'Gaami' Movie Review

'Gaami' Movie Review

Cast: Vishwak Sen, Chandini Chowdary, Abhinaya, Mohammed Samad, Dayanand Reddy, Mayank Parak, John, Haarika Pedada and others.

Music: Naresh Kumaran

Cinematography: Vishwanath Reddy

Screenplay: Vidyadhar Kagita - Pratyush Vatyam

Producer: Kartheek Sabarish

Writer - Director: Vidyadhar Kagita

'Gaami' is a film that has been making a lot of buzz in recent times. After struggling for six years, the makers finally brought this movie on to the big screens. Vishwak Sen is the hero while Vidyadhar Kagita made his debut as a director with this movie. The stunning promos and high standard quality have amazed the audience. The expectations were raised and let us see if 'Gaami' reached them or not.

Story:

Shankar (Vishwak Sen) is suffering with a peculiar health issue. When a person touches him, he faces a bad sensation all over his body and suffers a lot. At a very young age, a Baba leaves him with Aghoras. Shankar doesn't know about his past and how he ended up with this problem. With Shankar's problem becoming a trouble for them, the Aghoras send him away. Shankar decides to find the Baba that left him and reaches Kumbh mela. He finds out that the cure for his problem is in the Himalayas. If he has Malipatra on Vaidratidhi which arrives once every 36 years, his problem gets solved. He takes up the journey to the Himalayas which is highly challenging and full of risks. Did his health get cured? The answer to this question will be answered on the big screens.

Analysis:

In the middle of all the routine movies, a few films hit the screens that are quite fresh and different from the rest. But no one can guarantee that those movies get box office success. Keeping the box office result aside, there are only a few filmmakers who strive to give a new experience to the viewers in every scene, to surprise them and to make them think. When you look at the promos of 'Gaami', we can understand that it belongs to this category. But few films show a lot of promise in trailers and songs but the same cannot be seen in the movie which ends up in huge disappointment. Some people thought that 'Gaami' might have belonged to the same category but that is not the case. Not just in the promos but 'Gaami' gives a never-seen-before experience throughout the movie. If we ignore the box office prospects and universal appeal of this film, 'Gaami' will end up having a new page in Telugu cinema history. It is a story that has been told on the Telugu screen till date. The visuals are something we have never seen before. It gives a unique experience to the audience as well.

Many crowd-funded films are set in limited indoor locations with a simple story. But it is a huge risk to take up a project like 'Gaami' with their limited resources. Many filmmakers compromise and limit their vision. But 'Gaami' makes you feel that you are watching a Hollywood standard movie in every frame. Not just in the scenes shot at the Himalayas but other scenes shot in the laboratory and other locations too have a lot of technical quality. The visuals wow you throughout. The visual effects should be praised a lot as some scenes give you a feeling that the makers have spent hundreds of crores on it. While the narration is quite slow, we watch the film with a lot of curiosity and have a fear of missing something amazing if we divert our attention. The director is successful in maintaining the suspense throughout and his brilliance is on full display during this period.

The story of 'Gaami' has a lot of complications. It is difficult to explain the movie's story. It cannot be explained completely but the interest should be maintained throughout along with sustaining the suspense. But the director did all that effectively by creating magical visuals on the screen as well. We understand the aim of the hero but the other two tracks which run parallelly confuse the audience. They create a panic feeling among the viewers. Mainly, the young boy's track will create a sense of unrest as he becomes the subject of experiments in a laboratory. Though the track is a bit depressing, you are completely invested in what happened and will get curious to know if he survived it or not. The Devadasi episode is not that interesting. While the other two tracks have great visuals, the Devadasi track looks quite normal as it happens in a village. With the narration becoming slow, this track ends up boring you a bit.

It is Vishwak's adventurous journey to the Himalayas that will engage you the most. The visuals will arrest you. Though the logic goes for a toss at times, the entire track is very gripping and makes you root for the lead character. It would have been better if the director had explained what happened in the laboratory in a smooth manner. It is a bit all over the place. We get shocked after learning the secret of the hero's character. People who expect novelty will surely be impressed by it. The ending scenes are quite good as well. Overall, 'Gaami' has a unique concept and gives a new experience to the viewers. But the serious narration and panic-filled episodes at places might not be everyone's cup of tea. But people who are itching to watch something new should not miss this movie.

Performances:

Vishwak Sen started this film when he was a nobody. But he showed his talent and acting prowess through this role. His current image did not hinder 'Gaami' even by a little bit. With Vishwak getting completely covered from top to bottom throughout the movie, there was no need for him to showcase any variation in terms of physical appearance and body language. He spoke a lot through his expressions. Though he did not face huge challenges in terms of acting, he managed to leave a strong impact. 'Gaami' will always remain a special film in his career.

Chandini Chowdary as Jahnavi will impress you. Though her character isn't etched properly, Chandini gave her 100% for this movie. Her look is quite good and her hard work while shooting in touch situations is pretty much visible on the screen. Mohammed Samad and Harika Pedada excelled in their important roles. They managed to create sympathy for their characters. Abhinaya, Dayanand Reddy and Mayank Parak too did complete justice to their roles.

Technicians:

'Gaami' is a film that belongs to the technicians. Everyone left a strong stamp on this film. They worked very hard and their dedication made this movie very special. Naresh Kumaran's songs suits the story very well. The intensity in the movie has been maintained well through the background score. Cameraman Vishwanath Reddy's work should be specially talked about. We get a feeling that we are watching a visual wonder on the screen. The visuals are fantastic despite the budget limitations. Though the consistency took a beating due to extensive duration of the making, the camera work is phenomenal. Art work and visual effects are staggering as well. It is an extraordinary achievement to achieve this quality through a crowd funded movie. Telugu film industry found a unique talent in the form of Vidyadhar Kagita. His honesty and sincerity towards his movie should be appreciated. The script gives a very fresh feeling and the screenplay too is quite different. He did not compromise on his story and Vidyadhar should be appreciated for it. The output he gave within the limited budget is just astonishing. But the pacy narration and a few more high moments in the screenplay would have worked wonders for the movie.

Verdict: 'Gaami' - A New Page in Telugu Cinema

Rating - 2.75/5