Rekha Datta

Of all the challenges of today, ‘social justice’ remains as complicated and as elusive as ever. The film Jalsa (Triveni, 2022) explores the complexities of social justice admirably with a balanced plot and narrative. The film presents the lives of two working women– Maya Menon and Ruksana. Maya is a high-profile, powerful, socially conscious and uncompromising journalist, and the host of hard hitting television show “Face the Truth”. She is divorced, living with her mother, Rukmini, and caring for a son, Ayush, who is affected by cerebral palsy. Ruksana is a housekeeper, whose daughter is studying; Ruksana has little or no access to power, yet her dream of social justice is kept alive through her daughter’s pursuit of education. The narrative brings Ruksana into Maya Menon’s household as a cook and as Maya’s son, Ayush’s, attendant. Ruksana’s love for Ayush establishes the mutual dependency of the family unit, a microcosmic reflection of a wider society. Jalsa explores the question of social justice through this miniscule society its narrative has built. 

 That is, until the climax–when Maya hides from Ruksana that she is responsible for her daughter’s injury in a hit and run,  attempting to make amends by securing the best treatment in a hospital out of reach of Ruksana. The question of social justice is hidden behind the veil of a mutually dependent,  visibly affectionate relationship between the characters, regardless of their social and economic position. With the hit-and-run accident, this relationship is deconstructed, revealing the unending loop of power, ambition, corruption and injustice, exposing how out of reach social justice currently is. In Jalsa, social justice is not about a society of equitable material wealth; it is about posing the question: ‘will two people in a similar situation, but from different stratas of society, have equal access to justice?’. Jalsa’s story does not question the prevalent economic disparity displayed; rather it questions: ‘is not justice the right of an individual irrespective of class?’. What machinations of a well-established society are in play to privilege its economically empowered individual? And Rukmini becomes the voice of a society which dismisses the intangibles of affection and care (represented by her mother), but firmly believes in the power of material wealth (represented by Maya).

The paradox exposed in this gripping narration is that Maya is not very different from her mother Rukmini, who arrogantly advises Ruksana to quit looking for the criminal and be grateful for the financial aid Maya provides. The narration also exposes Maya’s lack of professional integrity when witness Rohini George’s silence is secured via a job offer; one wonders ‘whither justice?’ The lopsided power quotient stares the audience in the face. In this game of power, the administrative justice system and the police are also involved. Jalsa reveals a social setting, including the fourth estate, that is carefully crafted to privilege the bourgeoise. Every mechanism of civil society fails Ruksana in her search for justice.

All that Ruksana can do to restore a sense of balance and justice is to take Ayush without informing Maya. In the final scene, Maya knows Ayush is with Ruksana but frantically searches for Ayush, afraid for his safety. When she sees him safe with Ruksana, that is when the injustice of her actions begins to dawn. Jalsa successfully points to a simple path to establish social justice—respect and care. 

Dear Reader, make time to watch some powerful performances from the leading ladies Vidya Balan, Shefali Shah, Rohini Hattangadi and entire cast. Jalsa is worth your time!!  

Jean-Phillipe Deranty. (2016). ‘Social Justice’. The International Encyclopedia of Political Communication.

Dr. Rekha Datta is an Associate Professor at CJMC, Dayananda Sagar University. Dr. Datta was awarded the Senior Fellowship for translation from Kuvempu Bhasha Bharati Pradhikara for the academic year April 2021 to March 2022. The translation is titled ‘An Anthology of Critical Essays of Kuvempu’. Rekha is one of the master trainers to train teachers for the Skill Development Program, jointly organised by the Government of Karnataka and MacMillan Publications. Rekha has presented academic research papers at National and International Conferences, has chaired a session at the international conference organised by ICLA in Vienna, and presented a paper titled ‘Challenges to Contemporaneity in the Multilingual Context in India’. Rekha’s critical film review, ‘Once Upon a Time—For Today’s Audience’, won the Certificate of Merit in Chidananda Das Gupta Memorial Award in 2021, organised by FIPRESCI. Rekha’s areas of interest are Translation Studies, Gender Studies, Folkloristics and Film Studies.

Some of Rekha’s articles can be found at https://fipresci-india.org/authorlist2/ under Datta, Rekha.

You can find Rekha’s blog at www.talespindle.blogspot.com