Gandhi Tatha Chettu, presented by Thabhitha Sukumar and produced by Mythri Movie Makers, was released in theatres today. In this section, we are going to review the latest BO release.
Plot:
The story is set in the early 2000s, in a Telangana village. An adolescent girl named Gandhi is devastated upon learning that a neem tree that was so dear to her grandfather Ramachandraiah is on the verge of being cut down to make way for a local factory. Gandhi now lives up to her name, by fighting for environmental conservation through Gandhian means.
Analysis:
It's often said that Indians are emotional creatures, disinterested in rational thinking. Which is why the film under review (Gandhi Tatha Chettu) idolizes delayed Independence that resulted in devastating famines, while villainizing the development that causes displacement and migration. If saving lives and livelihoods is the highest ideal (fair enough), delayed Independence must be seen as a setback because prolonging India's fight only resulted in more deaths in the form of famines. Ramachandraiah, however, sees a hero in Mahatma Gandhi because he relied on "non-violence and love" to fight the British, a thoroughly shallow reading of the circumstances that led to India being granted freedom in the first place. India was granted freedom. Granted is the operative word.
Let's analyze Gandhi Tatha Chettu from a narrational standpoint. The treatment is basic. The dialogues are plain. The conversations are rooted but don't go beyond certain tropes associated with the 'My land, my jungle, my village' sub-genre of Telugu cinema. The grandfather-granddaughter camaraderie is not explored beyond a couple of conversations. The staging would impress only festival circuit guys. It is that dull and hackneyed. The cinematography and the background score are unimaginative.
Debutant director Padmavathi Malladi humanizes the imposing neem tree, one of the three titular characters. Tanikella Bharani's voice for the tree makes it an Anthropomorphic character. It's so short story-like. And this idea is stretched so much that a fantastical element is deployed in the most bizarre manner.
The ending is so convenient that you don't know what to dislike more: the lazy writing, or the unabashed way in which the villagers renege on their contract with the businessman (played by Rag Mayur). The problem is not that they want to undo their contract with the factory owner. The problem is that they think they are entitled to dishonour the contract by demonizing the person they have been doing business with. If you think this is a silly criticism, you have to read about how a lack of trust in the Indians' ability to honour contracts has been stressed by foreign investors to drive away investments from India.
But why are we making a social critique here? Because Gandhi Tatha Chettu has been made as a nostalgic, message movie that is not supposed to give you entertainment. Well-meaning films like this one end up being tedious or, worse, frustratingly simplistic.
In a way, a lot of the problems the characters in this film face seem self-inflicted. Gandhi's father is able-bodied but he doesn't migrate to the city for work; he is seen revelling in 'kallu' twice or thrice in the movie. When Gandhi comes up with an ingenious solution, the elders in the village don't even bother to enable her rise as a teen entrepreneur. This is what Indians are like in real life, but this film doesn't question this lack of drive in us.
Sukriti Veni Bandreddi, better known as the daughter of Pushpa director Sukumar, essays the role of Gandhi. Unlike most other child artists, she doesn't over-emote. That's pretty much cool. Anand Chakrapani, as her grandfather, brings to the table his old-school body language and dialogue delivery. Rag Mayur plays a uni-dimensional character that is written to appear apathetic and indifferent.
Closing Remarks:
Gandhi Tatha Chettu has its heart in the right place. On the engagement meter, though, it sets the bar too low. Its accidental theatrical release shouldn't have preceded its inevitable OTT release.
