Jhola (Movie Review)

Jhola; a movie based on the real picture of the Nepalese society of around a century ago regarding Sati system is written by Krishna Dharabasi.

 The story is supposed to have been written on the basis of a story that Dharabasi found out from a leaf booklet kept in a bag from where the name is taken bag (Jhola in Nepali). The story originally is mentioned to have taken place in Bhojpur district. The movie is based on the ill practices which were existed in the name of culture and tradition.

Through the movie, it highlights patriarchy to have been dominant showing male supremacy. This, we can see by the help of several plots where women agree to everything that a man tells her to do even to the cruelty of burning themselves alive in the pyre of their husband considering her a Sati. Not only this, but there are small plots where females are considered inferior to that of males like while the Priest (Pandit) tells the main character Kanchhi not to cry being a Sati instead to embrace the reality. The brutality of men throwing stones at another Sati towards the end while she attempted to run from the pyre of her husband is also shown.

            The practice of marrying a girl or a woman after a man’s wife dies was considered to be totally just but women who had re-married also had to burn themselves alive for them which also raises voice against patriarchy. Besides this, the movie also shows how Kamaiya system was also prevalent during that time through the help of Murali’s elder son from his first wife. This was also one of the social malpractices that existed during that time. Likewise, about the overall presentation of the movie, the traditional practices existing at that time portraying the roles of the characters including the scenario of that time is well presented.   

Through the movie, the audience could have a clearer view and perception of the society where the female section were always dominated where it is shown how if these women would dare to raise their voice against the patriarchal system they would consider them insane and banish from the village itself as the boy’s (Ghanashyam) uncle (kaka) had told his wife not to utter such thing while she bursted out while Kanchi (the main character) was being prepared to go for Sati. 

The boy is shown to have a kind of inferiority complex of being harassed by Rame and his brother. Not only has that but the movie also showed how a child’s mind being disturbed due to the societal aspect is also shown.

Therefore, as a whole the movie being a historical one tries to show how women were suppressed and dominated and even if men also wanted to change the system they wouldn’t be able to but later Chandra Shumsher finally ended the system in 1977 BS.