Jaya Jaya Jaya Jaya Hey is a Malayalam movie directed by Vipin Das and is known for its solid yet subtle, humorous yet ironic take on domestic abuse that women face daily, be it mentally or physically. Revolving around the life of Jaya, a young woman in a Kerala town, the film brings out the subtle ways in which the oppression against women is naturalized and justified in society. With constant suppression from both men and women who hold a position of power, the film brings out the double marginalization of women and emphasizes the importance of women taking a stand for themselves.
WHAT IS THE FILM ABOUT?
The film revolves around the life of Jaya Bharathi, a young woman who belongs to a conservative Malayali family. With her dreams and aspirations always cast aside, she is eventually married off to a man named Rajesh who seems like a perfect husband with a steady income, his own house, and a seemingly perfect life. However, Rajesh’s violent side is revealed after marriage when he slaps Jaya over meager issues and asserts his dominance as a man. When she cannot take more of the abuse, Jaya decides to fight back and all it takes is one kick to shatter the gut of a patriarchal society.
HOW IS PATRIARCHAL OPPRESSION DEPICTED IN THE FILM?
The film brings out the subtle irony of how women are deprived of any agency in their lives in exchange for the ‘freedom’ of education and free living. In her parent’s house, Jaya is often stopped from engaging in activities like playing outside or climbing trees as these are different from what good girls should do. While her brother was allowed to pursue education outside his hometown, Jaya was prevented from doing so with a justification that she has to be eventually married off.
Though her marriage with Rajesh happened on the promise of Jaya pursuing her career after marriage, her dream was never acknowledged and she was shackled in the chains of domestic work only. Rajesh would slap her over minor inconveniences and would later take her out to movies and hotels as compensation for his behavior. With bruises both on her body and heart, she did not find refuge in the elders of the family as well. Her plea was refused in her family as she was made to understand how husbands have every right to assert their dominance even if it’s occasional hitting as ‘not a big deal’. When Jaya kicked Rajesh in order to defend herself, his ego was shattered, and wanted to seek revenge. His brother and friends were supportive of his plans to impregnate Jaya and seek revenge on her. The hypocrisy of the society is visible when Rajesh beating up Jaya is treated as normal but Jaya hitting Rajesh once becomes a big issue. Jaya is openly criticized for hitting back at her husband. However, Rajesh is never held accountable for his actions. Jaya lacks agency in her life as everything in her is decided by others in her life. Though there are instances where scenes seem comical and one laughs it off, these scenes also depict some grave normalization of misconduct against women and how we are accustomed to it as a society.
IS JAYA JAYA JAYA HEY WORTH WATCHING?
The title Jaya Jaya Jaya Jaya Hey which means glory to the mother, the symbol of femininity derived from our national anthem is ironic to what is portrayed in the film. The domestic abuse that Jaya faces is glorified but when Jaya fights back, the true sense of the title is seemingly achieved. The film brings out the various ways in which patriarchy has seeped into our daily lives and normalized certain behaviour which is derogatory and exploitative to women. The movie is a definite must watch as it uses satire and humor to take up a grave concern which needs to be addressed and reflects upon the hypocrisy of the society.
