Ajji

Ajji (transl. Granny) is an Indian Hindi-language drama film directed by Devashish Makhija.[3][4] The film stars Sushama Deshpande,[5] Sharvani Suryavanshi, Abhishek Banerjee, Sadiya Siddiqui, Vikas Kumar, Manuj Sharma, Sudhir Pandey, Kiran Khoje, and Smita Tambe in major roles.[6] "Ajji" has been positioned as a dark take on the classic fairy tale, "Red Riding Hood". The film is backed by Yoodlee Films, a production venture of Saregama.The film won the Fresh Blood competition at the Beaune International Thriller Film Festival, France 2018.[7] Sushama Deshpande, who played ‘Ajji’ won The Flame Award at the UK Asian Film Festival and received a special jury mention for her performance in the film at the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA).[8] Ajji was officially invited to compete at the 2017 Busan International Film Festival (BIFF)[9] and was showcased in the New Currents section of the 22nd Korean film extravaganza.[10] Ajji was also a part of the Mumbai Film Festival (MAMI) which took place 12–18 October and was played as a part of the India Gold category.[11][12] Other official selection for festivals include Dharamshala International Film Festival, Singapore International Film Festival[13][14] and Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival. The film was nominated for the Netpac Award at the 2018 Rotterdam International Film Festival.[15] The film was released on 24 November 2017.[16][17] Ajji is now available on Netflix.[18]

Ajji
Film poster
Directed byDevashish Makhija
Produced by
  • Vikram Mehra
  • Siddharth Anand Kumar
Written byDevashish Makhija
Screenplay by
Story by
Starring
Music byMangesh Dhakde
CinematographyJishnu Bhattacharjee
Edited byUjjwal Chandra
Production
company
Distributed by
Release date
  • 24 November 2017 (2017-11-24)
Running time
104 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageHindi
Budget₹35 million[1]
Box office₹0.85 million[2]

Synopsis

When Ajji's 10-year-old granddaughter is raped, she finds that the police are unable to arrest the culprit as he is a local politician's son. Ajji decides to take matters into her own hands.

Cast

Development

Jishnu Bhattacharjee is the cinematographer of the film. The film has been edited by Ujjwal Chandra, while the casting credits go to Abhishek Banerjee and Anmol Ahuja. Sikander Ahmad, Shamim Khan and Tiya Tejpal are the production designers of the film.

Soundtrack

The music of the film has been given by Mangesh Dhakde with Kaamod Kharade working as sound designer and Aditya Yadav as sound editor.

Critical reception

The film majorly received positive reviews from critics.

The Hollywood Reporter termed it as one of India's strongest independents this year.[19] Renuka Vyavahare of The Times of India rated the film 4 out of 5 stars.[20] Kunal Guha of Mumbai Mirror also rated it 4 stars out of 5, saying "Devashish Makhija's film manages to keep one on the edge."[21] Subhash K. Jha said that "cinema cannot get any more basic or honest than this" and gave the movie 4 out of 5 stars.[22] Movie Talkies gave the film 4/5 stars and wrote that "the cinematographer deserves a pat on the back for highlighting the dark and dingy underbelly of Mumbai."[23]

Deccan Chronicle gave the movie 3.5 out of 5 stars calling it a standout film with a medieval, moral soul.[24] Giving Ajji 3 stars out of 5, Anupama Chopra said that "Devashish is a master of atmosphere. He skillfully sets up a deep dread."[25] Movie critic Rajeev Masand said, "It took me a long time to get the film out of my head" and gave it 3/5 stars.[26] Daily News and Analysis gave the movie 3.5 out of 5 stars stating that "Ajji is not for the faint hearted."[27] Glamsham called it a "bloody gruesome 'cut' above indie and rated the film 3.5 out of 5 stars.[28] Rohit Vats of Hindustan Times gave the film 3 out of 5 stars calling it "An unpretentious revenge saga served with proper dose of blood and gore"[29]

Filmfare rated the movie 2.5 out of 5 stars and called it "a film strictly for fans of dark and delicious cinema."[30] Trade analyst Komal Nahta said that "Ajji is too dark and depressing to make a mark at the box office".[31]

Other Reviews :

"Ajji is like no other revenge drama" - Arré[32]

"Ajji makes for bold and gritty viewing, but it is essential" - Cinestaan[33]

"Must watch Indie film of the year" - Screen Anarchy[34]

"Ajji, in a way, is a flesh-and-blood product of 'realism' films" - Film Companion[35]

"Direct & Effective" - Screen International[36]

References
  1. "Vikram Mehra On How Yoodlee Films Is Marrying Good Content With Smart Budgets". Retrieved 19 November 2017.
  2. "Ajji - Movie - Box Office India". Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  3. Priyadarshini, Ananya (5 November 2017). ""Ajji", An Upcoming Rape Revenge Based Movie Which India Needs To Watch". The Indian Feed. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
  4. "The Cancers of Devashish Makhija's "AJJI" - India Independent Films". indiaindependentfilms.com. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
  5. Ramnath, Nandini. "Sushma Deshpande on transforming herself into a vengeful grandmother for 'Ajji'". Scroll.in. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
  6. Makhija, Devashish, Ajji, Manuj Sharma, Sudhir Pandey, Kiran Khoje, retrieved 19 September 2017
  7. "Yoodlee Films' 'Ajji' wins prestigious awards at international film festivals | Free Press Journal". Free Press Journal. 26 April 2018. Retrieved 24 July 2018.
  8. "Devashish Makhija's 'Ajji' receives global acclaim for its hard-hitting and realistic content". dna. 26 April 2018. Retrieved 24 July 2018.
  9. "Ajji invited to compete at Busan International Film Festival". Retrieved 19 September 2017.
  10. "'Ajji' invited to compete at Busan International Film Festival". Business Standard India. Press Trust of India. 11 September 2017. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
  11. "'Injustice finds its way into most of my stories'". The Indian Express. 10 October 2017. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
  12. "Mumbai Film Festival 2017: Your Guide To Picking The Best Films From The Line-up". Huffington Post India. 18 September 2017. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
  13. "'The Brawler', 'Ajji' to screen at Singapore Film Festival". Business Standard India. Press Trust of India. 25 October 2017. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
  14. S, Sahana. "Top 6 films at 28th Singapore International Film Festival". International Business Times, Singapore Edition. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
  15. "Rotterdam International Film Festival (2018) - IMDb". IMDb. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  16. "'Ajji' to release country wide on November 24". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  17. Pandya, Sonal. "Festival film Ajji to be released in theatres on 24 November". Cinestaan. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  18. "Ajji | Netflix". www.netflix.com. Retrieved 24 July 2018.
  19. "'ajji': Film Review | Busan 2017". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
  20. "Ajji Movie Review, Trailer, & Show timings at Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
  21. "Ajji movie review: Devashish Makhija's film manages to keep one on the edge - Mumbai Mirror -". Mumbai Mirror. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
  22. "Ajji Is A Horrifying Mirror Image Of Poverty - SKJ Bollywood News". skjbollywoodnews.com. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
  23. "Grandma's Recipe For Revenge - Movie Talkies". Movie Talkies. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
  24. "Ajji movie review: A standout film with a medieval, moral soul". deccanchronicle.com/. 25 November 2017. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
  25. "Ajji Movie Review". Retrieved 27 November 2017.
  26. "Ajji: While Potent and Rattling, This Film is Not For the Faint-Hearted". News18. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
  27. "Review: 'Ajji' is not for the faint-hearted | Latest News & Updates at Daily News & Analysis". dna. 25 November 2017. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
  28. "Movie Review: AJJI - A bloody gruesome 'cut' above indie". Glamsham. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
  29. "Ajji movie review: An unpretentious revenge saga served with proper dose of blood and gore". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  30. "Movie Review: Ajji". filmfare.com. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
  31. Filmy Box Office (24 November 2017), Ajji Movie Review by Komal Nahta on Z Etc | Story, Screenplay & Direction Review of Ajji Movie., retrieved 27 November 2017
  32. Arré (22 November 2017). "Why Ajji is Like No Other Indian Rape-Revenge Drama". Arré. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
  33. "Ajji review: Grandma goes rogue in this chilling revenge drama". www.cinestaan.com. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
  34. "Busan 2017 Review: Indian Revenge Drama AJJI is a Battlecry for Justice". ScreenAnarchy. 13 October 2017. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
  35. "Film Companion".
  36. "'Ajji': Busan Review". Screen. Retrieved 24 October 2017.

External References
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