Joe (2023 film)

Joe is a 2023 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film written and directed by Hariharan Ram S. in his directorial debut. The film stars Rio Raj in the titular role as well as Malavika Manoj and Bhavya Trikha featuring in lead roles, whilst the plot of the film is formed around Joe's emotional journey about love. The film was released theatrically on 24 November 2023 to positive reviews from critics and completed 50 days at the box office.
Past (2008): In Rameshwaram, Joe and his friends participate in an inter-school competition at another school. While his friends prepare, Joe, along with his friends Ganesh and Santha, arrives late, angering their dance master, who forbids them from entering the school premises. However, they sneak in and encounter Vinoth, a student from the opposing school. A confrontation ensues, and Joe slaps Vinoth, who retaliates with a threat. Later, while searching for Santha, Joe gets into a physical altercation with Vinoth but manages to escape the competition with Santha and Ganesh.
Present (2019): At his bachelor party, Joe and his friends are enjoying drinks when he receives a call from his fiancée, Shruthi, informing him that she wants to cancel their wedding. However, Joe continues drinking throughout the night, and as the hours pass, he becomes nostalgic and starts reminiscing about his past memories from 2010.
Past (2010): Now a freshman at an engineering college, Joe falls deeply in love with Suchithra after witnessing her tears. He employs various tactics to win her heart and eventually succeeds, even defending her against a senior from Kerala. Although Suchithra reciprocates his love, her family disapproves of their relationship and confronts Joe, leading to a heated argument. During the altercation, Suchithra misinterprets Joe's actions, thinking he laid hands on her father, and tells him to leave. Joe, heartbroken, warns her that she will regret her decision. He departs from her house, seeking solace in alcohol to cope with the pain.
A few months have passed, and Joe remains heartbroken, now struggling with alcoholism. When his friends attempt to console him, a Facebook notification on Santha's phone catches his attention, revealing that Suchithra is engaged to another man. This news prompts Joe to disclose that he and Suchithra were actually married. He demands that his friends accompany him to Kerala to confront her. Upon arrival, they find the family mourning Suchithra's passing. Joe is met with violence from her cousins, who blame him for her death. However, Suchithra's father intervenes, threatening to harm them if they harm Joe. He reveals that Joe was not responsible for her suicide, but rather her unwavering loyalty to him. Even if she had married Joe, she couldn't shake off the memory of him slapping her father, which she saw as a humiliating incident.
Following the funeral, Joe struggles to cope with Suchithra's passing and turns to excessive alcohol consumption and violent altercations as a means to alleviate his heartache. He expresses regret for not clarifying his innocence to Suchithra and, in a moment of despair, mixes a substance into his drink, leading to a hospitalization. Upon his return, his mother confronts him, expressing disappointment in his naive belief in 'love at first sight' and the sacrifices they made for him. Joe then comes to realize that to overcome his past heartbreak and bring happiness to his parents, he must move forward and get married.
Present (2019): As preparations for Joe and Shruthi's wedding are underway, including Joe's bachelor party, Shruthi's father reassures her that Joe is the right man for her. However, Shruthi is still upset with Joe for proceeding with the wedding despite her request to cancel it, particularly after he tied the thaali around her neck. Before their first night together, Santha reveals to Joe that he was the one who answered Shruthi's call to cancel the wedding, clarifying the reason for Shruthi's anger during the ceremony. Shruthi continues to avoid Joe, fueled by anger and resentment. This leads to Joe getting drunk during a routine police stop, requiring Shruthi's father to bail him out. On the ride back home, Shruthi's father offers Joe a job at their college, suggesting that his distance from Shruthi is affecting their marriage. Upon returning from the police station, Joe faces Shruthi's wrath for involving her father in the incident. An argument ensues, and Shruthi becomes frightened when Joe tries to grab her to make his point.
Joe approaches Renu, Shruthi's sister, to inquire if there's an issue with their marriage. Renu reveals that although Shruthi was initially unenthusiastic about the marriage, she had hoped it would work out after the wedding and encourages Joe to be supportive and understanding. Joe then speaks with Shruthi's colleagues at the college, learning that she maintains a professional demeanor but seems to be holding back personally. Following a misunderstanding involving the college security, Padma, and Shruthi, Shruthi apologizes to Padma for jumping to conclusions and reassures her that she'll be fine. In a quiet moment, Shruthi leans on Padma's shoulder, regretting her behavior towards Joe. This change of heart comes after Renu discloses that Joe was drunk on the night Shruthi called to cancel the wedding, and Santha answered the call instead. Joe had been wanting to discuss this with Shruthi since their marriage. Feeling remorseful, Shruthi now wants to apologize and open up about her past.
After the school culturals, Joe searches for Shruthi, who has been called to resolve an issue between Renu and Shakthi, her ex-boyfriend. Joe addresses the problem, disciplining both Renu and Shakthi, and Shruthi apologizes for avoiding him and being rude. She reveals that there's another man in her life, and Joe decides to find him for her sake. They return to Joe's house, where they're welcomed, but Joe immediately leaves for the playground, and his friend Praveen drives Shruthi there. En route, Shruthi inquires about Suchithra's fate, and Praveen discloses that she committed suicide, causing harm to those close to her. Praveen suggests that Shruthi's decision to reunite with the other man is wise. At the playground, Shruthi wants to talk to Joe, but he has already found the man she was looking for and encourages her to meet him. To her surprise, the man is Vinoth, whom she had a crush on in school. However, Vinoth had inappropriately touched her during the 2008 inter-school competition, and Joe had saved her. Shruthi reveals that she has been searching for her rescuer, Joe, for the past decade, unaware that he was her husband all along. The pair finally reunite, happy to have found each other.
Hariharan Ram S. made his directorial debut through the film, and cast his friend Rio Raj in the titular role. Production on the film took place throughout 2022 for 37 days, and was completed by January 2023. Scenes were shot in places including Rameswaram, Dhanushkodi, Pollachi, Chennai, and Coimbatore.
The music was composed by Siddhu Kumar.
The film had a theatrical release on 24 November 2023 across Tamil Nadu. A critic from Times of India noted that the film "a decent romance that could have cut deeper" and "for a film involving college life and youth, it is a very mindful film that gets its political messaging right". A reviewer from Cinema Express wrote that "weak writing pulls down this well-executed film" and that "if only the writing was better planned, the film would have been more than just an 'average Joe'". A reviewer from South First wrote that "Hariharan Ram comes up with a satisfying romantic drama".