Garudan Movie Review: A fantastic Soori shoulders an intricate rural drama of friendship and deceit

Garudan Movie Review: Directed by Durai Senthilkumar and also starring Sasikumar and Unni Mukundan, the film is a solid follow-up that perfectly suits Soori after Viduthalai.

GARUDAN

Garudan

Garudan Story

Set somewhere near Theni in southern Tamil Nadu, Garudan is about two best friends, Karunakaran (Unni Mukundan) and Aadhithya (Sasikumar), who become friends over a shared trauma and look out for each other as they wield powerful authority over the town’s temple and the happenings of the surroundings. Between them is Sokkan (Soori), Karuna’s fierce loyalist, who does not let anyone even look at Karuna, even if it is the well-meaning Aadhithya. One of the friends changes gears, prompting a tale of betrayal, rage, and, needless to say, more action.

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Garudan Review

At one point in Garudan, a woman makes her husband take their toddler daughter along with him as he goes to meet his friends, who are notorious for their violence. Everything makes sense when the husband says the toddler was sent with him so he does not get drunk. As much as one might wonder how an infant might double up as a bodyguard for her father, especially in a scenario involving many goons, it is also the most effective method a housewife can devise to keep her husband from getting wasted. While what ensues is a chain of events that might remind you of portions from Subramaniapuram and Kodi, it is certain moments and takes that make Garudan a film that is high on emotions with a hyper-masculine narrative.

Garudan is a tale that is made to be narrated, not told to talk about the glory of friendship, what it takes to be an ardent loyalist, or even the courage it takes to stand up for justice even if it is against your own people. Even if these arcs are etched out in detail and contribute immensely to the story, Garudan is also a tale that has to be told just because a police officer wants to resign from working in a troublesome jurisdiction after being tired of constant transfers. 

With this as an opening, director Durai Senthilkumar weaves in a plot that brings in multiple characters who get caught between the desire for wealth and power; this sets up the premise for much bigger and more complicated friendships. The first half introduces multiple characters and all we get is a voiceover that explains their connections and contributions, which can go over your head and confuse you with its fast-paced style. Garudan gradually picks up during the interval block and after it.

Also read: Garudan director RS Durai Senthilkumar Interview: Audiences are more genre specific, changing the format of commercial cinema | EXCLUSIVE 

The film also has nice pockets of laughter and dark comedy. For example, Soori, who is fiercely faithful, has a way of showing it through a manner of speech that offers humour. At these times, you don’t see the comedian Parotta Soori, but a protagonist who does humour. In another instance that involves Soori and his lady love Vinnarasi (Revathi Sharma), who is helping her friend, there is a hilarious scene of comedy of errors, which slowly warms you up for the action blocks that arrive. And aiding all this is Yuvan Shankar Raja’s background score and the carefully planned slow-motion shots for Soori, which help you to savour the moments of heroism in a believable manner.

Having said all of this, Garudan is not free of flaws. Certain moments are predictable and the multi-character introduction through mere voiceovers in the first half can be cumbersome. There is also a cliché about what happens to two best friends and their fates. But Garudan salvages these to an extent by using Sokkan as a chess piece, navigating the lives of these characters in the most realistic way possible. And Soori brings the meaty portions of Garudan to the table through his acting chops and versatile emotions in the most convincing manner possible.

Garudan Verdict

Garudan is a solid film that perfectly suits Soori as a follow-up after playing the lead in Viduthalai. His Sokkan is a perfect concoct of innocence and courage that somewhere takes the spirit of Kumaresan from Viduthalai, as he comes out of the shell most convincingly. Thanks to the writing, there is enough room for the actor to show his performative side without sidelining the other two characters. With equal and honest offerings of substantial portions for its multi-character narrative, Garudan seems to likely begin the much-needed wave for Tamil cinema’s dry spell to get over.

Also read: Garudan 2024: Release date, plot, trailer, cast, crew, censor and more 

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