Gara
Cast:Rahman, Avantika, Pradeep Aryan and Johnny Lever
Director: K R Murali Krishna
Does a film depend on the background of the director? This point to ponder occurs after watching Gara, which is not only directed by K R Murali Krishna, but is also written the story. The screenplay for the film has also been done by him. The debutant director, who was previously an engineer, who later becomes advocate, and then went on to produce a number of films. With this film, he’s tested the waters of taking what it is to work behind the scenes.
Inspired by RK Narayana’s Astrologer’s Day, Gara works around a mind game, played between Gangaswamy aka Nishant (Rahman), a fortune teller, and Akasmika (Avantika ) and Bhageeratha (Pradeep
Aryan), who are. They all go out to excel in everything they do, for which they use games as a tool.
The winner and losers in the journey form a triangular love story, that ultimately ends in a philosophical climax. The director, who has considered the theme of guilt and relief, has made a film that is more like a play with over dramatic performance. To begin with, Gara comes across as a simple story, however, the director makes it complicated with too many stories running in parallel, and with the same characters in all of them.
The film runs for two hours 38 minute, and includes minute details. At one point, the story and characters get out of hand. Everything about Gara is sensationalised, including the actors’ performances-- Rahman, Avantika, Pradeep Aryan and Aryan Sharma.
Unfortunately, despite roping in a legendary comedian like Johnny Lever, the director has not made use of the actor’s ability. The roles of both him and Sadhu Kokila as Jugari goes wasted. A surprise guest in the film is Roopa Devi, a yesteryear heroine, who has mostly worked with Dr Rajkumar. She makes a special appearance in Gara, along with Neha Patil. Senior actor Ramakrishna is seen in a miss and blink role.
The only saving grace of Gara are the picturesque locations, which are well captured by cinematographer HC Venu, and the music rendered by Sagar Gururaj. While RK Narayan’s short stories got him thinking, he does the same with the audience, by playing a mind game with them.
Prediction: This is a film for those who like to jump to their own conclusions.