Jellikettu

Director :Lijo Jose Pellissery
Genre :Drama
Language:Malayalam
Year :2019

In a remote village in Kerala,a buffalo escapes from the meat sellers .The villagers try to catch the beast which is destroying everything on it's way.

Well,that is what I can say if you ask me to explain about the film in short.But actually it is more than that,something which is hard to explain in words because it is a visual and sound treat,along with some symbolic story telling,which is very unfamiliar to the normal Mollywood audience - exactly the reason why I will call LJP a brave film maker.In an interview I heard him telling that art must be universal,not regional.He said it is what he is trying to achieve through his films,to create something that a viewer from any part of the world can relate to,where language is not a barrier.

Here,there is no hero in the story,there is only characters -nobody is good or bad -everybody stays in the shades of gray The film explores the theme that there is only a thin line separating human being and animal .There is an animal hidden inside every human being - an animal which will do anything to get the two things it wants most - mate and food.In order to get the mate,one must eliminate any other strong contender - in case of animals,they fight each other .But when it comes to man,he uses his most poisonous weapon - betrayal .That is what Antony ( Antony Varghese ) also does - to eliminate his opponent, Kuttichan (Sabumon) Even if the main focus is on the buffalo ,the film explores another story also - a tale of greed and blood - one which asks the question - Are we human beings,really superior than animals or just like them or worse than them?By the climax,we can see that the line blurring and even disappearing ...So that is what the film is about.The wonderful thing is that according to the viewpoint of the audiece, the meaning changes.... May be you can find something I missed..Because there is so much symbolic representations hidden.

Now comes the visuals - magnificent is the word. There is a shot were thousands of people are running holding fire torches in their hands through the darkness-.the chase of people and buffalo.We can find plenty of examples great camera work through out the film- the capturing scene,the fight between Antony and Kuttichan, a frame showing both animal and human foot print together in the mud...the list goes on...Great work Girish Gangadharan...

The third aspect is the sound design - the background music -a mix of human breathing to convey the  feel along with the tribal music - all pointing to the message that man and animal are not so different.

So,here is the final words - Jellikettu is something very different from the normal malaylam movies - what type of experience will it give you - depends highly on your view points and perspective. It is a kind of film,which one must watch on the big screen, to experience it's beauty.,which I really enjoyed ..And I am happy to say that Malayalam cinema is producing films with a universal appeal. LJP - waiting for your next...