Gargi (film)
| Gargi | |
|---|---|
 Release poster | |
| Directed by | Gautham Ramachandran |
| Written by | Hariharan Raju Gautham Ramachandran |
| Produced by | Ravichandran Ramachandran Thomas George Aishwarya Lekshmi Gautham Ramachandran |
| Starring | Sai Pallavi Kaali Venkat |
| Cinematography | Sraiyanti Premkrishna Akkattu |
| Edited by | Shafique Mohamed Ali |
| Music by | Govind Vasantha |
Production companies | Blacky, Genie & My Left Foot Productions |
| Distributed by | Sakthi Film Factory 2D Entertainment Paramvah Studios |
Release date |
|
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
Gargi is a 2022 Indian Tamil-language legal drama film written by Hariharan Raju and Gautham Ramachandran, directed by Gautham Ramachandran and produced by Blacky, Genie & My Left Foot Productions with Sai Pallavi and Kaali Venkat in the lead role.[1][2][3] The film's music is composed by Govind Vasantha with cinematography handled by Sraiyanti and Premkrishna Akkatu and editing done by Shafique Mohamed Ali. Gargi was released on 15 July 2022 and received positive reviews from critics who praised the performance of Sai Pallavi, the script, the direction, and the social message.
Plot
Gargi is a school teacher from a struggling family consisting of her dad Brahmananda who works as a security guard in an apartment building, her mom who sells homemade rice batter and her younger sister Akshara who's in middle school. Their life becomes chaos when dad is accused along with 4 other men of having assaulted a child. Gargi is steadfast in her resolve to prove her dad's innocence, as he's her hero, having protected her as a child from a perverted teacher, encouraging her to stand up to such evil.
At the receiving end of public hatred, they're abandoned even by a family friend who's a successful lawyer. But his assistant, a no-note lawyer, Indrans Kaliaperumal, agrees to represent them as he has no reputation to lose. At the hearing, while questioning the investigating officer, Indrans uncovers that the victim was wrongly medicated with a high dose of barbiturates, thus rendering her testimony (identifying Brahmananda as the culprit) inadmissible.
Further, he meets the victim's dad, who reveals that it was he who made her identify Brahmananda (certain of his guilt), as she was catatonic with trauma, unable to function at all. All this puts into question the evidence, this enabling him to obtain conditional bail for Brahmananda.
When her dad's colleague, who had earlier claimed to have been at home all day on the fateful day, inadvertently reveals that he, in a drunken stupor, had actually been the first to discover the child lying there, and had alerted Brahmananda, Gargi starts doubting her dad's claims that he'd been drinking at that time. She confirms her suspicions by visiting the child again and showing her a picture of the 5th culprit.
It's revealed, when the child identifies him, that Brahmananda was indeed the culprit, leading to his arrest and conviction. Gargi takes a moment outside, to quietly come to terms with this horror. As the credits roll, we discover that she and her family have moved on, having reconciled with the victim and her dad.
Cast
- Sai Pallavi as Gargi[4][5]
- Kaali Venkat as Indrans Kaliyaperumal
- R. S. Shivaji as Brahmanandam
- Kavithalaya Krishnan as Public Prosecutor
- Saravanan as Kundhava
- Sudha S as Judge
- Prathap as Bennix Jayaraj
- Rajalakshmi P as Gargi's mother
- Livingston as Sandra's father
- Aishwarya Lekshmi as Ahalya
- Kalesh Ramanand as Pazhani
- Jayaprakash as Banuprakash
- Regin Rose as Saravanan's relative
- Nakkalites Dhanam as Saravanan's relative
- Bigil Siva as Young Gargi's teacher
- Prajuna Sarah as Aksarah
Production
The film was announced on 9 May 2022 with the makers releasing a special glimpse of the film.[6]
Music
The film's soundtrack is composed by Govind Vasantha while lyrics are written by Karthik Netha.[5]
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Yaathri" | Karthik Netha | Ravi G | 2:24 |
| 2. | "Maasaru Ponne" | Karthik Netha | Govind Vasantha, Krithika Karthick Pandiyan | 3:53 |
| 3. | "Thoovi Thoovi" | Karthik Netha | Ravi G | 3:13 |
| 4. | "Chinna Maamiye" | Nithi Kanagaratnam | Nithi Kanagaratnam | 2:39 |
| Total length: | 11:58 | |||
Release
Theatrical
Gargi was released theatrically worldwide on 15 July 2022.[7][8][9]
Home Media
The post theatrical rights of the film was sold to SonyLIV, while the satellite rights of the film is sold to Kalaignar TV.[10]
Reception
Critical response
Gargi received positive reviews from critics who praised the performance of Sai Pallavi, the script, the direction, and the social message.[11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18]
The Times of India rated the film 4 out of 5 stars and wrote, "A superbly shot, hard-hitting drama that unfolds more like a tense thriller, Gautham Ramachandran's Gargi is an essential film in this #MeToo era."[13] The Indian Express also rated the film 4 out of 5 stars and wrote, "Sai Pallavi and Kaali Venkat bring their best to a challenging drama about crime, punishment and justice system."[12] Praising Sai Pallavi's performance, The Hindu wrote, "This is probably Sai Pallavi's best performance till date... It's a wholesome performance that few actresses have given in recent times."[18]
Box office
The film grossed over ₹ 7.67 crore worldwide.[19]
References
- ^ "PICS: Sai Pallavi looks scintillating in a saree during Gargi promotions; Thanks presenter Suriya". PINKVILLA. 7 July 2022. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
- ^ "Aishwarya Lekshmi breaks out on stage at the 'Gargi' press meet - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
- ^ "Aishwarya Lekshmi Breaks Down At 'Gargi' Press Meet". 7 July 2022. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
- ^ Staff, News9 (7 July 2022). "Gargi trailer: Sai Pallavi plays school teacher in this courtroom drama". NEWS9LIVE. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ a b "WATCH | 'Gargi' trailer: Sai Pallavi plays a teacher in this emotional courtroom drama". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
- ^ "Sai Pallavi announces new film 'Gargi'".
- ^ "Watch: Trailer of Sai Pallavi's Gargi hints at legal drama". The News Minute. 7 July 2022. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
- ^ Today, Telangana (3 July 2022). "Sai Pallavi-starrer 'Gargi' to release on July 15". Telangana Today. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
- ^ "Sai Pallavi-starrer 'Gargi' set for worldwide release on July 15". English.Mathrubhumi. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
- ^ "Gargi To Stream On This OTT Platform!".
- ^ "Gargi : Sai Pallavi is attracting fans and getting positive reviews". indiaherald.com. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
- ^ a b "Gargi movie review: Sai Pallavi shoulders an immersive drama". The Indian Express. 16 July 2022. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
- ^ a b "Gargi Movie Review: A superb Sai Pallavi shines in this tense drama on sexual abuse", The Times of India, retrieved 19 July 2022
- ^ "'Gargi' review: Strong performances, all-round craft excellence make this an affecting film". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
- ^ "Gargi Movie Review: Sai Pallavi is terrific in this sensitive legal drama with a twist". India Today. 14 July 2022. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
- ^ "Gargi Movie review: Sai Pallavi-starrer steals the show with its sensitive portrayal-Entertainment News , Firstpost". Firstpost. 18 July 2022. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
- ^ "Gargi Movie Review: Sai Pallavi, focused writing are stunning in this legal drama". PINKVILLA. 15 July 2022. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
- ^ a b Ramanujam, Srinivasa (14 July 2022). "'Gargi' movie review: Sai Pallavi stars in an outstanding film that questions perspectives". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
- ^ "GARGI BUDGET & BOX OFFICE COLLECTION WORLDWIDE DAY 8".