all. I believe Basumatary wanted the film to be accessible to one and all, and hence he did away with the kind of language that would make the interactions between characters a lot more realistic and laced with the necessary gusto. This made some of the scenes and interactions between characters (mostly friends) feel very bland and borderline boring.
The Music of The Film Is Beautiful:
The songs like “Xopun Xopun Loga,” “Nuphuta Jonak,” and “Ei Xaadhu” are not just melodious but disarming. I have been listening to them on a loop for a while now and will continue to do so. So, if you are someone who enjoys music in their films, “Jiya” will more than impress you.
Final Words:
“Jiya” is an extremely personal and poignant piece of storytelling that may not find takers among audiences looking for their weekend dose of entertainment. One needs to walk into this film with the correct expectations and have at least some idea about the subject matter that the film deals with. One also needs to have an open mind and consider the story as that of the director and the writer without bringing in his/her own opinion of what the makers got right or wrong about Jiya’s predicament. Each experience in life is different, as is each life. If you are able to do that and appreciate the heart and craft that has gone into making it, you will enjoy it just as much as I have.
Ambar Chatterjee's Reviews 