Jalsa review: Balan shines in stark portrayal of reality

Jalsa

Hindi (Amazon Prime Video)

Director: Suresh Triveni

Cast: Vidya Balan, Shefali Shah

Rating: 3/5

Jalsa’ tries to bring out the reactions of two mothers, Maya (played by Vidya Balan) and Rukhsana (Shefali Shah), each belonging to a different stratum of society. They are caught up in the web of reality and truth. The film, directed by Suresh Triveni, may appear jarring on an entertainment level but it may be welcomed for its experimentation.

Maya, a well-known journalist, is seen as a woman who is not afraid to question the guilty. Her persona of righteousness and courage is strengthened by the fact that she is a single mother taking care of her handicapped son, Ayush (fine show from Surya Kasibhatla). However, all this comes crashing down when she runs over a young girl while returning home.

The guilt mounts up in every scene, and Balan gives a brilliant performance. The situation gets all the more troublesome when Maya learns that the young girl was her own housekeeper Rukhsana’s daughter. Rukhsana’s struggle to save her daughter and at the same time confront people who keep insinuating that it is improper for a young girl to be out in dead hours of the night is sufficiently portrayed.

It is not so much in dialogues but Shefali Shah brilliantly brings life to her character and through her body language raises a question: “Yes, my daughter was out late night. So?” This alone brings integrity to the character of Rukhsana. Apart from the immediate supporting characters, others are not given enough screen time.

The film’s narrative does not necessarily cut into the emotional veins of the audience, but allows them to participate in a dialogue of the inner conflicts and learn the difference between reality and truth.