Gowri Movie Review : Gowri review: Samarjit’s talent show

Plot: Gowrishankar (Samarjit Lankesh), a village boy with a hearing impairment, dreams of becoming a professional singer. Samantha (Saanya Iyer) is looking to build a team of talented, specially-abled artists. Duo meet to realise each other’s dreams.

Review: Gowrishankar (Samarjit Lankesh), a small-town boy, has hearing impairment by birth, just like his mother. His father (Sampath Maithreya), a jogi who travels between villages singing songs, is upset with this. He was hoping that his son will continue the family tradition, but sees hearing impairment as a hindrance. He often treats his son harshly and demotivates him. But, Gowri’s mother (Manasi Sudhir) is very loving and encourages him to move out of the village to pursue his dreams. Samantha (Saanya Iyer) is looking to build a team of talented, specially-abled artists. She handpicks each team member from different parts of the state, and is scouting for a male lead singer. She stumbles upon Gowri in a temple and is impressed by his singing. She immediately ropes him in for her Barisu Kannada Dindimava team. The team applied to be part of a hit talent-hunt show. But, when a third person comes into the equation, Gowri starts asking questions. And then, Samantha opens up about her past. Can the Yin and Yang bury the past and look for a brighter future?

Gowri is the typical Yin-looking-for-Yang story with a commercial effort to wed a romantic story with a musical story. The film feels like Samarjit’s showreel or an invitation for filmmakers to witness Samarjit Lankesh’s talent. Samarjit’s dad, director-producer Indrajith Lankesh, has used every possible measure to make sure that Samar gets enough visibility; and he gets to do everything- songs, romance, fight, dance, action, emotional scenes, commercial scenes, dialogue baazi, and more. Samar is fantastic in action and dance sequences, but dwindles in emotional sequences. He looks very promising, and since this is his first film, minor flaws are forgivable. Saanya Iyer, because of her character, has a sad girl face throughout the film. She looks pretty, and this movie is a good start for her, too. The two ace in song and dance sequences, and in the climax scene; set in the backdrop of a sunset, the ending serves as a precursor for the duo's new start. Sampath Maithreya and Manasi Sudhir are brilliant, especially Manasi, who plays a helpless mother. She aces in every frame.

Indrajith Lankesh’s films are known for candy floss romances. But, for Gowri, he puts Samarjith’s talent show on a pedestal at every opportunity available. The story, too, is very predictable and is a bit outdated. The storytelling needed a touch of freshness for the audience to appreciate the film as well as the newbie actors’ performances. The movie is designed to spotlight Samarjith and his talent and that has worked to a very big extent. Gowri announces his arrival and shows all his potential scene after scene. But, that’s all there is. The film has all the trademark features of an Indrajith Lankesh’s film, including special appearances by Chandan Shetty, Priyanka Upendra, Loose Mada Yogi, Vasundhara Das, and Ricky Kej.

Music and cinematography are the two biggest highlights of Gowri. The medley song, and a touching tribute to Gowri Lankesh in the first half are memorable. Muddada and Time Barrutte in the second half are refreshing. The film’s cinematography is at its finest as it offers a visual feast, showcasing some of the best locations, in various seasons, throughout Karnataka and a bit of Mumbai.

Kannada industry right now needs fresh talent and the two - Samar And Saanya - show considerable promise in their debut film.