Once rebels fighting for their rights to their land, a young couple, Dasru and Vaano, have fled their tribal community in Jharkhand for a better and anonymous life in Mumbai, working in construction, and caring for their newborn daughter. When a ruthless political leader from their tribal area, Phulo Karma, shows up at their slum promoting a gargantuan development project, trauma-filled shadows from the life they’ve escaped furiously return to haunt them, sending them clinging for dear life.
With his trademark fervor, rawness and edge, writer-director Devashish Makhija (Ajji, IFFLA 2018) takes us through vast deforested voids of land, dark mazes of political corruption, and trails of bloodthirsty revenge, all under the despair-filled gaze of tribal men and women labeled as either rebels, sympathizers or traitors. Manoj Bajpayee (Gangs of Wasseypur, Aligarh, In the Shadows) delivers a gripping and poignant performance as the wronged father on the run with infant in tow, leading a stellar cast of A-listers that includes Tannishtha Chatterjee (Parched), a fantastic Mohd. Zeeshan Ayyub (Shahid) as an overworked newbie policeman, and a hair-raisingly sinister Smita Tambe (Ajji, Sacred Games). Action-packed, sophisticated storytelling keeps viewers holding their breath, while offering a vivid panorama of the complex realities facing India’s indigenous communities. Both specific to the world of its story and at the same time universal, Joram invites us to reflect upon the moral implications of the hefty price of “progress”.
Content Advisory: Themes of violence
Devashish Makhija
Devashish Makhija has written and directed multiple award-winning short films, including Taandav, El’ayichi, Agli Baar (And Then They Came for Me), Rahim Mure Pe Matro (Don’t Cry for Rahim Lecock), Absent, Happy, Cycle, and Cheepatakadumpa. His work in the feature-length space includes Ajji (Granny), Bhonsle, and his latest film, Joram.
