Harikathe Alla Girikathe review: This comedy-drama brims with genuineness and energy, despite the occasional glitches

3/5

Story:

Three oddball individuals come together under bizarre yet comical circumstances to pursue a common goal of making it big in the movie business. The motley crew, comprising Director Giri, Villain Giri, and Heroine Giri(ja) embark on a madcap journey that entails scamming top politicians and cops, turning kidnappers, and hatching the most outrageous escapades to get their film made. With their trusted allies – 5D Thomas, Super Super, and Mobile Raghu – by their side, will their dream come true? Will the underdog overcome the odds? 

Review:

A Harikathe, in essence, is a hybrid art form that seamlessly blends verbal storytelling with music, poetry, dance, and drama. In the pretense of exploring the tale of a saint or a mythological epic, the practitioner imbues a cultural and artistic value among the masses and passes it off as entertainment. In one of the early passing scenes of Harikathe Alla Girikathe, we hear a stereotypical film producer snub one such Harikathe practitioner by saying that no one’s interested in the art form anymore, suggesting that it has been rendered archaic for the present generation. And just then, the film’s protagonist Giri walks in brandishing a film script and begging for an appropriate opportunity that offers both entertainment and rich dividends. The producer may have disdained Giri but, right at that moment, it becomes apparent that the film has (inadvertently) drawn a parallel between the age-old form of storytelling and that of the current times, and that he too will be required to go place to place in search of an audience carrying his own kathe. He might be no saint and his story might not be epic in nature, but there is certainly enough drama, music, and poetic justice to encounter along the way to ultimate glory.  

Harikathe Alla Girikathe is a film brimming with cheekiness. For starters, there is a meta or a self-referential element to the story which stems from the fact that its characters are trying to make a film. Alongside, we see that the film is told through a third-person perspective to give it a genuine “caper” feel as it introduces a barrage of goofy characters along with their individual backstories to reveal the desire to be part of the glorious world of cinema. Each character is evidently naïve and ill-equipped for the task in its own way but the film, in the garb of an outrageous comedy, shines a compassionate light on them and forges their union under bizarre circumstances to somehow shrink the size of their collective struggle. And “struggle” is the operative word, both in the subtextual and literal senses. It is interesting to note that despite loose connections with the film world, each character has no choice but to struggle to find a worthy place – Director Giri (Rishab Shetty) is the son of a former character artist (Honnavalli Krishna, the veteran actor plays a version of himself) but still struggles to find a producer for his film. Villain Giri was perceived as a bonafide villain right from the start but is unable to land a befitting role in any film. And Girija Thomas, despite being the daughter of a TV soap costume designer, struggles to be within the scope of any filmmaker for a full-fledge role "heroine" role.

The film’s main trait is its pacing. Running at a length of two hours and five minutes, Harikathe Alla Girikathe manages to keep things tight and pack an element of the story in each gag. Through a non-linear narrative, we are exposed to the various individual angles and how the misfits in the story come together to form a symbiotic relationship. Rishab Shetty as Director Giri becomes the leader of the pack, so to speak, and much of the story is told as his journey to the top. The film’s main draw is the emotional angle that involves his and Honnavalli Krishna’s characters and one is bound to realize that if it wasn’t for this subplot, the remainder of the story would have come across as slightly unimaginative and pointless. Rishab’s experience as an actor gives that film a sense of maturity and in the skilled hands of the two debutant directors, Karan Ananth and Anirudh Mahesh, the rest of the cast too fits in really well. Vasuki Vaibhav’s soundtrack captures the film’s pulse and lends the film’s silliness that spunk it direly needed – the composer puts together an eclectic album that boasts of amusing songs like Jr. Monalisa and Bawarachi along with emotionally stirring tracks like Bevarsi Manasa and climax piece sung by Tamil singer Pradeep Kumar. Another major contributor to the film’s steadiness is the editing team, comprising Bharath M.C. and Pradeep S. Rao which doesn’t let the pace drop despite the glitches in the script.

In the same vein, Harikathe Alla Girikathe suffers from a slightly undercooked script and for a film that rides high on an emotional context, the characters come across as a tad too cliched in parts. One never fully understands the underlying charm of Rishab Shetty’s Director Giri and how, despite all the inadequacies around, he manages to make things work. How does he manage to penetrate the vast inner circle of a major politician and woo his only daughter? And even in he does so, what is it about him that she falls for? The writers, Girikrishna and Anirudh Mahesh tend to take the audience's trust for granted during these moments and rush through them but don't particularly make an attempt to present a more holistic version of their protagonist. And the same lapses show up in the "crime" part of the story when we see the gang pull off a rather complicated deed without much fuss - the film, for its many merits, certainly demanded tighter storytelling to elevate the crime and mystery elements of the script.

Verdict:

Harikathe Alla Girikathe is a rollicking ride that promises a genuine dose of laughter, along with a few tear-jerking moments. The film might seem a derived one in terms of the genre and structure but the makers infuse originality through their characters and a strong, endearing emotional core. Sure, the film falls slightly short in certain aspects but there is enough and more to experience this mad caper on the big screen. Watch the film with your close ones for a story that's free of double entendres and a clean heart.