Juice (2017 film)
{{short description|Indian Hindi-language Short film}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2021}}
{{Use Indian English|date=March 2021}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Juice
| image = Juice2017film.jpg
| caption = Movie poster
| director = Neeraj Ghaywan
| producer = Lalit Prem Sharma
| writer = Ranjan Chandel
Neeraj Ghaywan
Suraj Majhi
| starring = Shefali Shah
| music = Aloknanda Dasgupta
| cinematography = Raaj Binder
| editing = Nitin Baid
| studio =
| distributor = Royal Stag Barrel Select Large Short Films
| released = {{Film date|2017|11|22|df=y|}}
| runtime = 15 minutes
| country = India
| language = Hindi
| budget =
}}
Juice is a 2017 Indian Hindi-language drama short film directed by Neeraj Ghaywan and produced by Lalit Prem Sharma. Exploring the theme of gender inequality, it stars Shefali Shah as Manju Singh, a woman who is hosting a get-together of families along with her husband Brijesh (Manish Chaudhari) during a particularly hot evening. The film released to critical acclaim for its subject, direction and particularly Shah's performance. It won two Filmfare Short Film Awards at the 63rd Filmfare Awards, including Best Short Film (Fiction) and Best Actress in a Short Film for Shah.
Plot
On a particularly hot evening, Brijesh and Manju Singh are hosting a get-together of families. While the men stay in the living room conversing about everyday issues, the women are in the kitchen, fixing a meal for their husbands.
Cast
The film's cast is as follows:{{cite news |title=Juice Movie |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/movie-details/juice/movieshow/64553064.cms |access-date=18 March 2022 |work=The Times of India |publisher=The Times Group}}
- Shefali Shah as Manju Singh
- Manish Chaudhari as Brijesh Singh
- Kiran Khoje as Parbhatiya (Maid)
- Raviza Chauhan as Rajni Shukla
- Shreedhar Dubey as Abhay Shukla
- Kanika Dang as Sarla Dubey
- Chitranjan Tripathi as Utpal Dubey
- Pubali Sanyal as Puja Sanyal
- Suman Mukhopadhyay as Shubodeep Sanyal
- Shahnawaz Pradhan as Faiz Khan
Production
Ghaywan conceived the idea for the script on his own memories of watching the dynamics between men and women in his own house as a child. He said,
{{blockquote|"I have grown up seeing in my family circles the men being sexist and misogynistic while the women would be squeezed into the kitchen. The living room has been an area of male entitlement. Women automatically take the route of the kitchen. And children see this, internalising it. I also found that popular culture looks down on housewives."{{cite news |last1=Bhatt |first1=Neha |title=A new generation of filmmakers is putting home-bound women in the spotlight |url=https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/movies/a-new-generation-of-filmmakers-is-putting-home-bound-women-in-the-spotlight/article21821285.ece |access-date=18 March 2022 |work=The Hindu |date=16 December 2017 |language=en-IN}}}}
Themes
Reema Roy, a scholar from Asutosh College, said Juice "exposed the misogyny hidden in the bone marrow of our male-dominated society".{{cite journal |last1=Roy |first1=Reema |title=A descriptive study of the Content Orientation of Selected Contemporary Indian Short Films |journal=Global Media Journal |date=June 2020 |volume=12 |issue=1 |pages=17–19 |url=http://gmj.manipal.edu/issues/june2020/8.pdf |location=Asutosh College |language=en |issn=2249-5835}} The journal Annals of the Romanian Society for Cell Biology asserts the film shows the "power which the patriarchy exhibits on the other" where "women are supposed to live a life of adjustment".{{cite journal |last1=Harsha |first1=Balagopal A. M. |title=Mirrored Roles; Gender Stereotypes In Indian Shortfilms |journal=Annals of the Romanian Society for Cell Biology |date=30 April 2021 |volume=25 |issue=4 |pages=17640–17644 |url=https://annalsofrscb.ro/index.php/journal/article/view/7840/5786 |location=Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham |language=en |issn=1583-6258}}
India Today{{'}}s Nisha Singh calls the film "a commentary on how women are treated at their homes, irrespective of which strata of the society one belongs to."{{cite news |last1=Singh |first1=Nisha |title=Quarantine Curation: 10 short films to watch on YouTube if you are bored of OTT platforms |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/binge-watch/story/quarantine-curation-10-short-films-to-watch-on-youtube-if-you-are-bored-of-ott-platforms-1671555-2020-04-27 |access-date=18 March 2022 |work=India Today |date=27 April 2020 |language=en}}
Release
The film was released on 22 November 2017 by Royal Stag Barrel Select Large Short Films.{{cite news |last1=Sharma |first1=Priyanka |title=Our female stars are experimenting far more than their male counterparts: Neeraj Ghaywan |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/neeraj-ghaywan-short-film-juice-starring-shefali-shah-4951136/ |access-date=18 March 2022 |work=The Indian Express |date=23 November 2017 |language=en}}
Reception
=Critical response=
Juice opened to critical acclaim and notice.{{cite news |title=Shefali Shah bags best actress for her short film Juice at Filmfare awards! |url=https://www.mid-day.com/entertainment/bollywood-news/article/shefali-shah-bags-best-actress-for-her-short-film-juice-at-filmfare-awards--18973160 |access-date=18 March 2022 |work=Mid-Day |date=24 January 2018 |language=en}} Pradeep Menon wrote of the film, "It is a simple, engaging film, one that’s completely worth your time because Shefali Shah powers the film with her words as well as her silence."{{cite news |last1=Menon |first1=Pradeep |title=Juice short film review: Shefali Shah anchors Neeraj Ghaywan's story about patriarchy in Indian homes |url=https://www.firstpost.com/entertainment/juice-short-film-review-shefali-shah-anchors-neeraj-ghaywans-story-about-patriarchy-in-indian-homes-4226183.html |access-date=18 March 2022 |work=Firstpost |date=24 November 2017 |language=en}} Kriti Tulsiani of News18 called it "a powerful short film" which provides "an unfazed if taciturn look at the normalized patriarchy and misogyny in middle-class Indian homes".{{cite news |last1=Tulsiani |first1=Kriti |title=Juice Short Film Review: Watch It Till Shefali Shah's Last Gaze |url=https://www.news18.com/news/movies/juice-short-film-review-shefali-shahs-steady-gaze-pierces-deep-into-the-normalised-patriarchy-of-indian-middle-class-households-1587007.html |access-date=18 March 2022 |work=News18 |date=25 November 2017 |language=en}} According to Hindustan Times, "Neeraj creates the perfect stage for traditional misogyny almost in-built in our blood."{{cite news |title=Juice review: Neeraj Ghaywan puts everyday misogyny in sharp focus. Watch video |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/tv/juice-review-neeraj-ghaywan-puts-everyday-misogyny-in-sharp-focus-watch-video/story-ROZBoGanUUm4CxiOTcg8nL.html |access-date=18 March 2022 |work=Hindustan Times |date=26 November 2017 |language=en}} Suresh Mathew of The Quint praised it as a "must watch film" which "takes an unyielding and cold look at the way patriarchy operates in our homes".{{cite news |last1=Mathew |first1=Suresh |title='Juice' Is an Unflinching Stare at Everyday Male Entitlement |url=https://www.thequint.com/entertainment/juice-short-film-neeraj-ghaywan-masaan |access-date=18 March 2022 |work=The Quint |date=24 November 2017 |language=en}} Scroll.in noted the film's use of subtext.{{cite news |title=Watch: A house party gets a tart edge in Neeraj Ghaywan's short film 'Juice' |url=https://scroll.in/reel/858881/watch-a-house-party-gets-a-tart-edge-in-neeraj-ghaywans-short-film-juice |access-date=18 March 2022 |work=Scroll.in |date=23 November 2017}}
Shah's lead performance won positive notice. Menon commended how she "emotes primarily through her expressions" and "makes light work of showing us her reluctant patience, her building frustration and eventual release". Tulsiani wrote that "Shah's unfazed gazes convey more than words will ever say." and further noted, "Shah is in top form and a testament to her acting prowess is a scene wherein she just leers at the sound of knife piercing into a carrot piece by piece." Mathew said, "Shefali Shah, as always, hits it out of the park with her stellar performance. Her silence speaks volumes."
Accolades
| class="wikitable"
!Year !Award !Category !Nominee/Work !Result !Ref. |
| rowspan="2" |2018
| rowspan="2" |Filmfare Short Film Awards |Best Short Film (Fiction) |{{won}} |
| Best Actor (Female) in a Short Film
|{{won}} |
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb title|tt7695134}}
- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-Sk7fQGIjE&t=773s Juice] on YouTube
- [https://www.largeshortfilms.com/barrel-select-indian-short-films/juice Juice] on Large Short Films
Category:Films about women in India
Category:Indian feminist films
Category:2010s Hindi-language films
Category:Indian drama short films
Category:Indian direct-to-video films