Maharaj: Flawed but an important story of a real-life social reformer

Junaid Khan deserves kudos for choosing an issue-based story for his debut feature. Although the story is set in pre- independence times the plot holds a huge relevance even today. Self-appointed godmen exploiting female devotees in the name of religion is a rampant thing even after so many centuries.

  • Starcast: Junaid Khan, Jaideep Ahlawat, Shalini Pandey, Sharvari Wagh and others
  • Director: Siddarth P Malhotra
  • Writers: Sneha Desai, Vipul Mehta and Kausir Munir
  • Based on: The book Maharaj by Saurabh Shah
  • Cinematography: Rajeev Ravi
  • Music: Sohail Sen
  • Producer: Aditya Chopra
  • Production house: Yash Raj Banners
  • Streaming site: Netflix

Godmen have a magnetic power over their female devotees, in spite of the fact that several of them have been accused of sexual offences whether it is Gurmit Ram Rahim or Asaram Bapu. Maharaj directed by Siddarth P Malhotra of Hichki fame focuses on one such godman. Junaid Khan playing Karsandas Muji is a social worker and a journalist. From a young age itself he starts questioning certain social customs of those times.

Jaideep Ahlawat is Jadunath ji short form JJ. Jadunath is a high priest of a major sect of Vaishnavites called Pushtimarg. The words of JJ are considered divine. Many women are enchanted by him and want to become his special devotees through charan seva. Shalini Pandey who plays Karsandas Muji’s fiancée Kishori who is in huge awe of JJ. Kishori willingly falls into the trap of Jadunath leading to a huge argument and a breakup with Karsandas. Later she comes to know about the reality of the self-styled godman, but it is too late as the relationship is beyond repair. In simple terms the story of Maharaj focuses on how Karsan exposes JJ by writing about his sexual escapades and the subsequent court case that was fought in the supreme court of Bombay (1862).

The first half of Maharaj is definitely uneven. There are elaborately choreographed dance sequences, and the styling does come across as too modern. The music of Sohail Sen doesn’t help the matters either. But the movie finds its ground as soon it moves into the confrontational zone. There are some powerful dialogues that question the wrongful religious practices and the blind faith. This comes out strongly in a commanding monologue delivered by Junaid.

There is also an important voiceover by Sharad Kelkar on how we do not need a third person to have a connection with God. The underlying message of the voiceover is that a person doesn’t become God because of dharma, dharma is just a way to become a good human being.

Siddarth P Malhotra has also touched upon the freedom of press and how a young man refuses to bow down in spite of many hurdles. These scenes hold a mirror to today’s society as today’s journalists also face many restrictions.

Junaid Khan as Karsandas, just like the movie takes a while in finding ground but the actor becomes better as the movie progresses. He manages to hold his own opposite the supremely versatile Jaideep Ahlawat. Jaideep Ahlawat as JJ conveys a lot with just his expressions and overall body language. As expected, the actor delivers a brilliant performance.

Shalini Pandey and Sharvari Wagh have brief but important roles. Each get a solid emotional scene which they pull off well. Sharvari brings a certain vivaciousness to the proceedings. She particularly shines in the sequence where her character confesses about being forced to do charan seva at a young age.

Maharaj is a praiseworthy debut for Junaid Khan in spite of some sluggishness.

Jayeshbhai Jordaar: A Social Comedy With An Overwhelming Sense Of Familiarity

Divyang Thakkar’s Jayeshbhai Jordaar is what you get if you grind Ayushmann Khurrana’s formula of social films and also some Akshay Kumar ones like Toilet Ek Prem Katha.

The director takes up the issues of female infanticide and superstitions among others, he narrates it through the lens of entertainment. Even when the film moves into a dark zone the narrative style doesn’t lose its core.

Jayeshbhai Jordaar is definitely a breadth of fresh air among the spate of biggies like RRR and KGF 2. However you just wish that the director had paid more focus on the development of some characters, case in point being Shalini Pandey’s Mudra. It looks like the actress had hopped from the sets of Arjun Reddy to this one. Shalini tries very hard but the mostly one- dimensional character coupled with the forced Gujarati accent makes it hard to sympathize with her.

Ranveer Singh and Shalini Pandey play a young couple living under the thumb of the overbearing elders. They have to bow down to whatever the elders say, and this includes a sex determination test too. Jayeshbai’s father is sarpanch Ram Lal (Boman Irani). His character is very reminiscent of those politicians who think that woman wearing short clothes leads to rape. There is a bizarre scene where Ram Lal bans soap to protect the ladies. Siddhi (Jia Vaidhya) is the daughter of Jayesh and Mudra. Ratna Patak Shah plays Boman Irani’s wife. Both Ram Lal and his wife want Mudra to deliver a boy who will carry forward the lineage. There is also a subplot involving a village in Haryana. The people in that village want help as it is an all- men’s village. The sex-ratio is terribly skewed. The rest of the story plays out like a road movie with Jayeshbhai desperately trying to save his wife. The daughter Siddhi is Jayeshbhai’s biggest support.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/fppJtxJ7RWY?feature=oembed The best part of Jayeshbhai Jordaaar is how the director maintains the character of Jayesh. Jayesh is a timid person who cannot oppose his father publicly, but he still stands up for his wife on many occasions making sure that she doesn’t get hurt. There is a scene early on when Jayesh is asked to beat his wife by Ram Lal. The reason being Jayesh’s sister is being abused in her martial home. Mudra’s brother is the husband of Jayesh’s sister. Jayesh closes the door and creates a charade that makes Ram Lal and his wife think that he is beating Mudra severely.

Jayeshbhai is someone who relies on his brains and not fists. At no point Ranveer turns into a Salman Khan of the Tiger series.

Ranveer’s scenes with Jia Vaidhya are the soul of Jayeshbhai Jordaar. Ranveer shares a far better chemistry with Jia than he does with Shalini Pandey. There are occasions where Siddhi behaves more like an adult but it still works. Jia Vaidhya is a definite a fire cracker in her role.

The sub plot involving the Haryana village is also smartly integrated into the narrative. The comic scenes are also quite good. A particular mention must be made of the scene involving the black cat. It is hilarious.

Ranveer Singh has always been one of those actors who brings something new to the table.

As Jayeshbhai the actor delivers another terrific act. His role here is a far cry from the flamboyant Ram that he played in Ram Leela, that was the last time that Ranveer had played a Gujarati.

One big minus of Jayeshbhai is that a majority of the supporting actors are mere gap fillers. Even someone like Ratna Pathak Shah doesn’t get much to do. There is a transformation which happens toward the end, however it is too sketchily written for you to buy it.

Boman Irani is appropriately menacing but the one note characterization gets tiring after a point. His character also gets a makeover eventually, but again it is difficult to buy it.
The hangover of films like Toilet Ek Prem Katha and others are very visible. As a result there is a sense of déjà vu that creeps in.

Musically there is not even one song that you would remember which is sad given that banners like YRF and Dharma are known to deliver popular soundtracks irrespective of the quality of the films. Jayeshbhai Jordaar has an important story to tell but a sense of familiarity plays the spoilsport here.