Ajji had its world premiere at the Busan International Film Festival and was later featured at several prestigious international events, including the International Film Festival Rotterdam.
The violence in Ajji is visceral and messy. It is not "stylish" violence; it is ugly and difficult to watch. When Ajji strikes, it is with the clumsy but determined force of someone who has nothing left to lose. She castrates him, mirroring the violence done to her granddaughter, ending his reign of terror with a brutal finality.
: The film highlights how class and power dynamics dictate who receives justice. The perpetrator's political lineage acts as a shield, rendering the victim's family invisible to the state.
: By making an elderly, lower-caste woman the instrument of retribution, Makhija subverts traditional cinematic hero tropes. ajji 2017
The story follows a 10-year-old girl named Manda who is found brutally raped and dumped in a trash heap near her slum. Her parents, preoccupied with daily survival, are pressured by the local police to drop the case. The perpetrator, Dhavle, is the son of a powerful local politician, making him effectively untouchable by the law.
In a heartbreaking scene, the doctor and the police manipulate the narrative, suggesting Leela might have been "asking for it" or that the evidence is too flimsy to challenge the powerful. It is here that the film shifts genres. It ceases to be a social drama and transforms into a dark, grim fairy tale.
: The film uses the claustrophobic and grim setting of urban slums to mirror the characters' desperation. The cinematography by Jeevan J. Borkar emphasizes shadows and grit, contributing to the film's unsettling tone. Critical Reception and Impact Ajji had its world premiere at the Busan
Outside of cinema, the keyword "Ajji 2017" also appears in academic literature, specifically referring to the work of , a prominent researcher in chemical engineering. In 2017, his research team published significant findings on:
She finds Leela in the bushes. She is alive, but barely. She has been raped, brutalized, and left for dead. The horror is palpable, but Makhija doesn’t rely on graphic imagery to exploit the trauma; instead, he focuses on the aftermath—the silence of the victim and the stunned grief of the grandmother.
Ajji (2017), Directed by Devashish Makhija When Ajji strikes, it is with the clumsy
Critics praised the film for its "unflinching" and "raw" portrayal of violence and its psychological aftermath. Deshpande’s performance was particularly lauded for being understated yet profoundly powerful. Unlike many mainstream Bollywood productions, Ajji avoids sensationalizing the trauma, focusing instead on the cold, calculated necessity of the grandmother's actions.
Smita Tambe delivers a career-defining performance as Ajji. Her face is a mask of wrinkled benevolence, but her eyes hold a storm of grief and volcanic rage. Watching her transition from a weeping grandmother to a silent executioner is hypnotic. She doesn’t use a gun or a knife; she uses her frailty as camouflage. Men open doors for her. They offer her tea. They never see the needle coming.
The antagonist, the politician’s son, is a creature of privilege. He is slothful, entitled, and depraved. He never imagines that a threat could come from an old woman.