Jai Ganesh movie review: A loud Unni Mukundan is only one of the several problems in this weakly penned film

Ranjith Sankar’s Jai Ganesh, starring Unni Mukundan in the lead role, is now running in theatres

Ranjith Sankar’s Jai Ganesh, starring Unni Mukundan in the lead role, is now running in theatres. (Image: Unni Mukundan/Facebook)

Growing up, I always wondered why our movies never featured characters with disabilities in prominent roles, exploring their lives instead of relegating them to the background or using them as mere sources of comedy. However, upon encountering movies that depicted the stories of persons with disabilities (PwDs), my desire for such representation waned. This was due to filmmakers’ tendency to use PwDs as central figures solely to evoke melodramatic emotions, portraying their lives as filled with perpetual pain and sadness, reducing them to constant sources of tears. Unfortunately, such movies continued to be made, as filmmakers found it simpler to craft “touching” movies around their “struggles”. Ranjith Sankar’s Jai Ganesh, starring Unni Mukundan in the lead role, is the latest movie on the block with a person with a physical disability at the centre of the narrative, and it’s certainly not an easy watch.

An aspiring bike rider, Ganesh (Unni Mukundan), sees his life take a downward spiral after a fateful motorcycle accident costs him the mobility of his legs permanently. Confined to a wheelchair, Ganesh learns graphic design and joins a TV channel, which thrives on sensationalism. With a talent for ethical hacking, he secretly aids lawyer Parvathy Marar (Jomol) in solving complex cases under the guise of “Jai Ganesh”, a comic superhero character he has created. Facing constant ridicule and pity, Ganesh finds solace in his father (Ashokan) and a young boy named Ayaan, who lives in his building. Frustrated with his job and aspiring to publish his own comics, Ganesh meets Nidhi (Mahima), the owner of a new kids’ app. Together, they launch the Jai Ganesh comics through Nidhi’s app, which quickly becomes a success. Meanwhile, Ayaan, the son of an MLA, is kidnapped in front of Ganesh. Despite police efforts, the perpetrator remains elusive. Devastated by his inability to save Ayaan, Ganesh decides to assist the police using his tech skills. As they delve deeper, they uncover a motive beyond mere ransom: the perpetrator seeks to inflict suffering upon the MLA. The rest of the film explores whether Ganesh and the police can rescue Ayaan.

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From the outset, the movie’s perspective on Ganesh is unmistakably clear, and it is very similar to the privileged ableist gaze. The film wastes no time in showcasing the numerous “hardships” he faces daily. From having to sit on the floor while showering to a character questioning him about the urine bottle attached to his wheelchair and people saying “how sad” as soon as they meet him, Jai Ganesh’s choice of instances in the first few minutes itself underscores the way it is about to treat the character for the runtime of 125 minutes.

By “carefully” selecting moments that accentuate Ganesh’s misery and perpetual suffering, the film reinforces its lack of sensitivity towards the character. While Ganesh’s lament about his lack of friends and romantic prospects due to others’ pity or aversion towards him resonates with the experiences of many real-life people with disabilities, the movie too seldom portrays him as worthy until he begins showcasing his skills as a designer and hacker and eventually turns into a real-life version of the superhero character he created, as if suggesting that he (or any PwD for that matter) is worthy of attention and compassion only if highly-skilled.

Watch Jai Ganesh trailer here:

By consistently portraying others either pitying Ganesh or behaving poorly towards him, and predominantly eliciting sympathy, the film un/knowingly aligns with these treatments. Although these instances may have been included in the narrative to enhance his eventual triumph, the fact that Jai Ganesh rarely depicts him experiencing happiness is insensitive.

Beyond Ganesh’s portrayal, Ranjith’s inadequately crafted script often lacks depth even in ordinary moments. The only scenes that offer the film some relief are those when the clock is ticking. However, many of the usual scenes, including casual conversations between characters, lack a natural flow and the dialogue feels forced and artificial, prompting one to facepalm.

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At the same time, the film’s attempt to unnecessarily incorporate elements from Hinduism, seemingly for the sake of it, raises questions about whether they were included merely to align with Unni’s new image. Nidhi’s dialogue regarding people’s forgetfulness of superheroes in “Indian culture” and how Jai “Ganesh” could revive it makes it clear that the film is not talking about real-life superheroes but just Hindu gods, thus reinforcing the aforementioned observation. Additionally, the portrayal of a character, Uma Murthi, bearing a striking resemblance to Rajya Sabha MP and former chairperson of the Infosys Foundation Sudha Murty, prompts speculation about the movie’s underlying intentions disguised as a “superhero” film targeted at children.

Unni Mukundan’s performance, while occasionally genuine, tends to be overly loud, particularly given the numerous instances of Ganesh simply shouting at people throughout the film. His handling of emotional moments also comes across as amateurish. Paired with the lack of depth in the character, which renders everything rather superficial, Unni’s mediocre performance only exacerbates the situation. Even in casual moments, he seems unnecessarily intense, thus making the character appear even more aberrant.

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Unni Mukundan’s performance, while occasionally genuine, tends to be overly loud. (Image: Unni Mukundan/Facebook)

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“Thanks” to the shallowness of her character, Mahima also fails to provide anything substantial to the film. However, Ravindra Vijay and Ashokan stand out among the other actors. Vijay, portraying the antagonist on a suicide mission akin to Johnson (Kamal Haasan) in Chanakyan (1989), seeking vengeance for his daughter’s death due to harmful gas from a nearby dumping yard facilitated by Ayaan’s MLA father, adeptly handles the role, although it may remind viewers of Guru Somasundaram’s recent roles in Malayalam cinema. Ashokan excels as Ganesh’s father despite limited screen time, much like his recent performances.

Chandru Selvaraj’s cinematography partly salvages Jai Ganesh, particularly in the tense moments, but the thin script mostly undermines his efforts. Sangeeth Prathap’s editing, though neat, only manages to keep Jai Ganesh afloat to a limited extent. Like Unni Mukundan’s performance, Sangeeth Prathap’s background tracks are often overly loud and only occasionally complement the film effectively.

Jai Ganesh movie cast: Unni Mukundan, Mahima Nambiar, Ravindra Vijay, Jomol, Ashokan

Jai Ganesh movie director: Ranjith Sankar

Jai Ganesh movie rating: 2 stars

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