Garudan Review – A Distinctive Rural Subject with Engaging Screenwriting!

Ashwin Ram

Garudan is a rural drama starring Soori, Sasikumar and Unni Mukundan in the lead roles. The film is directed by R.S.Durai Senthilkumar of Kodi fame. Music is composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja.

Premise:

Sasikumar and Unni Mukundan are thick friends. Soori is a very loyal support system to Unni Mukundan and his family as they raised him. When a rift happens between the two friends, how Soori gets involved in it and how his act of righteousness impacts everyone’s life forms the remaining story.

Writing/ Direction:

It is quite rare to see rural films with a peculiar screenplay, just like Kidaari, this film has a narrative style of its own. There are some usual tropes of friendship and romance forming from saving one’s life, yet the core story is very fresh. Lot of angles and elements of depth has been given in writing and staging the subject, which makes the whole first half of the film gripping and unique. Despite strongly constructing the conflict, the second half has lags mainly because the human drama is basically a mix of jealousy and vengeance, which makes it familiar. But thankfully the emotions are set on a decent note that we travel with and feel for the lead characters, though the impact is not great, the engaging screenplay makes up for the flaws. However, can’t ignore the fact that certain portions were conveniently written, a drunkard appearing to be the root cause for a major outbreak, that too at several instances. There are memorable stretches in both the halves, the entire heist episode in the former and the police station confession sequence towards the end is a solid theatre moment. Well-executed by the director, the idea to visually show a route map on-screen for a crucial situation without just putting it by words is a smart one. Flipside, the over-the-top graphic treatment at places could have been avoided by toning down violence, bringing in the life-threat aspect for the heroine at the climax was such a needless one. Very less scope for humour, but the fun clicks wherever they have intended.

Performances:

Splendid performance by Soori, he has that melting presence while expressing innocence and raging attitude when he is furious. There is a constant tension surrounding his character, and he utilizes it to his strengths. Sasikumar in a tailor-made rustic role, his pure-hearted character suits him naturally. Unni Mukundan feels like a miscast among the bunch as the nativity factor goes missing mainly due to his dialogue delivery that has a Malayalam flavour. Heavy role for Sshivada where she has to cry and scream a lot, the proven performer nails it out of the park.

Technicalities:

Decent songs from Yuvan Shankar Raja, the opening peppy romance track was the best of the lot, however the montage visuals were kind of lazy with just Soori following the heroine. Powerful background score, provides enough elevation and a sincere work as he has thoughtfully incorporated sounds that are apt for the film’s backdrop. Good visual presentation throughout, has that quality intact, proper colour consistency is maintained and variations for different timelines are also applied. Perfect runtime of 135 minutes, the editor has made sure the lags that exist are not at the patience-testing level. Topical action choreography, the fight master has found a great metre to balance out the realistic approach and commercial treatment.

Bottomline

Engrossing till interval, the smart narrative in the first half is neatly executed and the freshness in the subject adds to it. There are lags and other stuff that make the final hour settle to be a regular one, but the issues don’t bother much.

Rating – 3/ 5