Jaya Jaya Jaya Jaya Hey Malayalam Movie

Feature Film | 2022 | Comedy, Family
Critics:
Audience:
You cannot look away from what the makers say in Jaya Jaya Jaya Jaya Hey. It is admirable how they narrate this toxic marriage story. It is not often that you burst out laughing while watching a film like this.
Nov 13, 2022 By Sreejith Mullappilly

Where To Watch:
Streaming:
   Disney+hotstar

Vipin Das' Jaya Jaya Jaya Jaya Hey is a satire about a toxic marital relationship. Darshana Rajendran's Jayabharati is raised in a patriarchal family. When she is a child, Jaya's uncle tells her to get down from the branch of a tree, despite the fact that a group of boys is there with her. This is a metaphor for how a man does not want a girl child to go to greater heights. So, it does not come as a surprise when an older version of Jaya has no say in both her future and family matters.


It is important for us to realize this upbringing of Jaya to understand the dynamics of her marital relationship with Basil Joseph's Rajesh. For one thing, it helps us realize why she decides to take matters into her own hands when her marriage becomes toxic.


Cast against type, Basil Joseph plays a misogynist in Jaya Jaya Jaya Jaya Hey. Director Vipin Das uses sequences of violence as physical comedy to show us how deeply the families believe in patriarchal principles. When the woman fights back, it is not necessarily a vindication of violence as a means to tackle a wife-beater but rather a way of showing how a man's family also contributes to his false sense of patriarchy.


As members of a society, we are often told that men sometimes get a bit angry and that women must learn to tolerate their anger. It is when this anger manifests physically that a marriage becomes way too toxic for a woman. Vipin Das sometimes goes a little overboard in a bid to drive home this message, especially when he uses football commentator Shaiju Damodaran's voice to portray the funny side of the sheer toxicity on display. Nevertheless, it is a piece of directorial brilliance to use a celebrity's voice as running commentary for a repulsive and repetitive event.


It is also a bit difficult to watch a film with such levels of physical altercation. However, you cannot look away from what the makers say and show in Jaya Jaya Jaya Jaya Hey. You have to admire the sheer brilliance with which they narrate this marriage story, often making us question our own sense of morality. It is not often that you burst out laughing while watching the story of a toxic marriage.


The quality of the performances also helps distinguish Jaya Jaya Jaya Jaya Hey from similar films. Vipin Das uses relatively unknown actors for the supporting roles in the film, allowing us to relate to them that much more. Kudassanad Kanakam is a hoot as Rajesh's mother. Azees Nedumangad does not strike a false note as Rajesh's half-brother. Sudheer Paravoor is wonderful as Jaya's well-meaning uncle.


But the stars of the show are Basil Joseph and Darshana Rajendran. Basil Joseph deserves praise for taking up the role of a repulsive person, as opposed to what he usually plays in Malayalam cinema. The actor stays in character throughout and is quite effective in the funny portions of the film. On the other hand, Darshana Rajendran has a more difficult role to play because she has to appear both vulnerable and tough, sometimes at the same time. Darshana, too, is wonderful here.

Sreejith Mullappilly

   

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