'Janaki V Vs State Of Kerala' Movie Review: Suresh Gopi's Dated Courtroom Drama Belongs In A Different Era

Five minutes into Pravin Narayanan’s controversial Janaki V Vs State Of Kerala and there’s no escaping the strong feeling of déjà vu the film wants you to experience. It begins with the shot of a bishop entering the office of a hot-shot lawyer named David Abel Donovan (Suresh Gopi) and you’re thinking of a character from Lelam. A scene later, we’re drawn into a protest sequence and the sight of an old man getting crushed by the mob and immediately, Kuthiravattom Pappu from The King comes to mind. The sequence and the phone call that sets off the mob is something we’ve seen in several films before, but The Commissioner comes close, and strangely, the film’s ending gets you to recall The Truth.

All of these films belong in the '90s and so does most of Janaki V Vs State Of Kerala. But it’s not just the dated making and clunky dialogues that give you the feeling of watching a 30-year-old movie. It’s almost by design that the film wants to take you back to a time when Suresh Gopi was a legit superstar (the movie begins with a title card stating the same). Just like how the makers of Gopi’s Kaaval tried to milk the '90s nostalgia by even setting the film in that particular period, Janaki V Vs State Of Kerala too wants you to dig deep and go back to a phase when a bombastic dialogue delivered in affected English was enough to deliver the big goosebumps moment.

But it doesn’t work anymore, not just because the audience has moved on, but also because these dialogues of Janaki V Vs State Of Kerala are not exactly as powerful as those that were written by Renji Panicker. The issues don't just end with the dialogue-writing; the script also always feels like it’s losing focus. At first the film begins with the protest sequence, which ends with Suresh Gopi having to go to the police station. Expect for the co-incidence of a major character dying during this event, the entire introduction scene and the ensuing case have no bearing on the larger plot. The same goes with a sub-plot that jumps at us out of nowhere. Somewhere in the second half, we’re shown a wedding song and celebrations; the song feel artificial, and it also takes us 10 more minutes to understand who these people are. Even then, it becomes clear that this sub-plot has been included only for Suresh Gopi to flex his action hero muscles again.

At the centre of the film is a woman named Janaki V (Anupama Parameswaran) and a court case that results in her being sexually assaulted on a particularly eventful night. The first half plays out like an elaborate courtroom drama investigating the perpetrators of this crime. Since Janaki V was drugged, she does not see the accused, and the plot builds on our curiosity to find out who did it.

But just as Janaki V Vs State Of Kerala moves into its second half, the investigation part of the crime is wrapped up conveniently and the identity of the perpetrator is arrived at without any surprise. It is here that the film deviates from a film revolving around a crime to one that wants to attack the government. Just like how Paresh Rawal’s character files a case against God in OMG, here a case is filed against the Chief Minister of the state for a crime against Janaki.

The courtroom drama cannot be taken too seriously after this point, and even the twists that are meant to jolt you do not quite make the impact it is supposed to. By the time yet another action sequence arrives, reminding of you of the ending of Kahaani, you realise that this is yet another attempt to force action into a narrative that has no place for it. We begin to switch off by then, even without the minimum satisfaction of finding out about how this gruesome crime was committed. Instead of a serious discussion about the crime and the state of mind of the victim, the film is happy to find someone to blame and nothing more.