Jo and Jo
| Jo & Jo | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Arun D. Jose |
| Written by |
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| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Ansar Shah |
| Edited by | Chaman Chakko |
| Music by | Govind Vasantha |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Icon Cinemas |
Release date |
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Running time | 133 minutes[2] |
| Country | India |
| Language | Malayalam |
| Box office | ₹26 crore (US$3.3 million)[3] |
Jo & Jo is a 2022 Indian Malayalam-language comedy film directed by Arun D. Jose in his directorial debut. The film is co-produced by Imagine Cinemas and Signature Studios. It is co-written by Arun D. Jose and Raveesh Nath. The film stars Mathew Thomas and Nikhila Vimal in the title roles, while Naslen K. Gafoor and Melvin G Babu are in the lead roles. The music is composed by Govind Vasantha.[4][5] The plot revolves around the lives of a group of youngsters in a village during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The film was released on 13 May 2022 to positive reviews from critics and became a super hit at box office.[6]
Plot[edit]
Set during the Covid-19 lockdown in Kerala, the plot revolves around two siblings, Jomol and Jomon (the titular Jo and Jo). Jomol is the elder daughter of Baby and Lilly and Jomon is her younger brother. Both are attending their college classes online, due to the pandemic. Jomol also conducts a tuition class for students at home. They are constantly at odds with each other due to Jomol's view that Jomon is lazy and has it easier due to being male and the younger child in the family. Jomon spends most of his free time with his two close friends Manoj Sundaran and Eby Kuruvilla. They spend their time secretly smoking and fishing at a local canal. Manoj has an unrequited crush on Jomol while Eby has a girlfriend in another village. He constantly tries to meet her but find it difficult due to the lockdowns in place.
Jomol with her keen perceptive skills exposes Jomon's every little mischief to their parents. All of these create a rift between the siblings. One day, Jomon finds a love letter addressed to "Jo" in their mailbox. Assuming it was meant for Jomol, he makes it his goal to find out Jomol's secret lover and seeks help from Manoj and Eby for this. Jomol also sees Jomon with the letter and assumes that the love letter was meant for him and resolves to similarly find who the writer was. She seeks help from her grandmother who lives with them.
Assuming that the author of the love letter drove a green motorcycle, Jomon and his friends attempt to find a similar vehicle. They eventually find two green motorcycles but realize that they were mistaken both times. They also track Jomol's phone so that they can find more evidence through her online chats. Jomol, similarly, is now keenly focused on Jomon's activities and finds and exposes his smoking to their parents. This results in an escalation of their conflict and Jomon angrily decides to leave home.
Eventually it is discovered that the author of the note was one of Jomol's tuition students who wrote it for Jomon, unbeknownst to him. Realizing their mistaken assumptions about each other, the two siblings make up.
Cast[edit]
- Nikhila Vimal as Jomol Palathara
- Mathew Thomas as Jomon Palathara
- Naslen K. Gafoor as Manoj Sundaran
- Melvin G Babu as Eby Kuruvilla
- Sagar Surya as Tuttu (Parishkaari)
- Johny Antony as Baby Palathara
- Sminu Sijo as Lillykutty Palathara
- Leena Antony as Annamma Palathara
- Hareesh Pengan as Ajith, Manoj's elder uncle
- Saniya Babu as Nimmy, Eby's girlfriend
- Santhosh Laxman as Kadakkaran
- Sameera Sabu as Indu (Captain Marvel), Jomon's girlfriend in WhatsApp
- Anjana Ashokan as Jomon's Wedding girl (Ellolam Thari song)
- Binu Adimali as Member Shibu
- Sreejith Ravi as SI Sudheer
- Kalabhavan Shajon as Saji, Indu's father (cameo appearance)
Production[edit]
The film was announced in mid-September. Its first look poster was revealed by actor Prithviraj Sukumaran on 16 October, Mathew's birthday.[citation needed]
Music[edit]
The music is composed by Govind Vasantha while the lyrics are co-written by Suhail Koya and Titto Thankachan.
Release[edit]
Theatrical[edit]
The film was released in theatres on 13 May 2022.
Home media[edit]
The digital rights of the film were acquired by Amazon Prime Video and started streaming it on 10 June 2022.[7]
Reception[edit]
Critical reception[edit]
The film received positive response from critics. Sanjith Sidhardhan of OTTPlay gave the film 3/5 stars and wrote "The script is replete with references and incidents during the lockdown that most of the youth as well as parents could connect with. And these evoke plenty of laughter, especially when it comes in the form of banter between three college students, who are stuck home."[8] Cris of The News Minute gave the film 2.5/5 stars and wrote "Film on sibling rivalry had promise, but failed to deliver."[9]
Deepa Soman of Onmanorama wrote "All the actors, be it Naslen, Mathew, Nikhila, Johny Antony, Sminu or those doing the supporting characters, have given their all to the wonderfully relatable everyday characters making this movie a safe bet as a weekend watch."[10] S. R. Praveen of The Hindu wrote "The entire movie gets a treatment similar to that of some light-hearted web series, but not all of the attempted jokes land effectively."[11] Sajin Shrijith of The New Indian Express gave the film 4/5 stars.[12]
References[edit]
- ^ "Jo and Jo movie release date". Times of India. 11 May 2022. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
- ^ "Jo & Jo". British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
- ^ Jacob, Jeemon. "Why small is beautiful in Mollywood". India Today. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
- ^ "'ജോ ആൻഡ് ജോയുമായി' മാത്യു, നസ്ലൻ, നിഖില വിമൽ". News18 Malayalam. 23 September 2021. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
- ^ Antony, Meriya (24 September 2021). "Nikhila Vimal, Mathew Thomas and Naslen to lead Jo and Jo". Onlookers Media. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
- ^ "'Jo and Jo' Twitter review: Netizens give a thumps up to Mathew Thomas - Naslen's comedy entertainer". The Times of India. 13 May 2022. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
- ^ "JO and JO OTT Release : സഹോദരങ്ങളുടെ കഥയുമായി ജോ ആൻഡ് ജോ ഒടിടി പ്ലാറ്റ്ഫോമിലെത്തി". Zee News Malayalam (in Malayalam). 10 June 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
- ^ Sidhardhan, Sanjith. "Jo and Jo movie review: This entertainer about sibling rivalry is arguably the most fun film set in the lockdown". OTTPlay. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
- ^ "Jo & Jo review: Film on sibling rivalry had promise, but failed to deliver". The News Minute. 13 May 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
- ^ Soman, Deepa (13 May 2022). "Jo and Jo review: Of sibling squabbles, fun and bonding during lockdown". Onmanorama.
- ^ Praveen, S. R. (14 May 2022). "'Jo & Jo' movie review, Mildly funny, and struggles to leave an impact". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
- ^ Shrijith, Sajin (17 May 2022). "Movie Review Jo and Jo| Laidback, stress-busting entertainment:". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
