Joji: A Play of Authoritarian Parenting

INTRODUCTION

The movie starts with Poppy (Alser Alex), who is a socially withdrawn unhappy grandson of Mr Kuttapan (authoritarian head of the Panachel family), ordering an air gun using Kuttappan’s netbanking account without his knowledge. This act of delinquency is misdirected by Kuttappan (PN Sunny) towards Joji (Fahadh Fasil), his youngest son and the film’s lead character, who assumes him to be the miscreant and a loser, in the form of harsh punishment. Kuttappan, a widower and the head of the Panachel family, is depicted as a strict patriarchal authoritarian father who expresses no warmth towards his family members, gives harsh punishments, and controls the finances and other important family decisions. His control over financial matters is illustrated when he physically abuses Joji over his investment in horse-trading and also does not permit Jaison (Joji Mundakkayam), his second son, to buy an apartment in the city.

Joji is unsuccessful in most of his ventures to earn easy money and is seen spending most of the days loitering around. He is financially dependent on his father and is restricted to express his emotions in the family as depicted by his silent anguish when alone in his room. He manipulates Poppy to reveal details of online transactions with an aim to steal money from Kuttappan’s account for his aspirations.

Jaison, husband of Bincy (Unnimaya), is a hardworking family man, living by the societal norms, managing the family finances like a clerk for his father, but without any respect or recognition. His submissiveness and under-confidence cause struggles in the relationship between his father and his wife. He is anxious while discussing topics of his interest with his father, elder brother, or the priest. He finds it difficult to express his disagreement with significant others.

The patriarchal nature of the family is evident when Bincy is made to indulge in household chores like an unpaid maid.

The movie takes a turn when Kuttappan suffers from a stroke. Kuttappan’s eldest son, Jomon (Baburaj), who is a divorcee and the father of Poppy, becomes the new head of the family after his father’s serious condition. Being a single authoritarian parent along with his regular alcohol use would probably explain the distressed behavior of his son. Some of Kuttappan’s family members see an opportunity for financial inheritance anticipating his death following serious health conditions and his recovery is seen as the loss of this opportunity. Joji secretly hatches a plan to murder him and succeeds with masked support from Bincy. Following their father’s death, Jomon goes against social and religious norms when he decides to burst crackers at his funeral. He shows his authority by protecting the family from rumors circulating regarding their involvement in their father’s death and also when he reminds the priest that the church is indebted to the Panachel family due to their generous donations.

Joji successfully murders Kuttappan but the subsequent chain of events to cover up the act ends in murdering his elder brother Jomon (Baburaj) as well. When Jaison, who is suspicious of Joji’s heinous act and refuses to fall for his manipulations, Joji attempts suicide blaming society for his decisions. Many of the behavioral problems portrayed by Joji, including defiance, impulsivity, disruptiveness, aggression, antisociality, and self-harm is related to psychosocial factors of his dysfunctional family.