Garuda Gamana Vrishabha Vahana
Director: Raj B Shetty
Cast: Rishabh Shetty, Raj B Shetty
Are you a fan of Malayalam movies? Then this is your taste. Are you a fan of movies where the story is the hero? Even then this is your movie. Garuda Gamana Vrishabha Vahana is a simple story where you might as well guess the ending by interval, but still want to know to get the ‘how’ answer, amid the generous flow of blood on the screen. The film is noisy, and for all the right reasons.
Raj B Shetty is a treat in the movie. The star of Ondu Motteya Kathe has managed to play the lead role and the director hat fantastically with equal abilities. His first film was a joke and he was seen as an actor with a comedic feel. But GGVV is a stage he used most effectively to shatter that image.
In mythology, Garuda Gamana is a term used to address Lord Vishnu and Vrishbha Vahana is Lord Shiva. The main characters are named Hari and Shiva, aided accordingly by Rishabh Shetty and Raj B Shetty. This is not a typical commercial film for several reasons: there is no female lead. Both heroes are actually not your typical hero materials. One is an ordinary man you see in every typical small town, with a small belly and a simple smile and the other is a bald and thin man with a never-trimmed beard. One is a planner, the other an executor.
This is the story of two friends, one of whom was rescued by the other’s family. The characters behave like their title. Hari – the protector and Shiva – the destroyer. Raj in the never-before-seen avatar of a local mobster is a treat. Rishabh did his part nicely. The duo has created a wonderful collaboration.
Set in Mangaluru, the story easily connects with people with its many little factors like trench cricket, friendship, ‘don’t mess with my friend, else…’ kind of atmosphere that is ubiquitous in every small town. After each murder, the killer wears the shoes of the deceased – you know for sure that he killed. Also, the other murderer visits the temple after every murder and has a shudhikaran (a holy bath to wash off the sins and invoke mercy before God) in the Mangaladevi temple – also a method of checking if he is actually has killed.
The camera work played a very effective role throughout the film. It is a well written and equally well executed film. For people who have just come out of their post-quarantine lockdown shell, GGVV does not disappoint. It is a complete paisa vasool treat. The first half is relatively the best. Although the second half feels a bit slow at times, it completes the story without many loose ends.
The 151 minutes story has other prominent characters like Brahmayya the Police Inspector (played by Gopal Krishna Deshpande), also the narrator who will stay with you. The pale expressions of Raj B Shetty aka Shiva are so clear that the viewers feel like they really understand what he is going through without him uttering a word. Although this is a local gangster story, you mostly agree with the justification the scrolls give for murder.
Garuda Gamana Vrishabha Vahana has plenty of local swear words. The same goes for the love of cricket and the closeness of the team of friends. In the midst of bloodshed, gang warfare, backstabbing quarrels, cricket team camaraderie, the unmissable Hulivesha or Tiger dance – folk dance of the coast of Karnataka, the language triumphs. Again, the Mangaluru team won and this time they won big.
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