Gargi

Gargi (2022) : Brief Review -

This is how a modern feminine classic looks like, not those vulgar, abusive, and sexually explicit dramas. Sai Pallavi's best role and film to date. I have seen some directors (including female ones) trying to make feminine dramas and give some social messages, but how many of them are actually good and meaningful? This is my chance to bash those sexually explicit and vulgar feminine dramas that usually talk about sexual freedom, age-gaps, and hormone changes. I won't name them, but I am sure smart movie lovers know them, and unfortunately, most of them belong to Bollywood. Gargi has come to slap them all, especially female directors who think that having freedom of sex and extramarital affairs is called true feminism. Gargi is a hard-hitting drama and somewhat of a thriller, with strong emotions and meaningful feminism at its core. There are many films in India on rapes, gang rapes, and child abuse, but believe me, there is none like Gargi. This is a new landmark in feminine classics. This is how you make a modern-day classic without using any sort of vulgarity, adultery, skin-show, or abuse. This is a seminar for families. This is how you showcase true womanhood without using powerful and filmy quotes. Sai Pallavi has given a career best performance and, for me, this is her best film to date. The film throws light on a sensitive topic like child rape, and it does not hammer it through cinematic liberty. This is the simplest form of hard-hitting, brutal film without being 'realistic' (this is what they call those craps nowadays). No matter if you are a male or female, just make sure you watch it with your father, mother, and child (son or daughter). There is something for everyone, because rapes don't happen in the neighbourhood only. Sometimes your house is a neighbourhood for someone. A Must See!

RATING - 8/10*

By - #samthebestest.

If everyone does one or something right, the world will be a better place.

The director's message at the end of it.

Beautifully crafted story and nicely executed by Sai Pallavi. While the movie is centered around her, others (ooh the Judge !! Nice selection and excellent presence) also pitch in.

Must watch.

Director Gautham Ramachandran's (Richie) sophomore feature starring Sai Pallavi in the lead is without doubt one of the best films of the year. The film also marks actress Aishwarya Lekshmi's foray into production.

Set in Chennai, Sai Pallavi's Gargi is shocked to the core when her father is accussed of rape. Gargi then sets out to prove his innocence with the help of an inexperienced lawyer.

I am pretty sure this film is going to be remade in other languages (especially Hindi because the Telugu & Kannada dubbed versions already exist). And I am quite sure the casting will be disastrous because no one can match Sai Pallavi's performance as the devout daughter, Gargi. From her debut in Premam, Sai Pallavi has always been a treat to watch onscreen.

Her co-stars; Kaali Venkat plays her lawyer, Indrans. Inexperienced but the only who understands her plight. R S Shivaji as her father & Sudha S as the judge both excel in their roles. Aishwarya Lekshmi has a brief role as a journalist.

Gargi is a legal drama that rests on the very able shoulders of its cast (Sai Pallavi and Kaali Venkat) and the storytelling prowess of Hariharan Raju and Gautham Ramachandran. Do not miss this!

Legal dramas have the capacity to instantly enamor audiences, with the protagonist's quest for justice often becoming our own. If Mark Ruffalo's stubborn journey to hold corporate interests to account for their misdeeds was the crux in "Dark Waters (2019), in "Jana Gana Mana (2022)", Prithviraj proved that the truth is not always what it seems. "Gargi" is another compelling movie that redefines the ambit of this genre and anchored by a career-best performance from Sai Pallavi, delivers an end-to-end engaging viewing experience that will stay with you for a long time.

We have seen glimpses of the immense acting powerhouse that is Sai Pallavi in movies like "Premam (2015)" and most recently, "Love Story (2021)", but Gargi is the first movie to fully explore her immense potential. She stars as the titular character, a hardworking teacher who finds herself in the midst of a legal quagmire when her father is arrested for a child molestation case. Caught between an apathetic legal system and a suspicious society that is quick to judge, how she navigates the hardships that come her way and try to find justice for her father forms the rest of the story.

Director Gautham Ramachandran gets his casting spot on with Kaali Venkat excelling as Gargi's lawyer "Indrans" while Saravan delivers a tour de force performance as "Kundhava", the beleaguered father of the abused child. The haunting music by Govind Vasantha adds edginess and melancholy at appropriate junctures in the narration and plays no small part in building up the tension and intrigue as we head into the climax of a daughter's crusade for justice.

Sai Pallavi's performance should make a strong case for a National Award, such is the grace and poise she brings to the character. Only an actress of her caliber could have communicated such vulnerability and emotion and still remain committed and earnest in her pursuit to exonerate her father. With the possible exception of "Kadaisi Vivasayi", "Gargi" is easily the best film Indian cinema has produced in 2022 so far and is an absolute must-watch. Highly recommended!

Climax makes it the best movie of the year! Does bring about a powerful message in an impactful way. Doing right is all that matters! Kudos to the team, my ratings 9/10!