GGSR movie review: Lighthearted treat filled with witty one-liners
Director: Odam Ilavarasu
Cast: Atharvaa, Soori, Regina Cassandra, Aishwarya Rajesh, Pranitha, Aaditi Pohankar
Gemini Ganeshanum Suruli Raajanum, or GGSR, is a rom-com featuring Atharvaa, and directed by debutant Odam Ilavarasu. Gemini Ganesan (Atharvaa) is on a mission: he’s off to Madurai to invite his ex-girlfriends to his wedding. On the way, he meets Suruli Raj (Soori), which of course is a disaster in the making, but nonetheless is accepted in his quest to find the two woman Lavanya (Regina Cassandra) and Divya (Aaditi Pohankar.)
As you might have predicted, things quickly go wrong. By happenstance, he meets another ex of his, Priya (Pranitha,) which complicates an already delicate situation. And then there’s Pooja (Aishwarya Rajesh) – a girl who has a crush on Gemini. Gemini is the embodiment of an old comic type who seems to attract the most unlikely women and for reasons beyond his grasp! And now he has the task of navigating through all of these while still finishing the narrative of his upcoming marriage.
GGSR is a comedy centered around the hero and his sidekick. It’s lighthearted and is filled with witty one-liners. As one would expect, there’s plenty of romance involved as well since lover boy Atharvaa recounts his flings with four different women.
The story hardly has any novelty and relies heavily on the making to spice things up. The romantic bits are very straightforward and unrealistic. There is of course the cutesy aspect of Atharvaa’s handsome looks and the beauty and glamour of numerous heroines. This might appeal to more teenage and young-adult crowds as a lot of them would just want to see their favorite celeb on screen.
Soori and Rajendran as comedic support are a bit hit or miss. Their tomfoolery in the first half is predictable, and their dialogues and execution felt like recycled jokes from previous films. Soori does pick it up as the film ends and succeeds in being both serious and funny at the same time. The heroines in the film are largely forgettable. They exist just to fall in love, with some light aspects of characterization to change Gemini’s behaviors in each situation. They almost make the hero seem like a fraud, which he sort-of is, and is criticized for it. But those are aspects of the writing, and Atharvaa the actor is full of energy and versatility, especially given the range of people he had to encounter.
Regina and Pranitha have given alluring performances within the limited scope of their characters. Aaditi Pohankar and Aishwaraya Rajesh are just about present and are underutilized. Other aspects such as Imman’s peppy music and Saravanan’s colorful cinematography are major plus.
Overall, GGSR is the story of a serial seducer with a comedic aspect. It’s fun to watch it once, but could have used a firmer screenplay.
