Gangs of Godavari Review: Superb Performances
Vishwak Sen has dabbled in a number of film subgenres. This Gangs of Godavari drama followed his former success with “Gaami” this year, and he reprised his role as a rising politician from the Godavari region. The music and promos for Gangs of Godavari were fascinating.
In a village close to Kovvuru in Sri Lanka, some 25 years ago, this story takes place. It chronicles the life of Vishwak Sen’s (Lambala Ratnakar) upbringing in this hamlet.
Ratna, played by Anjali, is a prostitute with whom Ratnakar has an intimate relationship. A powerful local politician named Nanaji (Nasser) has a daughter named Bujji (Neha Sshetty), and he falls in love with her.
With an ulterior goal of becoming an MLA, Ratnakar deftly manipulates Doraswamy Raju (Goparaju Ramana) and Nanaji by becoming devoted to them both.
Tensions rise after Ratnakar’s election as MLA because of a plot involving the men of Nanaji and Chinna Dora, who is the son of Doraswamy Raju.
As a passionate young man from the Godavari region, Vishwak Sen gives a superb performance. However, his rendition of the Godavari accent is lacking. Actually, his performance falls flat in pivotal moments. For the most part, he plays like clockwork.
In this portrayal, Anjali is stereotypically a prostitute. Although her acting as Vishwak Sen’s wife is passable, Neha Sshetty falls short of winning over viewers.
In his political role, Goparaju Ramana excels. There is nothing novel about Nasser’s character.
The song “Addala Vonila” by Yuvan Shankar Raja has become a huge hit online, and the cinematic rendition is equally impressive. Different songs are completely ineffective. The background score that Yuvan has is effective, though. What a remarkable piece of cinematography.
Analysis
Some films got off to a slow start, but they pick up steam in the middle and end up satisfying. When it comes to making an emotional connection, “Gangs of Godavari” is never successful.
The story gets off to a shaky start, and as events go, it becomes clear that the screenplay isn’t coherent.
According to “Gangs of Godavari,” the trident binding (Katti Kattadam) tradition of murderous vengeance was common in the Lankan villages of the Godavari region for decades. The advent of Lanka Ratnakar put an end to this practice.
The film mainly investigates the factors behind the tradition’s extinction. To illustrate this point, the protagonist Lankala Ratnakar gets involved in a plethora of uninteresting and hero-less subplots.
From time to time, it tries to imitate the storytelling style of “Pushpa,” especially when it comes to depicting the protagonist’s encounters with Nasser and Goparaju Ramana, and his cunning plans to become an MLA.
The political intrigue in the Godavari region and the historical setting are reminiscent of “Rangasthalam” at times. Scenes from the late ’90s and early ’00s make up the bulk of the film. Every scene seems to be a repeat. Therefore, shows zero enthusiasm.
Unappealing to watch are Vishwak Sen’s relationships with both Anjali’s character, the prostitute, and Neha Sshetty’s character. Furthermore, neither the protagonist’s goal nor his effort succeed in making an impact on the viewer.
We see him less as a good guy and more as a rebel by the film’s conclusion. There is no effect from his purported “sacrifice” to abolish the “Katti Kattadam” custom.
Drama is necessary for attention-grabbing, but it doesn’t add anything to the story. The bad guys aren’t important or valuable in and of themselves. Logic is completely disregarded throughout the flick.
To sum up, “Gangs of Godavari” has a plethora of incidents and subplots, but they all fall flat. The film starts off on a dull note and stays on that note throughout. The narration is very ineffective. Inspiringly dull.
Movie: Gangs of Godavari
ibomma Rating: 2/5
Cast: Vishwak Sen, Anjali, Neha Sshetty, Nasser, Hyper Adhi, Praveen, Goparaju Ramana, Mayank Parak, Ayesha Khan and others
Music: Yuvan Shankar Raja
DOP: Anith Madhadi
Editor: Naveen Nooli
Art: Gandhi Nadikudikar
Action: Ram-Laxman
Producers: Suryadevara Naga Vamsi and Sai Soujanya
Written and Directed by: Krishna Chaitanya
Release Date: May 31, 2024
