‘Gowri’ movie review: Samarjit Lankesh’s launchpad squanders its potential

Samarjit Lankesh in ‘Gowri’
| Photo Credit: Anand Audio/YouTube

Director Indrajith Lankesh, known for his sappy romantic comedies enhanced by peppy numbers and gorgeous locales, introduced Vasundhara Das (Lankesh Patrike, 2001) and Sadha (Monalisa, 2004) to Kannada cinema before directing Deepika Padukone in her debut Aishwarya (2006). His latest film Gowri  is a launchpad for his son, Samarjit Lankesh. Though dedicated to Indrajith’s sister Gauri Lankesh, the film has no connection to the activist and journalist who was killed in 2017.

In Gowri, Samarjit is seen in dual role; while the first character is called Raja, the second is named Gowri. The film carefully attempts to showcase him in different avatars, but fails to impress. Raja is first shown flexing his muscles inside a gym; the scene then makes way for the trademark ‘hero-introduction’ song.

A calculated approach makes Indrajith write another story set in a village. Targeted at the rural crowd, this portion shows Gowri as a gifted singer born with hearing impairment. The segment is filled with melodrama as you witness Gowri being an all-rounder as he excels in farming, singing, activism… all the traits are captured in a song.

As a director, Indrajith takes the easy route, perhaps to impress people obsessed with Instagram Reels. The choice of actors for insignificant roles proves this argument; Manju Pavagada, a Bigg Boss winner, is seen in a comical cameo, while Saanya Iyer, who shot to fame with her Bigg Boss stint as well, is the film’s female lead. Nawaz, a well-known YouTuber, plays Gowri’s friend.

Understandably, the film makes all attempts to sell its hero as the next big star of Kannada cinema. Samarjit gets elevation scenes, action sequences, and lengthy heroic dialogues to announce his arrival; in this process, the director forgets to add depth to the other characters. The rags-to-riches story scratches only the surface, making it hard to root for.

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Gowri  also squanders its potential by failing to look at its core plot from the ground level. Samantha (Saanya) wants to form a music band with differently-abled talents. She scouts across Karnataka to pick the best, and Gowri gets chosen as the lead singer. But apart from him, none of the other team members get a single scene to shine, and Gowri’s impeccable rise to the top feels inorganic as he hardly faces any genuine hurdles.

The second half goes downhill with excessive melodrama, and the film’s climax is predictable. During the intermission, I overheard someone comparing Gowri with another recent Kannada release from an actor-director. “Now I know why this film (Gowri) lacks a crowd, while that one is getting all the attention…” he said. It’s tough to deceive fans these days. And they are often brutal with their verdicts.

Gowri is currently running in theatres