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| GORIPALAYAM
MOVIE REVIEW |
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| Review
by : Behindwoods review board |
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Starring:
Vikranth, Harish, Ramakrishnan, Prakash,
Raguvannan.
Direction:
Rasu Madhavan
Music:
Sabesh Murali
Production:
Global Infotainment |
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How
and why do youngsters go astray? What
prompts them to leave behind all that
is good in life and go in search of momentary
pleasures? Director Rasu Madhuravan tries
to explore this question with his second
film, Goripalayam. It is quite clear even
from a one line synopsis that this is
a movie which is treading on path that
has been often used over the past couple
of years or so. We have been regularly
fed with these kinds of subjects where
rural youth lose touch with reality and
are drawn into violence. There have been
films that have concentrated more on the
violence and gore while others have chosen
to have bit more of a social commentary
over what makes things go wrong. So, which
path does Goripalayam follow?
The film, as the name quite clearly indicates,
is a story set in the town of Goripalayam,
in Madurai. The story is about five young
men who have had quite unhappy childhoods
due to domestic |
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problems. Each one has a story to tell, of estranged
parents, of growing up an orphan, of being misguided
by the very people who ought to show the right way,
in general, it is all because of parents who don’t
fulfill their responsibilities. With no one to guide,
reprimand or love them, the five youngsters take to
the streets. Hot blood and hormones take over and
one knows that lots of violence cannot be far away.
And in comes tobacco, alcohol, intoxication and all
the vices that it brings along with itself. Without
much doubt, such a group of young men turned vagabonds
will not have many friends and well wishers. There
are people looking for the right opportunities to
have a swing at this gang. And when the chance presents
itself…
The right intentions are present, but the proportion
goes awry. The director has started off wanting to
portray definitively the reasons behind a youngster’s
decadence, pointing out that it all starts right from
childhood. It would have been a message well conveyed
only if he had restrained himself in the display of
violence and plain unruliness. For starters, it might
be considered necessary to establish the characters
in a strong manner. But, when the same kind of portrayal
(loud dialogues, arrogant swaggers etc…) keeps
repeating itself scene after scene, it tends to irritate
the viewer rather than ingrain the characters into
his mind. There is also an abundance of scenes where
the characters are either consuming alcohol or indulging
in some kind of intoxication or the other. After a
point, even this gets repulsive. Also, it is difficult
to understand the love angles presented in the film.
How can an educated college-going girl from an upper
middle class family fall in love with a good-for-nothing,
loser, street vagrant who does nothing but drink and
brawl? Well, they say love is blind, but the director
seems to have interpreted it too far in the wrong
direction. There is no rhyme or reason presented for
love to happen, except of course for the girl’s
dog relieving itself on this person.
The director has not been able to extract much out
of his cast. None of the actors really impress with
their performances. Ramakrishna of Kunguma Poovum
Konjum Puravum fame does not get much but look unkempt
and make loud utterances. Vikranth, Vijay’s
cousin, who was expected to be the surprise packet
of the film does not create much of an impact. In
his first role with negative shades, he plays a thug
who is hired to kill the group of five. The role definitely
had the potential to show him in a much different
light than has been done in his entire career. But
sadly, the opportunity is missed. The role of a toughie
does not really sit well on the actor; his body language
has not been adapted to the needs of the character.
Amongst all the other newcomers, Raghuvannan (Manivannan’s
son) gets noticed, playing a character whose intentions
for being part of the gang are revealed only very
close to the end.
Technically, Goripalayam is a movie that does not
score much on any front. Camera is adequate while
Sabesh Murali’s music doesn’t help the
film much. In fact, one of the songs reminds us of
a number from the Madhavan starrer Priyamana Thozhi.
The most noticeable aspect of Goripalayam is the portrayal
of Madurai. M for Madurai, M for mayhem seems to the
Kollywood line these days. This movie is no different.
There are sickles, knives and sticks flying even without
the drop of a hat. Is Madurai really like this, one
might begin to wonder?
Director Rasu Madhuravan, who had shown a keen eye
for sentiments in Mayandi Kudumbathar takes a different
path this time. Sentiments have not been given much
importance. The introduction of the five youngsters
and their problems in a voice over by the director
is crisp. But, his script could definitely have cut
down on violence, unruliness, loud dialogues and alcohol.
Devoid of an overuse of these elements, Goripalayam
could have been a sensible and sensitive film about
how societal negligence can be a breeding opportunity
for the unwanted.
Verdict:
Overdose of unruliness
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| Tags
: Goripalayam,
Vikranth,
Sabesh
Murali |
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