Insights on Malayalam Film Jallikattu, India’s official entry to Oscars 2021

India produces more than 1800 movies in different dialect every year. So far India has sent more than 50 films to Oscars. Out of these only 3 films have managed to get the nominations. Despite producing a large variety of cinema, we are yet to win our first Oscar for Best International Feature Film.  FFI  makes a committee which decides which film should represent India at Oscars. We feel it is difficult to select one film from so many equally diverse cinemas. The question was raised on the selection process and on the selection committee for selecting Gully Boy as India’s official entry at Oscars last year.

Gully Boy is an excellent film with a great message but Gully Boy competed with Hellaro, Andhadhun, Article 15, Tumbaad, Super Deluxe etc. So there were several other films which might have created comparatively more impact when compared to Gully Boy. This year Malayalam film Jallikattu is India’s official entry for the Oscars and it has a great chance to secure the nomination. If everything goes well we also might get our first Oscar award. In this article, we are going to discuss Jallikattu. The movie that will make you question about your inner belief and your existence as a human.

P.S.- To all the readers if you haven’t watched Jallikattu you need to watch it first because of spoilers!!

To watch Jallikattu on Amazon Prime click here.

Jallikattu India’s official entry at Oscars 2021

1)  About The Film Jallikattu

Jallikattu is a Malayalam feature film directed by Lilo Jose Pellisserry. The film is based on S.Hareesh story Maoist who is also the writer of the film. The film is co-written by R.Jayakumar. Movie stars  Antony Varghese, Chemban Vinod Jose, Sabumon Abdusamad and Santhy Balachandran in the lead roles.

The film revolves around a buffalo. Yes you read that right a buffalo escapes from a slaughterhouse and everyone in the village gathers to hunt the animal. The greed to take the biggest share and credit of killing buffalo turns so big that the difference between human and beast merely disappears

2) Understanding the Plot of Jallikattu

2.1) Start

The frame of this film opens with a clock ticking sound which is in the anti-clockwise direction. The people living in the village wake up and go to their daily work. Everything functions in the village just like an ordinary day. Varkey, a buffalo butcher sells the meat of buffalo to the villagers. Varkey‘s meat shop was the only source of meat for the entire village. Anthony assists Varkey in the slaughtering of buffalo and the cycle repeats.

One fine day when Varkey and Anthony were about to kill the buffalo, the rope which was tied to the buffalo gets loose, and the buffalo runs away creating havoc in the entire village. The villagers blame Anthony and Varkey for their losses and they try to get their compensation by complaining to the police but they were of no help. The villagers decide to take the entire matter in their own hand.

2.2) Mid

The villagers decide to call Kuttachan who earlier used to live in the same village and work with Varkey. He was removed from the village for smuggling sandalwood. The person who betrayed him was none other than his old friend and colleague Anthony.

Anthony was quite unhappy with the arrival of Kuttachan in the village. He gets anxious and fears losing Sophie who is his love interest. Sophie was one of the major reason when Anthony ratted out against Kuttachan. Thus the competition of catching buffalo begins between Anthony and Kuttachan in a very subtle way. The buffalo tries to escape and runs for his life and in the process of running it fells in the well. Anthony takes the false credit of catching the buffalo and claims that only he has the right to kill the buffalo.

The villagers start celebrating and Anthony starts executing his plan i.e. to bring the buffalo back on the surface by pulling it through a rope and later on slaughter it. At the point when the buffalo was about to arrive on the surface of the wooden plank the raining starts and the buffalo escapes and starts making devastation. The villagers are unhappy with the inaction of a police officer and they get hold of him. The angry villagers set the police jeep on fire. The cop having no other option and joins the quest for getting the buffalo and allows the villagers to proceed as per their will. The villagers set the traps using chains and try to surround the buffalo.

2.3) End

Rather than getting the buffalo, Kuttachan and Anthony attempt to dole out their retribution. Kuttachan gets the upper hand during the fight, however, Anthony is saved when the buffalo intrudes. Kuttachan requests Anthony to help him in capturing the buffalo but Anthony stabs him instead. Anthony drives the pursuit, with the villagers behind him.

They throw spears at the buffalo to stop it. It then crosses the bridge and gets stuck in muddy water. Anthony arrives from the outset and conveys the last cut and claims all the credit. However, the residents individually differ and create a stampede and jump on top of the dead buffalo with the point of getting credit for slaughtering the buffalo.

Also Read: Best Movies Based On Books – All-Time Favorite Book-to-Movie Adaptation

3) Symbolical Analysis Of Jallikattu

1)  The initial frame that has a clock ticking sound in an anti-clockwise direction could imply that we as human are walking back through evolution.

2) The scene in which buffalo gets stuck in a puddle of mud with multiple injuries. A bunch of men pounce upon that buffalo to catch hold of him and have their part. This indicates that humans are nothing less than animals. Both beast and human lose their brain when they are in troublesome circumstances, bringing about decimation and chaos.

3) The scene where Anthony, attempts to push himself out of the lethal pyramid, but instead, he feels strongly pulled. This scene demonstrates that there are no exemptions for human instinct.  Everyone is a piece of this rebellion and nobody individual, specifically, can be accused and there is no exit from here

4) In the end, we see a dying man imagining a buffalo outside his window. The death of buffalo indicates the death of humanity. Throughout the film, we see that difference between human and beast gradually disappears. Slowly we realise that we human may walk on two feet but we are the actual beast. It can also be interpreted as buffalo is the messenger of death so this might also indicate the death of civilization.

6) We see a community leader starts ordering fresh meat from somewhere but they get concerned when buffalo destroys plantation around the church. This indicates the plight of current Indian political system i.e. the leaders are least concerned about the people and their issues won’t affect until it causes harm to them.

7) The complaint of a local farmer is neglected probably indicates the negligent attitude of the government towards the farmer

Also read: Top 10 Indian Movies For Teenagers

4) Meet The Real Heroes of Jallikattu

1) Girish Gangadhar

Girish Gangadhar, the cinematographer is the hero of the film.  Lilo Jose Pellissery is a devotee of one take. There are a few true to life shots which have a capacity to keep you as eager and anxious as can be. There are a few minutes in the film where the edge has over 50 characters however Girish Gangadhar has figured out how to pull it off splendidly

2) Prashant Pillai – Renganaath Ravee

The music by Prashant Pillai and sound plan by Renganaath Ravee catches your eye from the earliest starting point. As the film continues music and the background score increase the entirety of your feeling. And how can we forget “Ge Ge Ge Ge Gee”.

To watch how the background score “Ge Ge Ge Ge Gee” was made click here

The film has a profoundly layered message on Human advancement and it compels us to believe are we actually edified at this point or we are savage under the attire of bombastic dress acting in a socialized way. Jallikattu is less of a story and more a situation and not having many exchanges all through works in certain spots, yet besides, Jallikattu leaves a great deal implied.

We wish all the best to Team Jallikattu for the Oscars 2021