Gaalipata 2 Movie Review
Director: Yograj Bhat
Cast: Ganesh, Diganth, Anant Nag, Sharmila Mandre, Vaibhavi Shandilya, Samyuktha Menon, Pawan Kumar
Duration: 2 hours 38 minutes
Stars: 4/5
Sunshine of emotions amidst rain and snow
Working together seems to get the best out of director Yograj Bhat and actor Ganesh. They haven’t been prolific together but all their films together have been well-made and designed to transport audience to a world of emotions.
Gaalipata 2 comes nearly a decade and half after the original and had much riding on it. The template of the original is followed; three college students meet three girls they fall in love with. How these relationships change the dandies is a script that Bhat has been writing all along.
If the template is the same, how does Gaalipata 2 become special or watchable? To Bhat’s credit, he comes up with saying all the familiar things in a new way. The dialogues, which is usually the high-point of his films oozes with freshness.
The usual wit and humour is present in a considerable dose. But he does not overdo it this time. Usually, his films seem to have more than the quantity of dialogues required. He has managed to hold his horses and deliver only what is required here.
The songs, which are another highlights of Bhat’s films contain meaningful lyrics rather than pop philosophy. So unlike his regular songs which become instant hits, these songs grow up on you. After hearing it once, you are compelled to remember the lyrics and long to listen to them again.
The youthful banter, jokes, fun, irreverence, tapori characters all combine to make Gaalipata 2 a perfect recipe for a new generation of audience who may not have watched Mungaru Male and Gaalipata in theatres in the first decade of the 21st Century. This is the third decade of the Century and the words, jokes and fun are updated. What remains the same are the emotions.
Technically, this is a brilliant film. The camera work of Santhosh Rai Pathaje deserves an award or two. He is so flawless in executing brilliant shots that look so simple. The editing is another department that deserves special mention. The art work in some places is amazing and you are left wondering how they did it. The canvas is really colorful and Gaalipata is best enjoyed on the big screen, for all its vibrancy.
On the acting front Ganesh nails it like a pro. He is king of emotions, a real golden performance. Among the other cast, Anant Nag is his usual best and you cannot even think of another actor in his place.
Forget the story, forget the relevance and forget the past films. Go to Gaalipata 2 and soak in the wet emotions, cool breeze of fun and soft kisses of snowy fun. This may not be a landmark film, but has the right amount of everything to draw all kinds of audience.
