Review: Gundello Godari - refreshing

Disaster movies are a rarity in Telugu cinema, for that matter in Indian cinema too. Lakshmi Manchu's 'Gundello Godari', set in the backdrop of 1986 Godavari floods, is one such effort which sets the tempo from the beginning. But as the going gets tough, it falls short of expectations, making one to just appreciate the effort, not the film in its entirety.

Malli (Aadhi) gets hitched to Chitra, Sitra to be precise (Lakshmi Manchu), on a day when nature's fury is about to hit them. As soon as the wedding ends, a warning, that Godavari has breached the flood bank and is about to unleash its venom, makes everyone run for safety except the just married couple in the mandap.

The natural calamity hits them and it is then they try to fight it by perching onto everything which is not taken away by the force of flood flow.

Counting that the death is looming them, they began to narrate their individual stories unfolding to their marriage. Malli, a honest fisherman who dreams of owning a boat like his deceased father, works under Sambasivayya, a fishing trader.

Sivayya's eccentric daughter Sarala (Taapsee) is drawn towards Malli who is least interested in her. However, she manages to go out for a movie with him and this irks her father. The next-minute, Malli is booked in a false case and his life turns upside down.

Sitra is an orphan she loves Soori (Sundeep Kishan), a cement maesthri who is crazy about cock fights, since childhood. While Soori too loves her, he refrains from proclaiming his love for her.

A misunderstanding by Soori puts their life in jeopardy. Tragedy hits Sitra even after Soori stops her marriage to an unknown guy. So what makes her get married to Malli? Will Malli and Sitra fight the situation to come together forms the rest of the story.

With Godavari in its brutal form, debutante director Kumar Nagendra with the help of his VFX team and Ilayaraja's alarming background score re-visits the disaster to perfection.

He transports the viewers to good old Akashavani days, Godavari in its purest form and those huts which have almost made way to slabs. He raises the bar of Telugu cinema within the first ten minutes of the film only to lose the grip as the story progresses especially in the second-half.

If the principle lead performers fail to sizzle in the first half leading to a dull interval, second half is marred by unnecessary songs and melodrama ' the latter, understandable considering the set-up, but at the cost of film's narration!

Technically though Raja's songs are no match to his accomplished body of work although camerawork by Palani Kumar stands apart. Performance wise, Lakshmi, though totters initially with her dubbing, is the shining beacon of the film.

Struck with tragedy in her personal life and on the day of her nuptials, she gets into the skin of a hapless village belle and makes you feel sorry for her.

Taapsee's expressions could have been better. At times, they are annoying as well. Aadhi does a commendable job and looks every inch a fisherman although he falters in the diction department initially. Despite limited footage, Sundeep leaves his mark.

Although it has several flaws, 'Gundello Godari', is worth a watch for the sheer attempt of trying to be different, for staying true to the characters, for the climax which speaks about the spirit of two individuals making every effort to live together against all odds.