‘Gaami’ movie review: Director Vidyadhar Kagita’s Telugu film starring Vishwak Sen is an immersive soul-searching journey

March 08, 2024 02:40 pm | Up to date 09:58 pm IST

An emotional story and a shocking cinematic expertise come collectively seamlessly in debut director Vidyadhar Kagita’s Telugu movie ‘Gaami’, anchored by Vishwak Sen’s efficiency

Sangeetha Devi Dundoo

Vishwak Sen and Chandini Chowdary within the Telugu movie ‘Gaami’, directed by Vidyadhar Kagita
| Photograph Credit score: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

‘Devoted to the group’ reads one of many title credit of the Telugu movie Gaami (seeker). For the uninitiated, the movie started as a crowd-funded indie enterprise earlier than a reputed manufacturing home (UV Creations) threw its may behind it.

Gaami was within the making for greater than seven years as its makers—debut director Vidyadhar Kagita and producer Karthik Sabareesh—took a number of leaps of religion to relate a narrative that’s not throughout the ambit of typical Telugu cinema.

Watching the movie on one of many largest screens within the nation, I’m glad to say that the result’s an immersive slow-burn movie that provides loads to unpack by way of its narrative and technical finesse, leading to a visually rewarding expertise.

Whereas Vidyadhar makes an assured directorial debut, actor Vishwak Sen reaffirms that he can ship an internalised, poignant efficiency even when he has little or no to say.

Gaami (Telugu)

Director: Vidyadhar Kagita

Forged: Vishwak Sen, Chandini Chowdary, MG Abhinaya, Harika Pedada and Mohammad Samad

Storyline: An Aghora who can not really feel human contact should go to the Himalayas in the hunt for a treatment. The journey seems to be greater than a bodily exploration.

That stated, it’s crucial so as to add that if one is habituated to the narrative kinds of mainstream cinema, watch Gaami with some endurance. The wait is value it and the payoffs, rewarding.

Gaami attracts us into the world of its protagonist Shankar (Vishwak Sen) from the phrase go. Within the opening phase, we see the plight of Shankar in an Aghora ashram someplace in Haridwar. Whilst we take within the totally different parts which have gone into creating the world of the Aghoras (manufacturing design by Pravalya Duddupudi and cinematography by Vishwanath Reddy and Rampy Nandigam), we be taught what torments Shankar — his incapability to expertise human contact. The ramifications of residing with such a situation, which among the Aghoras consider is a curse quite than an issue, is hard to articulate. The character’s struggles and his seek for id are regularly revealed by writers Vidyadhar and Pratyush Vatyam.

Nearly like a fable, Shankar is informed that he has to journey to the Himalayas the place the treatment lies in mushrooms with medicinal energy; which can be found as soon as in 36 years. There are extra situations and he has to safe them inside a slender time window.

This is just one a part of the story. Gaami presents us with greater than an journey drama on the mighty Himalayas. We’re privy to 2 different parallel tales. The visible textures, color palette and temper, helped by Naresh Kumaran and Sweekar Agasthi’s music, tonally shift to current us with the gravity of those tales. An unlawful medical camp in a distant location makes use of adolescents as lab rats for experiments as deadly as lobotomy. From this hell gap, an adolescent, known as CT-333 (Mohammad Samad), desperately yearns for freedom. Elsewhere, in a hamlet within the Telugu States, a lady (MG Abhinaya as Durga) realises it’s powerful to shake off her ‘Devadasi’ previous and her daughter (Harika Pedada as Uma), too, should run for security.

Gaami opts for a deliberate pacing of the tales to permit us to empathise with the characters. The narrative is unafraid to make use of silences to drive residence a way of helplessness, eeriness and self-realisation, because the state of affairs warrants at totally different factors of the narrative.

All of the three characters are seekers of freedom. For one, it boils right down to respiration contemporary air and having the ability to lookup on the huge skies. It’s as primal as that. For an additional, it’s the freedom to dwell with out being preyed upon. From the claustrophobia of the medical camp to the huge Himalayas that dwarf people, the visuals current the numerous terrains in vivid element. There are occasions after we marvel on the play of heat gentle contrasting the darkness of an ashram and in different segments, nearly really feel the hostile terrain on the Himalayas. Using visible results, for essentially the most half, works to intensify the temper. For every step Shankar and Jahnavi (Chandini Chowdary) tackle skinny ice and fragile glaciers, we’re acutely aware of the risks lurking forward.

Whereas the protagonists of the three tales, set in several timelines, are nearly reduce off from what we’d understand as regular environment, Gaami introduces Jahnavi as a up to date, city seeker of medicinal miracles. There are scenes during which she is us, the viewers, making an attempt to grasp Shankar and his seek for treatment.

As the 2 ascend the Himalayas, I used to be reminded of the trek to Doodhkashi in Nag Ashwin’s Yevade Subrahmanyam almost a decade in the past. Solely, this can be a much more advanced story.

Every of the three tales have cliffhanger moments and segments of dismal abyss when all doorways appear to shut in on them. The gory happenings contained in the medical camp (the movie is ‘A’ rated) work to make us root for the escape of the characters within the camp. Mohammad Samad and Harika are terrific of their elements.

In the direction of the pre-climax, it’s doable to discern a minimum of some parts of how the story is more likely to unfold. But, when it occurs, I couldn’t assist smiling and in addition marvel if, unknowingly, Gaami tipped its hat to a different Telugu indie movie (revealing its identify can be a spoiler) that was launched a number of years in the past. On a distinct observe, there may be additionally the religious subtext that aligns with Shankar’s identify and his search on the Himalayas. As Shankar’s seek for a treatment turns right into a soul-searching train, it’s unattainable to not root for Vishwak Sen’s unwavering efficiency. The identical goes for the characters CT-333 (within the medical camp that’s worse than a jail, even identify and id are a privilege) and Uma and we desperately need them to maneuver to safer zones. Chandini’s character, on the outset, may come throughout as underwritten. Nevertheless, it finally ends up fantastically complementing Shankar’s story in direction of the tip and in addition solutions why future chooses some for the treatment and never each seeker. In her restricted parts, Chandini is efficient.

Gaami is a movie that’s more likely to be rewarding with repeat viewing. It isn’t at all times on high of its sport. As an illustration, among the hurdles on the Himalayas don’t at all times have the specified jaw-dropping impact and the narrative can depart you with a number of questions. However these are minor gripes. This can be a courageous new Telugu indie that deserves appreciation.

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