With a title like that, it is difficult to fathom what the film is all about. A few minutes into the film, you get that it is the name of a local band around which the story is centred. The band is shown to be very popular in the small town of Kerala somewhere near Quilon. Though it says “youth”, the band has a mix of youngsters and elderly men. In fact, the band is captained by Jackson Vellayyan who is addressed as “Pappan” and is indeed revered as a fatherly figure. That he is an Ex-Serviceman contributes to the attention and respect he gets in the town. So, we get that he is the force behind the group and has a backstory.
The members live in a Poramboke land and have been living under a constant fear of eviction by the authorities for years together. The narrative veers quickly from showcasing the happy-go-lucky band to the struggles of the group who are victims of a class divide in society. In the midst of all this, a tragedy strikes the band early into the film as a result of the ongoing strife. In one of the most poignant scenes, I have recently seen in Malayalam films, the director Shamal Suleiman conveys the emotional trauma the band members go through day in and day out and therefore their resolve to put an end to all of it once for all. Suleiman also uses the brief opportunity he gets, to amplify the humiliation which the underprivileged have to go through in India even to this day.
You will not be alone if you assumed or guessed that the rest of the film would be about how the group gets over the tragedy and wins the David Vs Goliath battle in a typical “Annamalai” style Rajinikanth film. Here’s the twist being a Malayalam film with practically no stars! The film is indeed about the struggle and redemption of the underdogs but the ensuing narrative takes a different route for redemption.
What follows is a bizarre turn of events on the screenplay making us wonder what is going on. While being unbelievable at times, the proceedings however get very interesting with even the characters not knowing what exactly is happening. The Director gives it away a bit to the viewers by making certain scenes over cinematic and “massy”. You can make out that I am struggling to explain what happens in the film without putting out any spoilers!
The film falters towards the end when it seemed a bit hurried and incomplete but we get the drift. What we don’t get is, if the Jackson Bazaar people got the eviction monkey off their backs forever. They survive this phase only to continue the protest for another day, is what I gathered.
While there are no big names in the cast, the character actors chosen like Lukman Avaran, Jaffar Idukki, Indrans and Chinnu Chandini live their parts. Jaffar Idukki who we see usually playing the drunkard character with natural elan, is impressive as everyone’s Pappan. Govind Vasantha’s background score is haunting for most parts and is a huge plus for the film. The heavy use of the trumpet is understandable in the context of the “band” setting.
When the film ends, one gets the feeling that something was amiss. Yet, Jackson Bazaar Youth is eminently watchable for the different treatment of a very familiar theme. Notwithstanding the cinematic exuberance, the director still keeps us engaged throughout. It’s a one-time watch film for the performances and the novel treatment. The film is streaming on Amazon Prime.
AnandKumarRSonFilms 
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