Garividi Lakshmi Movie Review

People Media Factory has produced Garividi Lakshmi, a Biopic based on the life of Legendary Folk Singer from Uttarandhra. The idea of making a Biopic of a Burra Katha artist itself has instilled curiosity factor on the film and Anandhi’s Live Performance of a Song created buzz for the movie.

What is the Movie About?

Garividi Lakshmi is a Born Talent from Garividi village of Srikakulam district. A complete illiterate, Lakshmi has the rare talent of listening to a song/poetry and getting it by heart immediately. The movie chronicles the ups and downs of her life transporting us to the unimaginable successes and failures of Garividi Lakshmi.

Performances:

Anandhi plays the titular role in the film. She sleep walked through the film bringing energy in the portions of triumph and kindles sympathy when Lakshmi goes through turbulent times. The vibrant dances in the Burra Katha performances also worked big time.

Rag Mayur will be seen in a character with two different shades. He performed well in both the shades bringing believability for the second-most important character in the film. Naresh is seen in another important character and is good as always. Raasi plays Garividi Lakshmi’s mother and Ankith Koyya in a small role. Both of them are fine. Rest of the artists are okay in the extent of what they are offered.

Technicalities:

Gowri Naidu Jammu had written and directed Garividi Lakshmi. As a writer, he got two extreme results in the film. There are portions that are written very well and there are portions that could have been better.

Charan Arjun’s Background Score is alright. A couple of songs worked well and remaining could have been better. The emotional song that is used in the background during the climax worked really well. Aditya Juvvadi’s visuals are alright mostly captured in natural village locations. Editing by Ravi Teja should have been better in the first half. Production Values by People Media Factory are fine for the project of this size.

Positives:

1.⁠ ⁠Garividi Lakshmi’s Life & Times
2.⁠ ⁠Pre-Climax & Climax Portions
3.⁠ ⁠Anandhi’s Performance

Negatives:

1.⁠ ⁠Mahanati’s storytelling pattern
2.⁠ ⁠Not so engaging first half

Analysis:

Firstly, the director and the producer should be appreciated for deciding to tell the story of a forgotten and lesser-known personality. Making a film on a Burra Katha artist who has achieved so much in her life and yet not known to many people around, isn’t an easy task. The producer should have guts in investing money in making a film on such an unfamiliar artist and the backdrop and the director should have utmost conviction to tell such a story in an engaging and inspiring manner. Both the producer and director scored full marks with their decision to tell the life and times of Garividi Lakshmi to the world.

Coming to the film, Garividi Lakshmi has sincerity written all over it. The movie takes us through the life of a gifted girl who excelled in her career but was deceived by the people around her and circumstances. However, a real story when made into a film should always have proper drama and there should be proper balance between realistic events and cinematic liberties. The director of the film partially succeeded in getting that balance right but he should have put a bit more focus in screenplay and narration. During the initial fifteen to twenty minutes of the film, the drama was built a decent manner and then the film, started to go off track with Burra Katha episodes and songs coming one after the other. It felt difficult to connect with the proceedings for the majority of the first half.

The Second Half contains more meat than the first half. The actual drama begins here. Audiences will connect to Garividi Lakshmi’s pain after a betrayal and an insult at a Public meeting. The last thirty minutes of the film is dealt well and sends the audience out of the theatre with a good feeling. On the flip side, we also get a feeling that there is too much of Mahanati’s flavour in the Drama. Although the drama during the second half worked out, it felt as if like the director was heavily inspired by the film, Mahanati.

Finally, Garividi Lakshmi has an engaging pre-climax, climax and a few other good moments here and there. However, the not-so-engaging first half worked against the film’s overall graph. A bit more care in writing and screenplay, would have made the film great. That said, the film and the makers of it deserve our respect for their attempt to tell us the story of Garividi Lakshmi.

Bottom line: Final Act Worked. Other Two Acts, Arent

Rating: 2.25/5