Movie: Janatha Garage Director: Koratala Siva Cast: Mohanlal, NTR Jr, Samantha, Nithya Menen Rating: |
Politics, nature and justice -- are three pillars of Koratala Siva's Janatha Garage. The director injects messages like preserving the importance of nature, and standing up for the oppressed -- in a story that revolves around one household. What stands out about Janatha Garage is the fact that the story stands tall despite the presence of actors like Mohanlal and NTR Jr. There is more emphasis given to the story unlike most commercial films that are written keeping the star's 'image' in mind.
Satyam (Mohanlal) is a mechanic who sets up his own shop and calls it Janatha Garage. Due to his friendly and generous nature, he becomes well-acquainted with his customers and helps solve their problems (by all means necessary). Soon, he becomes the symbol of hope for the poor and Janatha Garage becomes a place where people go to seek help, when every other method is exhausted. Satyam's 'helpful' nature comes at a cost as he makes dangerous enemies including the corrupt tycoon Mukesh (Sachin Khedekar). Soon Satyam's brother and his wife are brutally killed by Mukesh's men and are survived by a baby boy. Shattered that he couldn't protect his sister-in-law, Satyam tells her parents to take the boy away from his family and raise him themselves. That boy grows up to be Anand, (NTR Jr) an environmental activist who makes it his duty to protect the earth.
How Anand and Satyam's path cross and how the two of them bury their differences and fight together towards one cause, forms the crux of the story.
With excellent cinematography and good storytelling, Janatha Garage manages to keep the viewers gripped. There is no loudness, forced humour or a sense of exaggeration -- which comes as a major relief. The director cleverly uses the resources available to him to squeeze out the best out of everyone. Even the emotional sequences aren't too overbearing and manage to strike a chord.
However, with a run-time of 2 hours and 42 minutes, Janatha Garage tires you after a point. The film could easily have been shortened by atleast 20 minutes. The second half, in particular, drags on forever. Also, while NTR's character is established as a nature lover, he deviates from the plot completely in the second half, where he tackles other issues. It's almost like watching two different characters in two halves. The love story hardly creates an impact, with both Samantha and Nithya Menen reduced to brief, insignificant roles. Nithya still manages to shine in the limited screen space she's given. Songs are purposeless, add no value to the film and are a distraction Janatha Garage could've done without. The screenplay could've been tighter and the climax disappoints.
Mohanlal is the heart and soul of Janatha Garage. His performance is one of the finest we have seen in Telugu cinema for a long time. Powerful and arresting, he plays Satyam with panache. If you thought, NTR Jr was brilliant in Nannaku Prematho, wait till you watch Janatha Garage. The actor puts in his most understated performance till date, and it's by far his best. Though he plays second fiddle to Mohanlal, he definitely stands his own ground.
Janatha Garage could've been even better had it been a bit crisper and better packaged. But it's a decent film with a good story and some terrific performances. Definitely worth a watch.