- Date of Release: 18 December 2024
- Genre: Drama
- Language: Hindi
- Watch On: Waves
Jhansi Ka Rajkumar
Introduction
The allegory of the Hindi film Jhansi Ka Rajkumar is in its title which is almost like a wordplay on Jhansi Ki Rani. The setting of the drama in Jhansi plays a vital role in shaping up the fabric of the storytelling. As per an early voiceover, the city of Jhansi is known primarily for the Rani Of Jhansi who fought with valour against the British. Yet, the embodiment of feminism in the drama does quite extend to the people who reside in the area – you can almost tell that there is a wave of patriarchy ruling the roosts on the streets, even as you witness a new ‘Modern’ family entering the vicinity to stay there. The conflict is simple – Rajkumar (Gulshan Devaiah), a worthy member of the ‘modern’ family is a house husband while his wife Devyani (Namita Dubey) is the sole earning member of the family. And this is where Jhansi Ka Rajkumar is a little different from Ki And Ka (2016) or the more recent show Raat Jawan Hai (2024) which dealt with similar issues in an urban setup, that automatically made the conflict more accepting amongst the people around the protagonists. The drama here is reflective of the small town mentality (not meant for a derogatory purpose but just for an explanation purpose) that folks around Rajkumar and his family indulge in. And in that regard, the satire holds a position of relevance.
Story & Screenplay
One of the key facets of Jhansi Ka Rajkumar remains its world building, even with respect to the characters around the protagonists. There is almost an awe and concern in the eyes of characters even while witnessing a new family in their midst. And this trait, automatically converts into a nagging one for the protagonists even as they begin their journey of adjustment in the new town. There is an overfriendly vibe when it comes to their neighbours Sushil (Vipin Sharma) and Khushboo (Sunita Rajwar), even while the couple remain oblivious of the family dynamics of Rajkumar and Devyani. For them, Rajkumar remains a character who is working from home (potentially more so given how the drama might be set in the post covid era wherein this remained a norm), while taking care of their child while Devyani is away. Elsewhere, Devyani is reminded by people around her on how she needs to be home to breast feed her baby, a task that ‘males’ can never fulfill. Clearly, there are two conflicts running in parallel – one with respect to the society and their coming to terms with the concept of a ‘house-husband’, and the other, an identity crisis between the couple who are literally coaxed into finding a solution for a non-existential problem that remains palatable with the society. Hence, the drama is symbiotic with its conflict.
One of the major issues that I had with the writing remained on the high-pitch of the drama that subsequently drowned all the humour that was brimming on the surface. The drama while being watchable and boasting of a breezy little vibe did not completely bloom because of the tone of the drama that was always high. For instance, an encounter with the househelp who is on her own grief trip while being oblivious of the fact that Rajkumar is requesting her to keep her ‘crying’ volume low, given how his baby is asleep. That scene may have been stricken with comedy on paper, but because the tone was so loud, the impact of the scene (along with a satire that it wished to address) was drastically lowered. The issue also lay in the fact that the messaging was verbose and had to be double underlined. In a scene, you see Rajkumar’s daughter explicitly mentioning in her essay at school on how her father is a house-husband. The subtlety was missing in the barter for humour.
An interesting sub-plot involving Rajkumar’s tussle with a local, Deepak (Vivek Madaan) did have an underlying theme of toxic masculinity. The little tiff that the duo indulge in, was almost a reflection on how men are expected to behave when they are challenged. This sentiment was also an extention of the thought process on how men are expected to go out and earn for a living, as opposed to stay at home and allow their wives to earn for the family. And in many ways, the fight was also symbolic of the ideologies that had Rajkumar tip on the other side of things. Elsewhere, the vulnerability of Devyani is also showcased pretty well wherein the folks around her create an ambience of a peer pressure of having to spend more time with her kids. In a scene, you see her desperately trying to breast feed her baby, and unsuccessfully so while having to feel the burden of the society.
Another interesting plot-point also involved the insecurities of the husbands of the society, even as their ‘grip’ on their households decreased while the expectations of their spouses increased. The plot-point did reek of some laughter even as both Devyani and Rajkumar were shown to succumb to the societal pressure and go about their duties in a ‘regular’ manner. However, the issue for me lay in the simple conflicts that met with the simplest solutions. The writing wasn’t layered with almost being content with a surface-level resolution that did not seem to be completely satisfactory. The allegory of patriarchy being reduced to the ground with the rise of feminism was definitely in play, in a scene involving the statue falling. But the staging remained a bit of an issue, thereby summing up the screenplay that was slightly on the louder side but had some moments of poignancy.
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues remained verbose and laced with a high-pitch tonality that didn’t quite allow the humour to land effectively. The music was just about average that also deterred the impact of montages that was used as fillers in the narrative. The BGM was decent enough to tap into the emotions brimming on the surface while trying to bring them to the fore. The cinematography was decent as well, particularly in frames capturing the vibe of a small town, that allowed it to play a character (and an ideology) in the film. That said, there were framing issues in a few scenes where the focus wasn’t on the face of the characters. The editing remained a little choppy with the emotions being momentarily stalled while traversing from one scene to another. That said, the length of the drama is kept under check through its editing that doesn’t shift courses from its original source material. Director Nicholas Kharkongor (who had previously directed the brilliant Axone(2019)) does a decent job here with the world building and characterization, while scoring well with the messenging of the film. The issues in his direction are more to do with controlling the tone of the drama, and setting of a few scenes that dilute the impact of the drama which doesn’t bloom into its full potential. Yet, the drama is consistently watchable due to its breezy vibe that doesn’t weigh down the proceedings at any given point. And for that, the director needs to be complimented.
Performances
The performances are pretty good by the members of the cast. Avinash Kuri and Kavin Dave are pretty good and have their moments to shine. Vivek Madaan as Deepak is terrific while being an embodiment of toxic masculinity, a trait that he taps into with a restrained sense of bravardo. Sunita Rajwar as Khushboo is affable and does a nice little job with her impeccable dialogue delivery that adds rhythm to her character. Vipin Sharma as Sushil does score well with his flair for comedy, even while being wonderfully theatrical with his body language and expressions. Namita Dubey as Devyani is sincere and earnest while showcasing restraint, and tapping into the vulnerabilities of her character efficiently. And she is a treat to witness here. Gulshan Devaiah as Rajkumar is really grounded with his portrayal of a character almost looked down upon while having an organic streak with his dialogue delivery that makes you want to root for him. There is a genuine sense of sincerity in his act that you witness through his body language and expressions, that allows the drama to be watchable even when the writing briefly falters.
Conclusion
Despite the writing suffering from a high-pitch, Jhansi Ka Rajkumar is a decently breezy social drama with good performances that makes for a satisfactory watch. Available on Waves.
