KALI JOTTA
Cert 15
130 mins
BBFC advice: Contains sexual threat
Second up on a day of watching world cinema in Bradford was the much-acclaimed Punjabi drama, Kali Jotta.
And, while we applauded its intentions and the high quality of Neeru Bajwa's performance, we felt that the balance of the film could have been better.
In essence, too long was spent on a romance played out in the first hour of Vijay Kumar Arora's picture and its important, gritty denouement was rushed into little more than 10 minutes.
Kali Jotta stars Wamiqa Gabbi as a headstrong young lawyer who returns to her school in search of an inspirational teacher, Rabia. (Bajwa).
She is bewildered to find that she is no longer working and doesn't live at her previous address.
Thus, she attempts to trace her story to discover what has happened to her.
Subsequently, most of the first half of Kali Jotta reflects Rabia's joyful student days when she falls in unrequited love with one of her college peers (Satinder Sartaaj).
The action then moves on to her delight at successfully applying for a Government job and becoming a teacher, well-loved by her pupils.
And then the remarkable downward spiral begins.
There is no doubt that Kali Jotta's heart is in the right place as it highlights the persecution of women in the workplace.
Unfortunately, this aspect and its important conclusion are quickly skated over because so long is spent on the will they/won't they love story.
And what is meant to be a biting courtroom finale simply lacked realism or credibility.
However, it does need to be stated that Bajwa is terrific, bringing her impressive range to a film which certainly is important despite my reservations about its overall execution
Reasons to watch: Neeru Bajwa's heartrending performance
Reasons to avoid: Its important aspects are rushed
Laughs: None
Jumps: One
Vomit: None
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 6.5/10
Did you know? The low participation of women in India's labour force is largely due to gender discrimination in terms of wages and opportunities, a report by Oxfam said in September 2022. India's female work participation rate was just 25% for 2021, according to federal government data - among the lowest for emerging economies.
The final word. Satinder Sartaj: "We are very happy to be a part of a very beautiful film, a simple and budding love story. It was a great experience working with Neeru Bajwa and Wamiqa Gabbi for the first time."
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