Saturday, February 19, 2011

Movie Review: Gaganam (Telugu) also Payanam (Tamil)

My family recently watched the movie Gaganam produced by (Prakash Raj in Tamil as Payanam). This movie was simultaneously shot with the same cast and released together as well. It is a wonderful movie, which is focusing on what is a very real possibility in life in India. Which is Jihadi kidnappings and terrorism in this case they have focused on plane hijacking and related events around it.

Director Radha mohan is quite adept at using situational comedy to keep the audience engaged and has exploited that to the hilt in this movie as well. A plane from Chennai to Delhi is hijacked by 5 muslim terrorists (to free another captured fellow terrorist). The effect this hijacking has on a whole gamut of characters with different attitudes, philosophies is etched very well. Radha Mohan has a tendency to unnecessarily anoint Christianity as a kinder and caring religion vis-à-vis others and this movie also continues that mistake. That minor flaw aside -- it is a gem. The clever plot to free the passengers is also worthy of appreciation. No character dominates the movie with each one making an impact almost in sequence.

How babudom worries about the government of the day and their electoral prospects etc. is brought out without holding any punches. The frustrations of a NSG commando whose capabilities are restrained by officialdom are portrayed excellently by Nagarjuna. Nagajuna should give up “two wife/heroine syndrome” and go for such scripts, but in his defense such ones are rarity as well. The highlight is the scene where the commander of NSG shouts at the potbellied motley crew of IAS kind saying “You are all just old, not experienced” whether the director intended are not, it is a true statement both in real life and based on the situation in the movie as well.

How actors with all their titles etc. are in real life is parodied excellently with “Shining Star Chandrakanth” and an obsessive fan who happens to be seated next to him. Each actor has played the role to perfection, even the air hostess character portrayed by Poonam Kaur manages to convey lot more without saying a word in crucial scenes. Veteran Brahmanandam, shows up in the second half and his impact is the most in the short scenes that are interspersed in that half.

Such efforts need to be recognized so go for it with the entire family. Even if you can’t go -- just buy the ticket and throw it away. The entire team behind this movie deserves it…

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