Director: Hemanth M Rao
Cast: Anantnag, Rakshit Shetty, Sruthi Hariharan, Vashishta N Simha, Achyuth Kumar
A start of something new is always very crucial and decisive, and indeed the first impression is the best one. A perfect example of a dream debut for a director, Hemanth Rao, has not only scored high but has also chalked it to perfection, that even the 'impurities' shines like real gold on the silver screen. Armed with a brave subject, his most powerful weapon is the legendary Anantnag who portrays the character of a 66-year-old person suffering from Alzheimer's disease. It is around this that the brilliantly etched characters take on a journey, of self discover while 'attached' to the missing person.
There have been indeed several films made across the globe which talk about Alzheimer's disease on different parameters but what makes ‘Godhi banna sadharana mykattu’ so special is how it gels with every character, and moreover it is not just about the father-son relationship. The experience watching the film, stays with you even after leaving the theatre. It makes you think, it steals your heart, makes you fall in love, laugh, cry and by the end of tear-jerking moments, you are already missing someone. Cinema at its purest form.
There are a lot of value additions in the Hemanth's script, which simply multiplies while emotions constantly fluctuate - at times bringing relief through laughter and sometimes making the heart heavier.
Anantnag, the perfectionist, is at his all time best staying as close to reality performance, which has always been his strength as an actor. This is his great chance, at present for that long pending national award for best actor. Suffering from Alzheimer's disease, Venkob Rao (Anantnag) is living with his only son after losing his wife to cancer. However, the narration is in a different order which is the actual fun of the film.
The son played by Rakshit Shetty, who 'carelessly' cares for his father is on a different level, which is again the ground reality of a section of the present generation on how they treat their aged parents especially those suffering from diseases. The story moves on when the father gets lost. The first few scenes with dull lighting and disturbing sounds starts acting as a spoiler, but soon they are rectified even as Sruthi Hariharan enters playing the doctor who has been treating Venkob Rao with great affection, and later joins the son on his search for his missing father.
The brilliance is when the story develops as Rao ends up with two criminals, who were heading to dispose the corpse of an important person. Later, the stage is set for another genius actor - Achyuth Kumar, who makes an accidental entry and gets embroiled in the mess. With Vashishta growing as a performer, he is another remarkable talent to watch out for. Unlike many actresses who rarely do anything beyond looking pretty on screen, Sruthi Hariharan has lived the character to perfection as a worried doctor, and is a treat to watch her perform alongside the versatile talent Rakshit Shetty who seems to do almost everything on and off camera with ease.
The songs and the background score flows well within the narration and the director interconnects the characters with simplest incidents. It could be a good study material for those directors who still believe that just the star, glamour, a regular masala story with twists around dance, fights, excessive heroism and routine comedy is essentially for a hit movie.
Watch it for Hemanth's brilliance, the perfectionist Anantnag, the performers - Sruthi, Vashishta - and the versatile Rakshit Shetty. Last but not the least the best in the class - Achyuth Kumar.
Just make sure you watch this amazing experience at the best movie theatre near you.
