Oru Jaathi Jathakam movie review: Vineeth Sreenivasan’s ‘dark comedy’ undermines the efforts of a 100 Kaathals

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At 37, Mambrath Jayesh (Vineeth Sreenivasan), still a bachelor, has only one dream: to get married ASAP. He has two reasons: one, his horoscope has predicted that he will lose marital fortune upon turning 38 and two, his father’s life expectancy hinges on Jayesh having children before the old man turns 70. However, as a casteist, misogynistic and superstitious person, Jayesh also has a long list of demands and hence, despite searching for a potential bride for eight years, he has yet to find “the one”. Even when things seem to begin falling into place, life throws boulders at him, derailing everything. Meanwhile, Jayesh and those around him also begin to question his sexual orientation and the remainder of Oru Jaathi Jathakam (One Peculiar Horoscope) follows his journey.

In short, it can be said that under the guise of dark comedy, director M Mohanan and writer Rakesh Mantodi have crafted a film that ultimately reinforces several harmful practices, including casteism, colourism, misogyny, sexism, body shaming and homophobia, among others. While the makers give the impression that these themes are addressed through black comedy — seemingly exposing or critiquing them — the way they are presented and the perspective from which they are approached often suggest otherwise. And, more than once, it feels as though the film is glorifying these practices rather than satirising any of them.

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From the very beginning, Mohanan and Rakesh, however, establish Jayesh’s character with absolute clarity. His deeply problematic mindset, coupled with his frustration over prolonged singlehood, has only made him more irritable, further delaying his marriage. A staunch traditionalist, Jayesh initially views homosexuality as “unnatural” and is firmly against PDA, believing them to be against the ‘culture’. As an elite Nair, he is also adamant that his future wife must meet a long list of rigid demands — she must be between the ages of 22 and 29 (“women over 30 are aunties”), exceptionally fair-skinned, willing to quit her job after marriage, skilled in cooking and more.

Although Oru Jaathi Jathakam portrays Jayesh as a comical figure, its treatment of those who suffer because of people like him is troubling. The victims here are either reduced to caricatures or exist solely to advance Jayesh’s character arc, rendering them invisible and raising questions about the film’s true intent. Even if one were to say that the film does not wish to take a stance or convey specific messages, the problematic jokes sprinkled throughout — catering to a regressive mindset — make it clear that it does have a stance and that is far from progressive.

Albeit Oru Jaathi Jathakam ventures into sensitive territories like director Abhinav Sunder Nayak’s Mukundan Unni Associates (2022) and Vipin Das’ Jaya Jaya Jaya Jaya Hey (2022), its humour does not come across as true black comedy and instead, often feels like it is trivialising serious, painful subjects. A prime example of this is the repeated use of terms like kundan (a derogatory Malayalam slur for gay men) and mazhavillu (meaning rainbow, referencing the Pride flag). While one could argue that these words were included to show Jayesh and those around him as politically incorrect, their overuse only reveals the makers’ own biases. This also raises an important question: Were these themes introduced to be addressed or simply to ridicule the struggles of marginalised communities fighting for a more inclusive world?

Also, despite the film featuring several problematic characters, a lesbian woman is the sole and habitual ‘theppukari’ (dumper) in this narrative and is also shown to be frequently unsure about her sexual orientation. Besides these, the film includes many more unsettling images, from an unnecessarily humorised depiction of sexual assault — albeit a dream sequence — to a scene where Jayesh’s father ‘realises’ his son is not gay simply because he sees the latter getting an erection.

Although the film is likely to impress those with regressive mindsets, giving them plenty to laugh at, Oru Jaathi Jathakam suffers from subpar writing too overall. Many scenes seem to exist solely to accommodate jokes, resulting in a lack of narrative cohesion. Consequently, despite its relatively short runtime of just over 120 minutes, the film starts to feel unnecessarily prolonged, lacking sufficient substance to sustain its length. By the final act, a series of mini-twists unfold one after another, but instead of adding intrigue, they become overwhelming and excessive.

Despite its many problematic elements, director M Mohanan demonstrates that he has kept up with modern filmmaking techniques. Visually, Oru Jaathi Jathakam never feels like the work of the same filmmaker behind Aravindante Athidhikal (2018), Manikyakkallu (2011) or Katha Parayumpol (2007) and that too in a good way. However, what’s missing here is the sincerity that characterised his earlier films.

Although the film is likely to impress those with regressive mindsets, giving them plenty to laugh at, Oru Jaathi Jathakam suffers from subpar writing too overall. (Credit: Instagram/@orujaathijaathakam)

Unlike Mukundan Unni Associates, where he delivered a sharp performance with a deadpan expression, as was required, Vineeth Sreenivasan takes an entirely uninhibited approach here. The exaggerated portrayal of Jayesh works in his favour, effectively capturing the caricature-like essence of the character. Amal Thaha also stands out as Jayesh’s friend Aneesh, bringing a refreshing energy to the comedic moments. Though the movie features several female characters, it has done little to develop them meaningfully. Even those with significant screen time, such as Jayesh’s mother and sister, are underwritten and if any of them leave an impression, it is solely due to the actors’ performances rather than the script. Nikhila Vimal, meanwhile, impresses in a minor role that barely taps into her comedic potential. It’s also a welcome sight to see Shaun Romy back on screen, though her role does little justice to her abilities.

Another major flaw of Oru Jaathi Jathakam is the excessive use of background music. Particularly in the first act, the comedic score is so over-the-top that it often undermines the already fragile humour, making it feel forced. However, Guna Balasubramaniam’s songs are decent. Viswajith Odukkathil’s cinematography and Ranjan Abraham’s editing are also good, while Rafi Kannadiparamba’s costume design and Joseph Nellickal’s production design deserve praise.

Oru Jaathi Jathakam movie cast: Vineeth Sreenivasan, Nikhila Vimal, Babu Antony, Kayadu Lohar, Sayanora Philip, Indu Thampy, Pooja Mohanraj
Oru Jaathi Jathakam movie director: M Mohanan
Oru Jaathi Jathakam movie rating: 1.5 stars