After tackling issues like rape (Bodhon, 2022) and sexual harassment at the workplace (Noshtoneer, 2023), director Aditi Roy continues her exploration of pressing social justice issues with her latest web series, Lojja, streaming on Hoichoi.
Starring Priyanka Sarkar as a homemaker, Lojja delves into the insidious effects of verbal abuse in marriage. On the outside, Jaya (Priyanka Sarkar) seems to have a happy life with her husband Partha (Anujoy Chattopadhyay), their daughter and her mother-in-law. Behind closed doors, though, she is weighed down by Partha’s relentless verbal abuse. He belittles and gaslights her at every turn, sometimes with a motive, sometimes casually.
Through six episodes, numerous instances are strung together where Partha hurls a volley of jibes and cuss words at Jaya — in the bedroom, in the presence of their daughter, friends and other family members, and even in public places. This constant belittling and humiliation begins to erode Jaya’s confidence and self-esteem.
When the mental anguish and strain reaches a tipping point, Jaya decides to get psychological and legal help, and her determination to break free from this toxic cycle sets her ‘happy’ family spinning. Jaya’s friend Mou (Saoli Chattopadhyay) underscores the collective power of resisting injustice.
Lojja effectively throws light on the different shades that domestic abuse can take (it is not just physical violence) and the deep psychological damage that hurtful speech can cause, all of which in real life mostly go unnoticed and are brushed under the carpet.
Like in her previous series Noshtoneer, Aditi has designed Partha and Jaya’s circle of friends as voices representing a cross-section of social perspectives — some are supportive of the victim, while others are critical.
Priyanka plays Jaya with a raw vulnerability and quiet strength that makes the character’s journey from a shy, submissive homemaker to one who stands up for herself quite convincing. Anujoy Chattopadhyay brings Partha to life with chilling authenticity but this spiteful, manipulative character devoid of any remorse feels quite black-and-white.
What has also come to feel repetitive about many of Hoichoi's ‘socially-relevant shows’, including Lojja, is the formulaic nature of their storytelling. The trope of a married couple, with one as the perpetrator and the other as the victim-turned-rebel, with a bunch of predictable supporting characters taking sides, has been done to death. On top of that, the legal fight for justice in Lojja hasn’t even begun; the courtroom theatrics have been reserved for season two.