Jana Gana Mana

On the whole, Jana Gana Mana may feel like one of those year-end rewind of events that made headlines, because we tend to forget the biggest stories when the next 'breaking news' strikes. From campus protests, rape, dalit rights, caste discrimination in India's universities, student suicides and fake encounters, Jana Gana Mana packs in too many sensitive topics and raises piercing questions. Even with so many themes squeezed into one, the film does not lag or feel unnecessarily heavy—that is where the well-written script stands out. Set in Karnataka in 2019, the film revolves around the rape and death of a college professor Saba Mariam (Mamta Mohandas).

Jana Gana Mana is a big-scale, mass-appeal entertainer in the vein of the political thrillers that Renji Panicker wrote for Shaji Kailas in the early 90s or what Dennis Joseph wrote for Joshiy or Thampi Kannanthanam in the 80s. Parts of Jana Gana Mana evoked the spirit of films like Thalasthanam (1992), Bhoomiyile Rajakkanmar (1987), New Delhi (1987), and Pathram (1999). But where Jana Gana Mana stands out is how, in terms of the statements it makes, it dares to be bolder than the above films. As much as I hold the writers and filmmakers of that era in high regard, I don't think they would have addressed issues like marginalisation and sensationalism to the degree that it is done here. I'm glad that we are no longer living in the 80s and 90s.