Gaganachari Malayalam Movie
Cinematic grammar goes for a toss in Arun Chandu's directorial endeavour as he leads us to a tumultuous future world. The director embraces a freewheeling approach in 'Gaganachari' by breaking all the norms of a conventional film with minimal characters in a grimdark premise and sets himself a fantasy realm with elan. His reunion with KB Ganesh Kumar and Aju Varghese, both of them starred in his debut film 'Saajan Bakery Since 1962' (2021), and Gokul Suresh, who played the lead in his film 'Sayanna Varthakal' (2022), actually turns out to be a bliss for this movie. It is a smart concept executed confidently with a lot of pluck.
While the actual plot is pretty thin, this is an amazing and laudable effort from Arun Chandu as he has shot the film within the limitations of austere technical stuff. The events mainly dunked in VFX take viewers to the world in 2043 and the proceedings are majorly shown on the 16-mm screen space. The screenplay penned by Arun Chandu and Siva Sai is an assortment of the future world's alarming and terrifying situations. Though narrated with the aid of dark humour, the dystopian world in front of you is enough to create shockwaves if one seriously ponders about it. Despite the imaginative story, the film discusses topical issues, including Man's inhuman actions on earth and the looming scare of war.
While unfolding layers of political ideologies and religious beliefs, 'Gaganachari' ridicules them through the life of three characters. Former army officer Victor, played by KB Ganesh Kumar, is awaiting his visa for the moon's expedition. Victor along with his relative Allen, played by Gokul Suresh and servant Vaibhav (Aju Varghese) are residing in a dilapidated building complex. The film begins when a couple of youngsters call on them to shoot a documentary. The events unfold through the accounts of each character while speaking before the documentary team.
The reference to flood in Kerala and Covid-19 situations give a grave tone to the humorous milieu of 'Gaganachari'. The arrival of an alien (Anarkali Marikar) from another planet makes things complex in Victor's flat. While Allen tries to woo her, the alien fails to reciprocate it. Meanwhile, two soldiers are snooping at the residence of Victor and extracting money (here 'points') from him. In between, references to certain Malayalam films and their BGM create riveting moments. The bizarre premise of the film may not be the cup of tea for all but the issues it discusses are noteworthy. Relying too much on flashy graphic images and visual effects hinders the film's natural flow that is mostly maintained through narration of characters before the camera.
This movie falls in the genre of science fiction; still topics like eating 'geef' as an alternative food and ban on petrol when people store it in black market are thought-provoking. Ganesh Kumar gets quite a different character with humour shades and he excels in it. It is riveting to watch his combination scenes with Gokul and Aju in the flick. Despite having ample screen space, Anarkali is an untroubled character when it comes to performance as well as the tale's progress.
The future world and life on other planets are being discussed in 'Gaganachari' that gives a realistic and convincing feel in the narration. Shankar Sharma's music and CJ Achu's editing contribute significantly in creating a good impact. The production design is highly superb in presenting such a hilariously made sci-fi movie that also showcases the tussle between science and orthodox beliefs. With a quirky unconventional plot, this sci-fi comedy set in grimdark premise is an epitome of how to discuss topical contents in films. This is a highly weird film that breaks all the basic concepts of familiar storyline. Yet, it can generate laughter with a strong undercurrent of pragmatic thoughts.
