Gargi movie review: Sai Pallavi shoulders an immersive drama, delivers excellent performance

Gautham Ramachandran made his directorial debut with Richie, the remake of Kannada hit Ulidavaru Kandanthe that follows the efforts of a journalist who wants to uncover the truth of an incident. As she gathers information from various people, she has to account for perspectives that may be prejudiced, formed by pre-conceived notions, and a myriad of other emotional reasons.

Gautham’s second film Gargi is set against the different background. But it follows the premise of Richie in terms of themes.

Gargi, played by a wonderful Sai Pallavi, is the eldest daughter of a middle-class household. She is a school teacher, and the de facto matriarch of the family, as her father is too old and too frail now to shoulder the weight of responsibilities. At the beginning of the movie, her life seems to be going in the right direction. Everything seems to be falling in place for her as her marriage is in the offing with her boyfriend is in the offing. In matters of hours, however, things spiral out of control and darkness engulfs her family, as her father, who is 60 years old, is accused of raping a child. She can’t accept the allegations against her father as she thinks she knows him and is sure of his innocence. “Leave the city and go somewhere else,” well-meaning cops advice Gargi, as they know what Gargi’s family will have to deal with once the news gets out. She refuses as she knows what she and her father had been through. “Let the court decide,” she declares, as she rues the sensational media coverage where her father is announced guilty even before the case goes to court.

As the battle for justice begins, the crime story turns into a procedural drama.

Gargi, the film, investigates the vulnerability of our criminal justice system. A small miscalculation or a tiny discrepancy can make a difference between life and death. The stake is too high in the case. On one side, you have a nine-year-old rape survivor who has been traumatized to the extent where she begins to fear her own father. On the other side, there is an old man, a father of two girls, and works round the clock to provide for his family, who could very well be a victim of a misunderstanding. Gautham puts us in a very delicate space where we are rooting for justice for both the accused and the survivor. He keeps making us jumping one hoop after other with the reveal of every new information. And in the process, he challenges everything we know about fellow humans.

Sai Pallavi as a determined daughter, with faith in our legal system despite all its shortcomings, has delivered a power-packed performance. Kaali Venkat as a novice advocate equally shines with his humble presence, who proves that heroes come in all shapes and sizes.