A brutal, heinous crime ignites the events in Gargi. For major parts, the titular character (played by Sai Pallavi), along with her advocate-friend Indrans (Kaali Venkat), fights to prove the innocence of her father who is held as an accused in a child rape investigation. In a different film, this could have veered into a whodunit thriller drama that reveals the pieces of a puzzle one by one. Even in Gargi, the suspenseful unravelling of the story plays a part, but the film becomes more about ‘whose truth is the truth?’ Director Gautham Ramachandran, who also wrote the script with Hariharan Raju, says, “I would describe it as an emotional drama set against a crime backdrop. In fact, for Gargi, it is like a coming-of-age story. Though its plot seems generic on paper, its form on-screen is unique.”
What also sets Gargi aside from many other films is the empathy that it shines on most of the characters who face the brunt of the crime. Gautham's liking to tread on the greyness of the characters is visible. "It's risky but grey is what we all are. A killer won't be killing all day; they might enjoy a samosa at their favourite stall," says Gautham.
Gautham Ramachandran from the sets of ‘Gargi’ | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Painting characters in such intricate strokes, that too in a film that dwells on multiple perspectives, led the writer Gautham to write one of the film's most tense, arresting scenes: when Sarvanan, the father of the sexual assault victim, appears in front of Gargi's home with a dagger. There, one could feel the pain of a broken father and at the same time be terrified of an impending violent attack on Gargi. "I wanted the audience to feel Sarvanan's grief the moment he comes into the frame. But there's a deeper angle as well," says the director. "The audience must feel for him not just because of what had happened, but for what might happen to his daughter and him if he proceeds to attack Gargi. And, there was a temptation to have a scene in which everyone's perspective seems justified," he adds.
The relationship between Sarvanan, his daughter and Gargi almost has an arc on its own. Having not revealed the identity of the victim for most parts, Gautham chooses to show her face in the end when she meets Gargi and the latter's sister. Is this scene the offshoot of an undercurrent subtext in the film that speaks of providing reparations as an alternate justice? "Maybe, but I like to call it the result of a principle I vouch for: The show must go on." Cinema grants us the opportunity to explore such ideas that at times seem unrealistic, he says. "Even the fact that Saravanan allows Gargi to see his daughter seemed unrealistic for some, but my question is: why can't this happen? Why can't such a father exist?" However, he is also careful to not let the scene feel too alien. "One can place a conflict that everyone relates to but take the character on an unexpected, yet real tangent."
Gautham, Sai Pallavi, actor-producer Aishwarya Lekshmi, and others | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Despite it being a serious film, there were many humourous moments, featuring Kaali Venkat. These were premeditated as well. “Despite what’s happening in Gargi’s life, Indrans is Indrans,” he says adding that credits should go to the actor for his impeccable timing. But for Indrans, someone whose entrance literally added light to Gargi’s world, there isn’t much redemption as a lawyer. However, the filmmaker reveals that Indrans’ arc was supposed to create a new movie universe. “After he finishes Gargi’s case, Indrans starts his own practice. And the first client he gets is Gandhi Babu, the character played by Natty in H Vinoth’s 2014 film Sathuranga Vettai.” He adds, “We even shot the scene featuring Natty and Kaali, but it didn’t make it to the final cut.”
Despite the close cuts, a few of Gautham’s self-indulgences found their way to the final version. For instance, one wide shot featuring Gargi has a chalkboard that reads ‘Started with Fargo’ — a reference to the Coen Brothers’ film that inspired the Gargi-maker. “We had an empty space and Sai wrote that. She was intrigued about my love for that film as well.” This is also why you would find a videographer in the film named Deakins Roger, an ode to Fargo’s cinematographer Roger Deakins.
The names of the other pivotal characters in this world, however, might have more to do with Gautham's liking to have reason-driven nomenclature. "Even though we didn't say it anywhere, the name of the victim is Maitreyi. In Vedic literature, Gargi and Maitreyi are almost like sisters who resonated with wisdom. Gargi's father is named after Brahma, the creator of the universe. Hence, this is a situation where the father collapses," he explains.
What was the reason to name the police officer who spearheads the investigation as Bennix Jayaraj? Were the names of P Jayaraj and Bennicks, the victims of the infamous 2020 custodial deaths, used to make a point? Gautham says that it isn’t meant as a statement but as a powerful tribute. “I believe that it’s that name that brought out the goodness in this character. He is the face of the force which we assumed was responsible for the conflict, and we are naming him Bennix Jayaraj. That’s powerful,” he says, adding that there was another tribute as well. “At the court, Bennix says that his father’s name is Navarasu. Pon Navarasu was the victim of the 1996 murder case which led to the passing of the country’s first anti-ragging law. We forgot this kid after that incident and so I wanted these names as tributes,” says Gautham.
Gautham Ramachandran from the sets of ‘Gargi’ | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Gautham's decision to retain the camera on the graphic indications of rape didn't sit well with a few critics, and the filmmaker says that these are matters of perspective. "My tolerable limit might be different. Only a censor official has a say in this," he says, adding that it was a choice to spell this sequence loudly. "Everything else is suggestive but that one shot should push the larger audience to that gruesome scene and make them feel," defends Gautham.
The filmmaker has been getting his share of cheers for having the character of a judge be played by a transwoman actor, Sudha. Even here, a pivotal line that she utters — that she knows the arrogance of a man and the pain of a woman — comes dangerously close to a wrongful notion that has always been attached to transpeople: that they're both men and women. Gautham clarifies his stand. "The character identifies with her trans-ness. When she speaks about the arrogance of a man, she is speaking of the arrogance that men in her life have subjected her to. I had thought of it as the arrogance that she would have faced from her father when she came out," he explains.
Having found a break five years since his debut, Gautham is now happy with the reception. "It's all been overwhelming. I have been getting offers for upcoming projects, but I just want a month of break at least," signs off the director.
