Gamanam is out on OTT - what works for it and what doesn't?

Directed by Sujana Rao, Gamanam is an anthology film featuring Priyanka Jawalkar, Shiva Kandukuri, Shriya Saran and Nithya Menen

Gamanam

Anthologies aren't commonplace in Telugu cinema and are yet to attain mainstream popularity as a genre among audiences. Apart from critical acclaim, there haven't been many examples where anthologies have been able to pull crowds to theares, with Vedam and C/O Kancharapalem being rare exceptions. Yet, first-filmmaker Sujana Rao, with Gamanam, showed courage to start her career with an anthology revolving around people from different walks of life dealing with floods in Hyderabad. The film starring Priyanka Jawalkar, Shiva Kandukuri, Shriya Saran, Bithiri Sathi and Nithya Menen, is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

Gamanam is set in Hyderabad, revolving around two destitute kids, an aspirant cricketer Ali and a partially deaf woman Kamala. All of them have their own set of conflicts, desires and are hopeful of a better tomorrow. While the kids hope to earn enough money to buy a cake some day, Ali is waiting to make the relationship with his girlfriend Zara official with their families besides making a career in cricket. Kamala, with a newborn child, is eager to see her husband return to India again and does a small-time tailoring job for livelihood. On a night where Hyderabad is struck by floods, where are their destinies headed?

There's no doubt that Gamanam as a story is quite compelling. You see how people from contrasting socio-economic backgrounds, age groups go about their lives in a happening city and have contrasting approaches to life. Disappointment is the only reality that binds most of these characters and on a night when the city is ravaged by floods, the filmmaker attempts to tell if their hopes wash away or don't. The flood-backdrop showcases the human grit to survive a crisis at any cost and provides an opportunity for the characters to come to terms with their realities and move ahead in life.

It's the execution where the anthology misses the bus. On most occasions, the characters feel underwrought, underdeveloped and it's very hard to be emotionally invested in their journeys. The storytelling isn't exactly engaging in the second hour and the performances aren't compelling either. Yet, as a viewer, if novelty is what you seek, give Gamanam a chance. If earnestness is a yardstick by which a film is judged upon, Gamanam does work. And of course, if you another pulling factor, it has music by Ilaiyaraaja.

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