Winod Gali follows the blueprint of ETV Wins success formula to the t. Having said that there is enough to hold the viewers particularly the friendship core. It also helps that Viraj Ashwin is successful in portraying the confusion and vulnerabilities, both the writing of Rajeskher Reddy Baddam and Viraj make the viewers empathize with the protagonist’s memory loss. The climatic speech in particular deserves a special mention, yes its filmy but the effective staging makes it work.
Starcast: Viraj Ashwin, Viva Raghav, Godavari Gopi, Pavan Siddu, Yashashree Rao, Priyadarshini Ram and others
Genre: Feel good
Story and Direction: Winod Gali
Writer: Rajeskher Reddy Baddam
Music and background score: Ajay Arasada
Cinematographer: Rehen Shaik
Producer: Sarath Chandra Nayadu
No of episodes: 7
Streaming site: ETV Win
The huge success of 90’s Middle Class biopic and the blockbuster Little Hearts has turned ETV Win into a solid production house. The feel-good storytelling coupled with zero violence has won numerous hearts. Yes, this also comes with a minus as the production house hasn’t experimented much with other genres but that’s a separate topic. Gurthukostunnayi more or less sticks to the success formula and for a large part its entertaining with some heartfelt moments.
Gurthukostunnayi in brief focuses on Viraj Ashwin’s Santhosh. Santhosh has managed to win the approval of his future father-in-law Raghunath (Priyadarshini Ram). Raghunath was once upon a time principal to Santhosh and his batch of friends. Yashashree Rao is Santhosh’s fiancé Vaishali, things appear to be smooth, but a roadblock comes in the form of an unfortunate accident. Santhosh goes through a memory loss with just some time to go for the wedding. How Santhosh’s friends stand with him doing their best to get his memory back and how our protagonist overcomes the obstacles is the basic premise of Gurthukostunnayi.
There is nothing plot heavy about Gurthukostunnayi just like 90’s Middle Class biopic and Little Hearts. It’s more about the treatment and taking viewers back on a nostalgia ride. On both these accounts the director and writer have succeeded.
The portions of the three friends reconstructing Santhosh’s childhood deserves a special mention. A lot of scenes feel authentic even if you as a viewer haven’t experienced it personally. A major chunk of the situational humor comes from the desperation of the friends as well as Santhosh’s father in making sure that Santhosh and Vaishali have a happy ending.
Adding to the precarious situation is Priyadarshini Ram’s Raghunath. Raghunath personally has a low opinion about Santhosh having watched from his teenage days. He still agrees as the daughter is deeply in love, deep inside though he is waiting for Santhosh to mess up. This leads to some amusing situations raising ample chuckles.
Mention must also be made of how Raghunath has been written. On the surface he may come across as a stereotypical obstacle to Santhosh and Vaishali’s happy ending. But he has his valid reasons for not trusting Santhosh fully, there is a crucial moment when Raghunath leds his guard down expressing his concern. Priyadarshini Ram is very good in portraying the hard exterior as well as the vulnerability of a bride’s father.
The love story between Santhosh and Vaishali though doesn’t get the same attention as the friendship portions. Its severely undercooked and as a result it’s hard to completely root for Vaishali’s anxiousness. Having said that Yashashree Rao does a good job within her limited screen time. She particularly stands out in the scene of Santhosh’s memory loss being revealed. The determination of Vaishali has been brought out well by Yashashree Rao.
Among the three friends Viva Raghav impress the most in the comedy department as well a solid emotional scene. There is an important portion where the character lashes out on Santhosh. It’s a heated argument and Viva Raghav does an excellent job.
Rohini Hattangadi as Santhosh’s grandmother also makes her presence amply felt. Her scenes in the fifth and the seventh episode stand out. Her conversation with Viraj in a crucial moment has some nice philosophical undertones.
Music composed by Ajay Arasada goes perfectly with the show’s tonality. The song Ee Vayase is soulful. The background score is of a good order too particularly the climactic portion of Santhosh’s long monologue. This monologue comes with a hidden secret too. The timing of it and how it has been narrated packs an emotional punch.
The cinematography of Rehen Sheik is of a good order too particularly the visual pallet of the flashback portions. Overall Gurthukostunnayi makes for an entertaining watch particularly if you are in the mood for reminiscing about your friends and grandparents.
