Ajji

Ajji is a tough watch. Deliberately so. It took me a long time to get the film out of my head, and while it's potent and rattling, it's not for the faint-hearted.

If you subscribe to a cinema of supreme starkness, Ajji is your thing. However, if you go to the cinema for an excursion into escapism, this is not your cup of tea. There is no escape from despair in Ajji.

Theatre actor, writer, director Sushama Deshpande commands your unflinching attention from beginning to end with her unsaid words and raw emotions. She makes her battle every woman's battle, who demands her safety and right to be heard. Other actors deliver a compelling performance, too. Director of photography Jishnu Bhattacharjee deserves a special mention for making this quest for justice seem repulsive yet immensely immersive watch.

A standout film with a medieval, moral soul...

Devashish Makhija, who earlier made the feature film Oonga, earned the spotlight just last year when Taandav, his interesting short featuring Manoj Bajpayee, went viral on Youtube. Ajji and Manda's relationship, Sushama Deshpande's striking face and screen presence, and young Sharvani Suryavanshi's natural acting are no doubt worthy of a full-fledged film. Ajji, as it stands now though, is well begun but just half done.

Ajji is a unpretentious revenge saga served with proper dose of blood and gore.