‘Gaddhalakonda Ganesh’ review: Harish Shankar entertains with this masala-laden gangster drama

This interpretation of the Tamil film 'Jigarthanda' raises a toast to cinema and more importantly, the power of the director

Varun Tej impresses as Gaddhalakonda Ganesh

In a scene in the film, first-time director Abhi (Atharvaa) suggests the title ‘Valmiki’ for his debut film, alluding to how the story shows erstwhile gangster Gaddhalakonda Ganesh (Varun Tej) turning into a hero. The title is brushed aside and he’s arm-twisted to accepting a new one.

It’s a strange coincidence that hours before this film hit the theatres, its director Harish Shankar was forced to change his original title Valmiki to appease a section of the Boya community that raised objection to the title. The film is now called Gaddhalakonda Ganesh (GG), named after its central character.

Abiding by the concept of ‘film within a film’ showcased in the Tamil original

Jigarthanda (2014), this adaptation raises a toast to cinema and more importantly, the power of the director.

GG is a masala-laden interpretation of the original, in typical Harish style, and yet quite entertaining.

GG stays largely faithful to Karthik Subbaraj’s story and gradually introduces the changes. I am among those who immensely enjoyed watching Jigarthanda , which now enjoys a cult status among film aficionados, and was curious to see how it would be adapted, tweaking the gangster character as the hero.

Gaddhalakonda Ganesh

• Cast: Varun Tej, Atharvaa, Pooja Hegde and Mirnalini Ravi
• Direction: Harish Shankar
• Music: Mickey J Meyer

In the early portions, in response to someone questioning his decision to make a film that would end up glorifying a gangster, Abhi states that the scope of cinema, as he sees it, is to entertain. It’s Harish speaking through Abhi and stating that he doesn’t intend to be an agent of change. He just wants to narrate an interesting story. Harish also lauds Ram Gopal Varma for having turned every notorious gangster’s story into a film, leaving very little scope for emerging directors who want to tread that path.

Abhi wants to track a real-life gangster who’s still calling the shots; he doesn’t want to make a

Godfather or

Nayakan kind of classic, but a more crowd-pleasing

Thalapathy .

The story is set in a fictitious Telangana town, Gaddhalakonda. Kolla Avinash’s production design, Ayananka Bose’s cinematography and Mickey J Meyer’s background score enhance the rugged land that’s a fiefdom of men who speak with their guns and knives. Varun Tej is remarkable and believable as gangster Ganesh. It takes a while to be drawn into into the film’s milieu and get used to the leading man — with his kohl -rimmed eyes, black attire, scar and the practised swagger. But once we get absorbed into the proceedings, there’s a lot to root for.

As Ganesh unleashes his wrath, Abhi and his friend (Sathya) shadow him and his trusted aides to know more. Sathya gets the fun part as he bites the bait of playing the second hero in Abhi’s film. The lure of seeing himself on big screen is enough to overcome the fear of the gangster. The run-ins with the gangster’s aides are fun, especially the Sagara Sangamam episode that brings the house down.

Harish doesn’t tamper with the strengths of the original film, the riveting pre-interval portion for instance; the significant changes happen as the story progresses.

Ganesh gets an extended backstory, detailing his childhood and romance through his rose-tinted glasses. He specifies the time period going by the price of alcohol and cigarettes. It’s the era of Gold Spot, when Mahabharat was telecast on Doordarshan and when Sridevi was the screen goddess. The film bows down to Sridevi and gives the same name to Ganesh’s lady love (Pooja Hegde).

Atharvaa, as Abhi, quietly steals the show as the aspiring director who is shrewd enough to capitalise on opportunities. There’s a telling portrayal by Tanikella Bharani as to what can happen to those who don’t realise their dreams in the film industry. Abhi doesn’t want to be in that position.

GG uses the mainstream commercial film tropes — mother sentiment, heartbreak — effectively. Above all, Harish doffs his hat to the reach of cinema and the transformation it can have on someone like Ganesh.

Mirnalini Ravi makes her Telugu debut. Both she and Pooja get parts that merit attention but the glamorous sheen given to their portrayals steals the impact their performances could have otherwise had.

Despite niggles and its duration of nearly three hours, GG entertains. It’s a director’s film that draws memorable performances from both Varun Tej and Atharvaa.