scorecardresearch
Thursday, Mar 28, 2024
Advertisement
Premium

Gurkha movie review: Partly wacky, partly silly and mostly fun

Gurkha movie review: This no-brainer, starring Yogi Babu, is certainly bang for your buck.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5
gurkha movie review Gurkha movie review: This Sam Anton directorial doesn’t take itself too seriously.

Gurkha movie cast: Yogi Babu, Raj Bharath, Elyssa Erhardt, Charlee
Gurkha movie director: Sam Anton
Gurkha movie rating: 2.5 stars

Gurkha revolves around a series of goofy moments involving Yogi Babu (Bahadur Babu), a security guard and a dog, Undertaker. The film works as long as Undertaker is part of the proceedings. There is a certain cute factor associated with dogs, right? Every time Yogi Babu says “Undertaker” in his inimitable style, I cracked up. Something about that name is hilarious.

The film neither takes itself seriously nor does it expect us to give it any thought as Sam Anton tries to pack in maximum puns per minute. Sample this: Yogi Babu says “I am waiting” like a Kaththi Vijay and also utters the famous “Never give up” from Vivegam like Ajith when stuck in a difficult situation. You have to give Sam Anton points for trying in a time when writers recycle the stalest of jokes. This includes Babu calling a police officer (Ravi Mariya) ‘Harris Jayaraj’, and his girlfriend Margaret, ‘Market’, among more.

Advertisement

Meanwhile, a group of men hijack a famous mall in the city. On one side, we witness Yogi Babu doing ‘hilarious stuff’ and on the other, there’s a life-threatening situation. It is here that the film becomes interesting throwing serious characters into a funny plot. But such a premise is flattened by sloppy writing in an unrealistic manner. Imagine an American ambassador visiting the mall for watching Baahubali 3! The security guard of the mall belongs to the Gorkha community and saves people. In the first half, we get a flashback about Bahadur Babu’s lineage and how his Gorkha grandfather married his Tamil grandmother.

Gurkha is partly a satire which parodies events that happened in Tamil Nadu and Sam Anton ties them up into the main plot. For instance, there are references to the infamous Godman Nithyananda, actor Vishal, politician H Raja, the ‘anti-Indian’ statement, thermocol episode, Sivakumar’s selfie controversy, the Sterilite protest incident where a policeman stood atop a van to open fire, and reviewer ‘Blue Sattai’ Maaran who asks where the story is stolen from. The film begins to slacken around in the second half in these above-mentioned portions as they feel repetitive.

Festive offer

Gurkha is a film that tries to evoke laughs but also laughs at itself, and this is where it scores. However, sometimes, Yogi Babu’s character goes over-the-top and it becomes difficult to take the narrative seriously.

Raj Bharath, who was seen in Sigai, appears totally at ease in the hijacking sequences, as he infuses his character with energy and purpose. I wish I had seen more of his role. But Gurkha keeps the other supporting characters at an arm’s length. Naturally, we stop caring.

Advertisement

Gurkha is Yogi Babu’s third film as the lead actor after Kolamaavu Kokila and the recent Dharma Prabhu. Usually, for other heroes, comedy works best as a flavouring, but for Yogi Babu, it is the main dish. In a largely-aimless film, his expressions keep you engaged. Kids might love quite a bit of Gurkha for Undertaker and the gags of Yogi Babu and Anand Raj. Their scenes guarantee total fun. It’s refreshing to see the audience cheer for content that’s away from the quintessential hero-worshipping. Further, there are a couple of scenes of toilet humour – literally, but unfortunately, they are barely funny.

Overall, Gurkha is a light-hearted film that entertains the audience, despite a lot of misgivings.

First uploaded on: 13-07-2019 at 16:17 IST
Latest Comment
Post Comment
Read Comments
Advertisement
shorts
CJI PM Modi
IndiaUpdated: March 28, 2024 18:57 IST

Hours after nearly 600 lawyers wrote to CJI D Y Chandrachud about the actions of a “vested interest group” which they alleged “is trying to pressure the judiciary, Prime Minister Narendra Modi slammed the Congress party for "shamelessly" seeking commitment "from others for their selfish interests."

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
close