Irandam Ulaga Porin Kadaisi Gundu Movie Review
Ranjith and Neelam Productions have come out with another important film that needs to be talked about. Here's our Gundu Movie Review.
Gundu Movie Review
A powerful, interestingly narrated social drama.
Performances
Story & Narration
Technical Aspects & Music
Those out there who have already started making their year-end lists for 2019 have to hold their horses, as there is another sublime film just coming in, which will make the top ten. With Irandam Ulagaporin Kadaisi Gundu, debutant director Athirai Athiyan makes a confident and important film that will be talked about for a while from now.
Gundu focuses on the incidents surrounding a World War II bomb that hits the shores here, bringing in a variety of topics such as discrimination, caste wars and many such under a single umbrella. There is an undercurrent of social commentary in every scene that you witness, but thankfully so, it isn’t so on-the-face or in preachy quarters. The first half of the film focuses on introducing us to the characters and establishing the conflicts, which is where there are some rough patches here and there. It is the cinematography and the outstanding sound design (of the scrap metal shop) that helps us connect with the film and its characters slowly. But as the film progresses, the pacing and the relatability gets better from scene to scene, gaining very good momentum in the second as the story shifts to the upper gears.
The cat-and-mouse situations in the second half score well, and get to the highest high at the end where the message is put across in a very interesting manner. Gundu’s aftertaste elevates the ulterior notion of the film, connecting the dots which had been put in place throughout the film to greatest effect.
This is arguably one of Dinesh’s better performances in his career. He is solid as the man from the scrap metal store, fitting into the role of the outraged and messed up man fighting inner and outer demons. His act here in Gundu does not have much of the Cuckoo hangover that we usually feel, making it a good one on the whole. On the other hand is Muniskanth, who is in his element with his one liners which give way to chuckles at many points. His comedy is highly effective in the second half, where there is tension too prevailing all round. Rithvika gets a good part to play once again, and equally worthy is Anandhi as the love interest.
Tenma’s score for Gundu gives rise to the emotional quotient of the film, with all his songs having superb visuals to complement it. Here’s the birth of another composer who is able to understand the weight of the film and play along. The cinematography is neat, while the laudable editing by RK Selva manages the intercutting screenplay with ease.
On the whole, Gundu is an impressive and noteworthy attempt that deserves attention for the theme that it carries. Read Irandam Ulaga Porin Kadaisi Gundu Movie Review by Siddarth Srinivas
