Rupa
The tangled tale of The Jengaburu Curse could have been more engaging and intriguing but poor execution spoils the show.
Cinema is not only a visual entertainment but is often considered a powerful medium to make a commentary on social changes and challenges. If perfectly done, it becomes a piece of introspection for viewers.
However, combining great storytelling with social messaging is not an easy task and even the slightest mistake can turn all the efforts into pure nuisance.
Nila Madhab Pandey, the writer-director of The Jengaburu Curse, definitely had noble intentions while working on the project but the movie fails to become either a cinematic masterpiece or to convey an on-point message.
The title of the movie “The Jengaburu Curse” means the curse of the red mountain in a tribal language and portrays the pitiable conditions of the tribes in Odisha.
Plot of the Movie
The plot revolves around the relationship between mankind and nature in the background of the mining industry, which is full of corrupt local officials and greedy corporations. These people leave no stone unturned to abuse the indigenous local population.
The basic plot promises a strong premise but the movie struggles to move past that. The intermittent flash of brilliance is not enough to get you hooked to the seat while generic drama takes the centrestage and ruins the show.
The story tracks Priya Das’ (Faria Abdullah) journey. She lives in London and is an ambitious career-oriented woman.
After her professor-activist father suddenly disappears, she receives a call from her native land and comes back to Bhubaneshwar. A Mr Rao (Nassar) claims to have been a close associate of Priya’s father and assists her.
Priya realizes soon that nothing is as simple as they look on the surface. She decides to dig out the truth on her own and it creates a chain of life-altering events for her.
The movie is based on Mayank Tewari’s screenplay. Tewari also wrote Newton (2017) which had Rajkumar Rao in the lead role. The Jengaburu Curse flashes a few moments of intriguing screenplay when dealing with the layered social issues of the tribal people in the area.
Ambitious industrialists are always after money. They don’t think twice before displacing the tribes and exposing them to hazardous elements. The poverty-ridden indigenous people seem to have no value to the power-greedy ecosystem. Intensified scarcity of food and drinking water poses a risk to their survival and some of them had no way but to resort to violence. Unfortunately, their armed fight for survival made them enemies of society’s progress and welfare.
Criticism
The good vs evil tale could have been more engrossing and thought-provoking but the social-economic commentary on the tribe’s plight gets eclipsed by the surrounding drama.
The poor portrayal of bad guys has turned them into complete caricatures who can dramatically destroy do-gooders’ resistance.
Expectedly, a bunch of politicians are shown in poor light while their nexus with greedy policemen is also a well-known reality. With powerful sides determined to mint more money by hook or by crook, it only unleashes a chain of events and adds to body counts.
Spanning for seven episodes, the show becomes a cat-and-mouse game with the main theme slowly becoming a side story. Despite dramatic turns of events, the storyline gets muddled up due to the slow pace. The fact that the main characters are far from being developed only adds to the discerning viewers’ plight.
Priya’s equation with her father remains fuzzy throughout the drama. Though there are several flashbacks where her father was seen telling her about her roots, the story gets lost in the mawkish drama instead of revealing more about the father-daughter relationship.
In the first few episodes, Faria Abdullah frustrates with her hammy, dramatic dialogue but she finally gets into the skin of her character with the progress of the show.
Nassar looks restrained in enacting his character. However, after the flips, his character becomes a pathetic parody of many characters that viewers have already seen.
Sudev Nair plays Dhruv, Priya’s childhood crush. Dhruv helps Priya on her quest. The actor has convincingly played his character arc and his understated performance brings a feel of warmth to the grey drama.
Makarand Deshpande, fails to essay the role of a benevolent doctor and leaves no impression.
The final episode perfectly chronicles the gravity of the events and keeps you on the edge. The final bites capture your attention and you understand the real intentions of the movie. Unfortunately, it has fallen short of becoming a masterpiece due to the director’s lack of mastery over cinematic language.
