Life comes full circle. Rio Raj’s latest outing Joe is based on this very famous proverb. The introductory and climax of the film connect very beautifully in a way that makes our hearts melt. But, what happens in between makes us wonder why the heartwarming feeling didn’t last all along.
Cast: Rio Raj, Malavika Manoj, Bhavya Trikha, Charlie
Director: Hariharan Ram S
Joe revolves around the eponymous character essayed by Rio Raj. It is a coming-of-age story, which shows the life of Joe from his school days, well into his adulthood as a married man. In some ways, this film can be considered a character study that tells us why we should or should not be like Joe in various situations in our lives.
The well-executed screenplay of Joe is a major strength. The film jumps from one period of Joe’s life to another, in a non-chronological order, and lets us assume what we want, making the film-watching experience quite interesting. The entire first half revolves around how Joe falls in love with Sujithra (Malavika Manoj), and what becomes of their relationship. While the template is extremely familiar, it is the approach to the screenplay that makes Joe’s first half a little better than run-of-the-mill.
Let me explain better. The first half goes for almost 1 hour and 15 minutes and hardly has any dialogue. In fact, the film’s composer Siddhu Kumar acts as the dialogue writer of sorts filling the silences with his heavy guitar strings and dramatic music. For someone who loves syrupy romance, this execution would seem perfect, but one can’t help but think that a simple love story is really dragged out for a dramatic effect.
While the first half ends on a tragic note, you expect the second half to pick up the pace and focus on Joe’s new life with Shruthi (Bhavya Trikha). Unfortunately, this is where the film faces a setback. Shruthi and Joe tie the knot out of compulsion and don’t really like each other (Raja Rani trope much?). So the second half focuses on why they’re the way they are. It includes characters like a watchman played by Charle and Shruthi’s sister to make the couple realise why they’re important to each other.
While the first half is backed by good comedy coming from Joe’s college friend gang, their absence in the second half makes the comedy feel out of place. We have a coach character trying to make us laugh, but unfortunately, the jokes are a force fit. The writing which initially gave Rio great scope for acting, fails the actor in the second half, especially with its misplaced convenience. For example, somehow, both of Joe’s partners don’t let him talk in serious situations, because if he does, the conflict will get resolved immediately. Similarly, themes like grief, mental health, and suicidal thoughts are not handled well in the film. A man, who becomes an alcoholic in immense grief and even attempts suicide, becomes better when his mother delivers a monologue. Unfortunately, mental health does not work that way. The expedient writing as we go further into the film, ends up becoming the film’s greatest weakness.
An aspect that I found to be very intriguing was the film’s title. The film is titled Joe based on the lead character. However, while Joe is known to be a Christian name predominantly, there are no scenes establishing Rio’s character as a Christian. Nor is there any explanation for his name. Then why Joe? Well, I thought that the makers went for Joe because the character is your average Joe. He can be you, me, or anyone else you know. Joe is flawed, he is egoistic and has anger issues. He makes many mistakes and learns from them. And that’s what makes Joe as normal and relatable as any of us. Rio Raj’s realistic portrayal of Joe really helps in conveying this idea, and he has really stepped up his acting game.
For a film that is quite modern with its take on relationships, abuse, friendship, and the like, it was surprising to see Joe take the route of the Male Saviour Complex to fuel both love stories. Both of Joe’s partners fall in love with him after he saves them from another male. While one comes from a genuine place of helping someone in trouble, the whole idea of it seemed to reiterate the patriarchal thinking. It is high time we move past this trope in our love stories.
On the whole, Joe resembles a number of films, from Hridayam and Arjun Reddy to Mouna Ragam and Raja Rani. However, while the feel is similar, the stories are quite different. The film ends with the quote, “If the meaning of your life is lost, go find it.” Well, for most of the second half, the meaning of the film itself is lost. If only the writing was better planned, the film would have been more than just an average Joe.
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