The movie does a fine job in celebrating Garividi Lakshmi’s fiery nature. Her passion for singing leading to Burrakatha has been excellently captured. The protagonist’s unconventional choices also reflects in her live in relationship with a lower caste man; that too in 1990’s. However, from mid second half the film takes a drastically different turn. An abrupt shift in Rag Mayur’s characterization coupled with the Mahanati hangover makes the closing portions somewhat tedious
Starcast: Anandi, Rag Mayur, VK Naresh, Sharanya Pradeep, Raasi and others
Genre: Autobiographical drama
Writer and director: Gowri Naidu Jammu
Music: Charan Arjun
Cinematographer: Aditya Javvadi
Producers: T G Vishwa Prasad and Krithi Prasad
Production Company: People Media Factory
Running time: 2 hours and 21 minutes
Before dissecting Garividi Lakshmi its necessary to give a brief background into the real-life Lakshmi: her prowess as a singer and stage artist. Garividi Lakshmi was born in Geddapulavasala; her birthname is Reddy Vijaya Lakshmi. She possessed a rare natural talent for memorizing long songs and poetry by just listening once. She broke barriers by entering the format of Burrakatha; its a traditional storytelling art form usually dominated by men. However, Garvidi Lakshmi not just broke up through, but she also transformed it with her wit and a distinct voice among other aspects. Now you have a film based on her life written and directed by Gowri Naidu Jammu. The writer director deserves credit for bringing alive an important chapter; at the same time the film falls prey to the regular tropes of a loved one cheating the protagonist. Even if the incident is real, it comes across as more of a Deja vu spoiling what was till then a solid experience.
I won’t get into the storyline here since the movie synopsis has already been introduced; I will just discuss what works and what doesn’t work for the movie. A solid aspect of Garividi Lakshmi is the authentic rural texture. Whether its the dialect or the overall body language its clear that Gowri Naidu Jammu has done his research.
The staging of Burrakatha also deserves a particular mention. He is successful in immersing the viewers and the scenes of Anandhi performing is a treat to watch. Her expressions coupled with the dance moves makes for an engaging theatrical experience.
Her dynamics with Rag Mayur’s Satti Babu have some lovely moments too. Their scenes of understated romance makes you wish that the film didn’t take the unnecessary detour. Raj Mayur more than makes his presence felt with a competent act, whether its the lovey dovey moments or the drastically different turn.
VK Naresh playing a mentor/father figure Rambabu adds another feather to his cap. His emotional scenes with Anandhi in particular deserves a special mention. The way he stands by Garividi Lakshmi through her highs and the tragedies makes the viewers wish that they also have father figure like him. Sharanya Pradeep and senior actress Raasi as friend and mother respectively do a fine job in their individual parts.
However, Anandhi is the main pillar of the movie apart from Charan Arjun’s music. The young actress pulls off Garividi’s different shades with finesse. She is first rate in not just the younger portions; even in the aged portions Anandhi makes a striking impact. This movie can prove to be a game changer for the young actress.
Charan Arjun’s music is another ace of GL. His composition of the traditional folk songs especially for those into the Burrakatha format is an absolute delight to watch.
A major problem with GL is the emotional drama resembling Mahanati. The character switch of Rag Mayur from lovey dovey to a cheater needed more nuanced writing. It appears as more of an add on even if the proceedings resemble Garvidi Lakshmi’s real-life events. Also, the subplot of Ankith Koyya an aspiring director and his friend played by Viva Raghav isn’t fleshed out well. Moreover, using the two as a framing device for the story feels unnecessary
Final word: Garividi Lakshmi is an important watch for how it brings alive the art of Garividi Lakshmi. In spite of the second bumps this is worth a theatre trip.