John Doe Movie Review:
The need to belong is placed third, just after physiological and safety, in the 'Hierarchy of Needs'. The need to belong can be understood as a broad category that also includes validation; in some cases, belonging comes through validation. Every functional relationship operates on varying degrees of validation. Like everything else, excess of anything will lead to trouble. Madhumita's John Doe unspools with people operating on varied walks of life who need to be seen. In this world, the intentions of the good people, bad people, and everyone in between stem from this need. As impressive as this thematic undercurrent runs through the film without seeming forced, it was equally disappointing to see the screenplay getting bumpy towards the final act.
John Doe has the greenhorn cop Chandru (Arjun Das) fighting the voices of his dead father, also a cop (Badava Gopi). Being written off as useless all his life by his dad, Chandru lands a mysterious death as his first case after overlooking the incident while it happened. He sets out to solve this case to both improve his self-image and redeem himself as a police officer.
Full points to Madhumita for setting the mood for this crime thriller and adding intrigue to almost all the characters in it. Preetha Jeyaraman's lens transfers the mist and chills of the Kurinjipadi village bordering Kerala and Tamil Nadu to the audience. Some scenes make you curl your toes in tension, praying for the safety of the characters from getting caught. Not just the location, but the frames keep underlining the backdrop as a lonely place where danger lurks, despite the presence of neighbours. As much as this film deals with the bleakness of not belonging, it also trains its lens on how the wrong company could be even more dangerous. Superficial smiles, pretentious kindness, and hostility shrouded by hospitality become unsettling reminders that not every welcoming gesture comes from a place of goodwill, and that sometimes, the most dangerous forms of alienation are experienced in the very spaces that promise acceptance.
Arjun Das fits the bill as Chandru, who was constantly made to shrink inside himself by his father. Beyond the usual procedural routine, the extra pressure Chandru exerts on himself to convince him that he deserves the place he is in makes the character endearing. The dynamics of the disjointed family comprising single mother Darshana (Srishti Y), her daughter Lucky/Lakshmi (Zaara Vineet Chandhoke) and son Hriday (Nirav S) were explored well. One particular conversation between Lucky and Chandru about who has had it worst, while being mildly funny, also drives home the point poignantly of the ubiquity of broken homes and lovelessness. More than the full stories of Lucky and Chandru, the one involving Sanchana Natarajan's A Rao will pique your curiosity. She doesn't bat an eyelid when she gets called 'Rao sir'. In an interesting turn of tables, when Chandru lets his emotions and instincts guide the case, Rao takes to brute force. What does the A in her name stand for, and why is her brash approach bordering on what is understood as masculinity? Is that her defence mechanism when left in the lurch at some point in time? We never know. But letting your wild flights of imagination assume that she too might have faced predicaments similar to Lucky or Chandru seems more convincing than a usual exposition.
Director: Madhumita
Cast: Arjun Das, Sanchana Natarajan, Srishti Y, Anupama Kumar, Archana Chandhoke
The make-or-break point for a crime thriller is always the 'big reveal'. In John Doe, too, there is such a reveal. The impact of the final reveal is not diminished by its predictability, even at a point when the makers are still busy laying out red herrings. Despite being prepared for what is to come well in advance, the reveal is still shockingly disappointing. Even with that, the intentions and motivations behind the crime do convince you. But when the actual criminal breaks down the methods of the crime, you suddenly begin wondering, isn't all this a bit heavyweight for this person? Especially, given the meticulous setting of the stage and world building, the machinations of the criminal do not seem plausible. John Doe takes a blow due to this poor choice to complete the final act. Having said that, the desirable portions of the film remain desirable.
John Doe is a legal placeholder name generally assigned to an unidentified person or someone whose identity needs to be concealed. Reflecting on how the film eventually pans out, one cannot help but wonder if the makers themselves needed a little more time to identify what their film truly wanted to be. Instead, they seem to have hastily pieced together a story with whatever information was at hand and settled for the rather convenient title of John Doe. For the most part, the film is an absorbing thriller. Given how its riveting narrative spends so much time making us wonder about the people inhabiting its world, John Doe deserved a far more satisfying final reckoning.
