“Jalsa” (Amazon Prime) isn’t a story at all.
It is us. Us with all our warts and cysts. Us with all our jaundiced views. Us who leverage small little lies to get over our small inadequacies in life.
So, after a point, I stopped looking at the story. I started looking at the why’s of the story.
Why does Maya (Vidya Balan) lose it emotionally? Was it a breakdown or was it a ploy that her persona had constructed over the tragedy because she didn’t want to face the law? I started to examine why Rukhsana (Shefali Shah) didn’t press for charges after an initial foray by her husband into the police station. I started to examine why a constable desperately wants to close a case.
Everywhere I found nuggets about how societal norms dictate and govern certain actions and thoughts.
I have to be the nice old man riding into retirement because that’s when my daughter shall get a nice boy who’s having a job in Colorado and my daughter would get a good future.
I have to be the nice mother because I have a handicapped son who’s dependent on me or I think so.
I have to be the nice daughter as my mother takes care of my son while I can go and be the successful media anchor.
I have to be the nice boss when my colleague is having a breakdown and won’t manipulate her to get equations going with political higher ups.
I have to be the nice house help to gather enough good manners and levity to come back to watch over a handicapped boy even after I have had a tragedy at home.
I have to be the good boy who understands a grandmother, a mother and an aunt who comes over to look after me.
I have to be the good father who comes over to play cricket with my boy even when I have moved away from his mother.
I am, by nature, any of that.
Break my shell and you’d find that I (standing in for all the different roles) am just as self-seeking and manipulative in real life.
You’d find that I have an agenda.
I always had an agenda.
I did what I did because I never was the “nice” guy. I was always a step away from revealing my true self.
Just a little strife and the truth will reveal itself.
Here, the aftermath does not even count.
Because the aftermath is written into the moment when the ugly truth reveals itself.
We all must have done that small litmus test. Asked a friend for some help. He may not have helped. And we would have counter-reacted to his reaction. And a friendship would have been lost or strengthened.
But did we look at ourselves then? Our own agenda. How our minds worked towards the reaction.
That’s the day.
That’s the aftermath.
We don’t have to wait till the logical end of a story.
#JalsaOnPrime #Jalsa #JalsaMovie
By Indraneel Majumdar
Indraneel Majumdar is currently the Head of Sarat City Mall, Hyderabad. Though he is a man from retails and hospitality industry, his passion lies in books and movies. He has authored two books, Co- Founded Writer’s Collective, a niche publishing space and has been writing for several online and offline portals. His everyday morning Facebook musings are hit among the readers. He can be contacted at : indraneelmj@gmail.com
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