Garudan Movie Review

When it comes to rural dramas in Kollywood, there is little that has been done innovatively in the recent past, with many films going the usual way. But director Durai Senthilkumar has different ideas, as he presents a tale of trust and deceit powered by an impressive cast, in an engaging manner.

Garudan is the story of Sokkan (Soori) and two thick friends Aadhi (Sasikumar) and Karuna (Unni Mukundan). The story of how Sokkan meets the duo and forms a relationship with them is interestingly demonstrated in the first half, with all the characters being established very strongly. There is the presence of Sshivada, Revathi Sharma (the love interest of Soori) and Roshni Haripriyan along with Samuthirakani and Mime Gopi who play two other important characters in the film. Senthilkumar stitches these characters together with very good depth and detailing, providing enough and more reasoning to why they behave the way in the film.

The intensity in the film is slowly built up using a three-chapter narrative which explains the importance of land, women and gold in men’s lives, and then takes it to a solid interval block which is the big highlight of the first half. The interest from the audience is developed to the pinnacle thanks to the introduction of an element closer to the interval, and Durai Senthilkumar ensures that it does not go overboard at any point. The second half is also intriguing in its own ways, for it keeps rolling until the end despite the predictability factor coming in very early. Garudan works out in efficient fashion until the end, where everything comes together nicely and convincingly for the film to score positively.

After an intense performance in Viduthalai, Soori returns with a restrained yet important performance in Garudan, understanding the weight of his role superbly. It is a superb show in his second innings, showcasing his might in a role that hardly has any comedy for him to play around with.

Supporting him ably is Sasikumar, who gets an impactful part to play that makes Sasikumar more likeable from the last we saw him in Ayothi. Unni Mukundan, in only his second Tamil film, is really good too. The film also benefits largely from its support cast – Sshivada is excellent in a particular scene at a police station, which proves why she was handed the opportunity here.

The film has superb visuals by Arthur K Wilson who shines in the interval block in the climax especially, where he has lots to play with. The film also has a scene-centric background score by Yuvan, who uses songs and silence efficiently to put things across.

Except for the normalcy in the third act, Garudan is an engaging and engrossing rural drama that will keep you pinned on your seats. You will be able to predict what happens at the end, but your ride will be worthwhile.

Garudan Movie Review Rating: 3.75/5