Standing on its roots, Gaami has the line ‘Dedicated to the Crowd’ in its titles, which states how much the makers are thankful to the crowdfunding.
Updated On – 8 March 2024, 06:36 PM
Hyderabad: Gaami, written and directed by Vidyadhar Kagita and sharing the screenplay with Pratyush Vatyam, is released in theaters today. The film stars Vishwak Sen, Mohammad Samad, and Harika Pedada as its leads. Funded by the crowd, produced by Karthik Sabareesh, and presented by V Celluloid, the film is an adventurous journey of the principal character Shankar into the Himalayas.
Standing on its roots, Gaami has the line ‘Dedicated to the Crowd’ in its titles, which states how much the makers are thankful to the crowdfunding. Also, the director clearly states the definition of Gaami – a seeker who is on a quest – before the beginning of the film.
Gaami opens in Haridwar in an Aghori Ashram, where Shankar is introduced with the rare condition of not being able to experience human touch. He is forced to leave the ashram. The basic premise and the conflict are so nicely set up in the introduction sequence itself by the screenwriters so that the audience wouldn’t get disconnected anywhere in between with the other two parallel stories running further.
As shown in the trailer, the other two stories – a scientific lab experimenting on human subjects and their responses and a rural village that relies on Devadasi – are also introduced in parallel.
Shankar, on the other hand, gets to know that he needs to get some magical mushrooms from the Himalaya within just 15 days to get his condition treated, and he starts his journey with a doctor named Jahnavi, who is researching those mushrooms. Thus, the primary quest begins in the film.
Gaami should be experienced by any kind of audience, primarily for one reason – the choice of landscapes and the world by Vidyadhar. The world of Gaami is mostly taken from original shots rather than relying on VFX, and that’s a marvelous job from a debutant director.
In terms of writing, the parallel screenplay was so great that the engagement of their connection is always on for the audience without any sideways disturbances. Though the audience can sense how all the stories are connected to each other, Vidyadhar still surprised them by introducing the science of genetic disorders, which is very fresh and unique. Another fine piece of writing from the duo of Vidhyadhar and Pratyush is the arc of Chandini’s character. She was introduced as a researcher, then presented as a mother, then connected with the need for magical mushrooms to erase the memories, and finally she becomes a mother figure for Shankar at the end.
One can find references to Shawshank Redemption and Shutter Island in the scenes of escaping from CAT and Lobotomy, respectively in Gaami. But Vidhyadhar needs to be appreciated for achieving a similar impact here.
Besides the brilliant writing and superior making standards, Gaami is also a music- and sound-driven film. The high-tension music in thrilling and dramatic scenes is a gem of a work from Naresh Kumaran. Along with Naresh, Gaami is equally DOP Vishwanath Reddy’s film with the visual extravaganza he gave on the big screen.
Even in such a high-concept film like Gaami, Vidyadhar simply narrated the meaning of life with the dialogue, ‘Aakasam, Chukkalu, Naluguru Manushulu, Okkate Jeevitham, Brathikeddam.’
Speaking of the actors – be it Vishwak, Samad, Harika, Chandini, Dayanad, and Abhinaya – everyone has put in their heart for the film. Vishwak truly deserves applause for his bravery in taking this film six years ago. With Gaami’s release now in 2024, Vishwak will now have a new image for his name.
And finally, the climax of Gaami drives you emotionally as a human. The basic premise of the film ‘Fear and Desire of Human Touch’ is not just a high concept by lines, but a very deep emotion when Shankar actually feels it in the final few frames.
I personally experienced the public clapping at the climax of the film in Prasads Multiplex in Hyderabad, and that happens very rarely for a modern and non-commercial film.
Gaami, a film on human touch, wins human hearts.
