‘Jeta’ is a strong answer to ‘Justice denied’

Jeta poster
Rating: na
Producers: Ramesh Deo Production (P) Ltd. & Lokmat Entertainment
Director: Ajinkya Deo, Amol Shetge
Story-Screenplay: Ajinkya Deo, Amol Shetge |
Music: Vaishali Samant
Lyrics: Vaibhav Joshi
Camera: Dhananjay Kulkarni
Cast: Ramesh Deo, Seema Deo, Ajinkya Deo, Manava Naik, Aniket Kelkar, Hemangi Mahabaleshwarkar, Atharva Undale, Sandeep Mehta, Prasad Oak, Aditya Shah, Ranjeet Jog, Kaustubh Diwan, Sharad Ponkshe, Ravi Patwardhan, Sanjay Kshemkalyani, Janardan Parab, Atul Joshi
Movie Review by: Ulhas Shirke

Martin Luther King, Jr. once said: “Justice denied anywhere diminishes justice everywhere.” Based on the ideology behind such thoughtful utterances, Ramesh Deo Productions and Lokmat Entertainment Pvt. Ltd., have come up with a strong answer to an existing situation in the society, where justice is denied to a father, who is the only witness to his daughter’s murder. “If the hands of Law were strong enough, no one would dare to commit a crime, says Prof. Yashwant Rajadhyaksha, (played by Veteran actor Ramesh Deo) a retired professor of law, in the concluding part of the film. ‘Jeta’ has such a strong subject that is pushed with equally interesting screenplay supported by sensible dialogues to create awareness in the society. In short, it is a message to law makers.
The film opens up with an old couple Mr. & Ms. Rajadhyaksha (Ramesh Deo and Seema) remembering their daughter Shweta (Manava Naik) , who is murdered by three youngsters of influential parents. Very cleverly the director has used the lyrics of the song ‘Ya Sukhano Ya..’ reminding both about their longtime association. Shweta, who is making a documentary film on a village –Kalambi, (as part of her project in college)which is being redeveloped in the name of SEZ, by exploiting the rural poor. She gets a strong support from a protagonist Prabhakar Pannicker (Sharad Ponkshe) a leftist, and other villagers. The three youngsters later murder Shweta while attempting to collect the evidence against them and that too in the presence of her father, who puts up a brave fight.
The case is heard in the court of law and the three criminals get away with the crime, for want of sufficient evidence. Helpless Professor is then encouraged by his wife to take revenge and the professor takes his revenge in his own style, by killing two out of three killers using his well planned methodology. An ACP Vikrant Marathe( Ajinkya Deo) steps in to investigate the murders. This is where the screenplay takes a new twist. Prof. Rajadyaksha does succeed in his mission for the third time, but he gets the timely support from another person. And, this time, his beloved wife is present to watch that scene. The next day, the couple take leisurely walk at the sea shore, having completed their mission successfully. But, this time, the professor has a message, “Come forward and fight injustice, be a ‘Jeta’, yourself. Have courage to fight your own battle.”
The film has the touches of popular Bollywood film ‘Andhaa kanoon’ and recently released Marathi film ‘Second Inning’. However, looking at the efforts put in by director duo- Ajinkya Deo and Amol Shetge, it is certainly a good presentation to create that desired impact on the audience. Screenplay and dialogues match well with the main theme, which is ‘revenge’. Every important scene is well supported by suitable sound effects and background music. Lyrics by Vaibhav Joshi and music by Vaishali Samant also go well with the screenplay. Both have also tried a song on RD style in a Disco with the help of suitable light effects. Editing by Sarvesh Parab is satisfactory, as you don’t feel bored anytime during the film. Photography by Dhananjay Kulkarni is also impressive.

Seema

It was nice to watch the veteran couple together after a long time. And, both Ramesh Deo and Seema have performed well. Seema in particular was at her best in that sequence where she encounters ACP with battle of words. Even the interaction between Sharad Ponkshe and Ajinkya Deo during investigation process, extracts the best from these two talented artistes. Manava naik and other artistes in the film support well.
The film has successfully managed to present a theme, which is so relevant in today’s time, when some of the dreaded criminals are making a mockery of our system, finding the loopholes. Is it a right thing to kill such dreaded criminals in a fake encounter? And, the film has the answer. Hopefully, such a film with a sensational theme should receive a good response from Marathi film lovers.