Ghaati, produced jointly by First Frame Entertainments and UV Creations, was released in theatres today. In this section, we review the latest box office release.
Plot:
The story unfolds in a ghat region along the Andhra–Odisha border, where Sheelavathi and Desi Raju serve under Kundhul Naidu and Kaastala. They are not supposed to grow the best variety of Ganjai, which too is known as Sheelavathi. When the smuggling ringleaders get to know that a secret market is evolving under their noses, they lose no opportunity to terrorize Sheela and Desi Raju. After facing a tragedy, Sheela literally becomes a hunter. Or, as the films call it, a legend.
Performances:
Anushka Shetty is destined for bold, female-driven roles. She returns to the big screen in a role that plays to her strengths. While Nishabdham underutilized her talent, Miss Shetty Mr Polishetty had no massy trappings. Krish casts her in an effective role that has hoot-worthy moments.
Vikram Prabhu comes with no baggage in Telugu. The viewer gets to watch him without judging his character's actions and his diminished importance in favour of the female protagonist. Chaitanya Rao Madadi is lately endowed with heavy roles; after Deva Katta cast him as a political heavyweight in Mayasabha, the budding artist hops on the mainstream villain bandwagon with Ghaati. Jagapathi Babu is run-of-the-mill, while Jisshu Sengupta looks too rigid.
Technical aspects:
For cinematographer Manojh Reddy Katasani, who has previously wielded the camera for small-range films like Mechanic Rocky, Ghaati is a double promotion. He doesn't let go of any shot that presents him with the opportunity to announce that he is primed for big-scale movies. Nagavelli Vidya Sagar's music smoothly lands the film's action crime drama values.
Art Director Thota Tharrani rises to the occasion, although the film could have been visually far more appealing. Editors Venkata Swamy Nakka and Chanakya Reddy Toorupu don't let the scenes linger too long. The action choreography by Ram Krishan is underwhelming; every action punch is staged in such a way that the audience sees Anushka as the female version of a legendary Maoist.
Post-Mortem:
Chintakindi Srinivas Rao's story and Sai Madhav Burra's dialogues are casual. The film has Additional Screenplay by DS Kannan and Ramana Salwa. The film has a relentless itch to feel like a cross between a stylized crime drama, while its visual aesthetic remains inert, especially in the second half.
The romantic sub-plot is clichéd, although the two songs dedicated to the lead pair are poetic. The bad guys are always on the verge of smashing male skulls and lusting after female bodies.
The transformation of Sheelavathi is so sudden that it won't make sense unless you have bought into the superstardom of Anushka, the anchor of Arundhathi and the bravado of Baahubali. Dialogue writer Sai Madhav Burra deploys references from the Ramayana to make the incredible backlash from her believable. Some of his lines are solid. For example, he refers to a negative female character as the "system that wears a swimsuit".
The film doesn't overcome its commitment to the 'sadistic oligarch takes on the oppressed tribe' template. The women are harassed, abused, and humiliated. The weak men meet much the same fate. There is no respite from this singular screenplay idea. Chaitanya Rao's character is typically violent, brutalizing the oppressed at will. The villains are a syndicate of talkers. They do exposition, they issue warnings, they discuss geography. They are in a perennial huddle mode, like in the movies from the '90s where Kota Srinivasa Rao and baddies above and below his rank used to. And it's not like they seem to have a rational plan either. For example, when they have to con a virtuous person, they send as an emissary a blatantly brazen cop who behaves like a total creep.
Anushka's scenes in the second half are designed for elevations, believability be damned. The baddies keep screaming at the top of their lungs, while she slays their men in silence. This would have made for explosive viewing had the action choreography been inventive. The female lead is a version of a lone-wolf naxalite leader.
The title track is an effective montage, glorifying the stealthy mission of the lead pair. The story behind naming her Sheelavathi should have been narrated by the female protagonist herself in an emotional scene.
Closing Remarks:
While the film's screenplay is often clichéd and the action choreography underwhelming, the technical departments deliver, and the film finds its footing in its raw depiction of violence and its star's commanding presence.
