Gargi
Release poster
Directed byGautham Ramachandran
Written by
  • Hariharan Raju
  • Gautham Ramachandran
Produced by
Starring
Cinematography
  • Sraiyanti
  • Premkrishna Akkattu
Edited byShafique Mohamed Ali
Music byGovind Vasantha
Production
companies
Blacky, Genie & My Left Foot Productions
Distributed by
Release date
  • 15 July 2022 (2022-07-15)
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil

Gargi is a 2022 Indian Tamil-language legal drama film directed and co-written by Gautham Ramachandran[1] and produced by Blacky, Genie & My Left Foot Productions. Co-written by Hariharan Raju.[2] The film features Sai Pallavi and Kaali Venkat in the lead roles,[3][4][5] while R. S. Shivaji, Saravanan, Livingston, Jayaprakash, and Kavithalaya Krishnan play supporting roles. The film's music is composed by Govind Vasantha with cinematography handled by Sraiyanti and Premkrishna Akkatu and editing done by Shafique Mohamed Ali. Gargi was released on 15 July 2022 and received critical acclaim from critics who praised the cast performances, the script, the direction, and the social message.

Plot

Gargi is a school teacher from a struggling family consisting of her father Brahmanandam, who works as a security guard in an apartment building; her mother, who sells homemade rice batter; and her younger sister Akshara, who is in middle school. Their life becomes chaos when Brahmanandam is accused along with four other men of having assaulted a child. Gargi is steadfast in her resolve to prove her father's innocence, as he is her hero, having protected her as a child from a perverted teacher, encouraging her to stand up to such evil.

At the receiving end of public hatred, they are abandoned even by their family friend Banuprakash, who is a successful lawyer. But his assistant, a no-note lawyer Indrans Kaliaperumal, agrees to represent them as he has no reputation to lose. At the hearing, while questioning the investigating officer, Indrans uncovers that the victim was wrongly medicated with a high dose of barbiturates, thus rendering her testimony (identifying Brahmanandam as the culprit) inadmissible.

Further, he meets the victim's dad, who reveals that it was he who made her identify Brahmanandam (certain of his guilt), as she was catatonic with trauma, unable to function at all. All this puts into question the evidence, thus enabling him to obtain conditional bail for Brahmanandam.

When her father's colleague, who had earlier claimed to have been at home all day on that fateful day, inadvertently reveals that he, in a drunken stupor, had actually been the first to discover the child lying there, and had alerted Brahmanandam, Gargi starts doubting her father's claims that he had been drinking at that time. She confirms her suspicions by visiting the child again and showing her a picture of the fifth culprit.

It is revealed, when the child identifies him, that Brahmanandam was indeed the culprit, leading to his arrest and conviction. Gargi takes a moment outside to quietly come to terms with this horror. As the credits roll, we discover that she and her family have moved on, having reconciled with the victim and her father.

Cast

  • Sai Pallavi as Gargi, a school teacher[6][7]
  • Kaali Venkat as Indrans Kaliyaperumal, Junior lawyer who helps Gargi
  • R. S. Shivaji as Brahmanandam
  • Saravanan as Saravanan
  • Livingston as Sandra's father
  • Jayaprakash as Banuprakash
  • Kavithalaya Krishnan as Public Prosecutor
  • Rajalakshmi P as Gargi's mother
  • Kalesh Ramanand as Pazhani
  • Sudha S as Judge
  • Prathap as Bennix Jayaraj
  • Regin Rose as Saravanan's relative
  • Nakkalites Dhanam as Saravanan's relative
  • Prajuna Sarah as Aksarah
  • Bigil Siva as Young Gargi's teacher
  • Aishwarya Lekshmi as Ahalya (extended cameo)
  • Mahendra Mullath as commissioner

Production

The film was directed by Gautham Ramachandran, who earlier directed Richie (2017). Jyothika was supposed to do the lead female role. She was replaced by Sai Pallavi.[8] The film was announced on 9 May 2022 with the makers releasing a special glimpse of the film.[9]

Music

Gargi
Soundtrack album by
Govind Vasantha
Released13 July 2022 (2022-07-13)
Recorded2022
GenreIndian pop
LengthTelugu version:
11:58
LanguageTamil
Telugu
LabelSony Music

The film's soundtrack is composed by Govind Vasantha while lyrics are written by Karthik Netha.[7]

Track listing
No.TitleLyricsSinger(s)Length
1."Yaathri"Karthik NethaRavi G2:24
2."Maasaru Ponne"Karthik NethaGovind Vasantha, Krithika Karthick Pandiyan3:53
3."Thoovi Thoovi"Karthik NethaRavi G3:13
4."Chinna Maamiye"Nithi KanagaratnamNithi Kanagaratnam2:39
Total length:11:58

Release

Theatrical

Gargi was released theatrically worldwide on 15 July 2022.[10][11][12]

Home media

The post-theatrical rights of the film was sold to SonyLIV, while the satellite rights of the film is sold to Kalaignar TV.[13]

Reception

Critical response

Gargi received positive reviews from critics who praised the cast performances, the script, the direction, and the social message.[14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21]

The Times of India rated the film 4 out of 5 stars and wrote, "A superbly shot, hard-hitting drama that unfolds more like a tense thriller, Gautham Ramachandran's Gargi is an essential film in this #MeToo era."[16] The Indian Express also rated the film 4 out of 5 stars and wrote, "Sai Pallavi and Kaali Venkat bring their best to a challenging drama about crime, punishment and justice system."[15] Praising Sai Pallavi's performance, The Hindu wrote, "This is probably Sai Pallavi's best performance till date... It's a wholesome performance that few actresses have given in recent times."[21] Cinema Express rated the film 4.5 out of 5 stars and stated that "Nevertheless, these are minor misgivings in this film about many underdogs. Gargi stands by many such people. It stands by its trans woman judge, who is at the receiving end of sly digs. It stands by its stuttering amateur lawyer, who, when stressed, struggles to make an argument. And above all, it stands by its women. You see this never more than when the film doesn’t end with Gargi seeing her father’s case through to a resolution. It ends with her own transformation."[22]

However, India Today critic stated that "Gargi is also technically strong "and gave 3.5 stars out of 5.[23] Priyanka Sundar of Firstpost erote that "The film doesn’t fall into the trap of taking sides and this purely a result of sensitive and smart writing.".[19]Pinkvilla critic noted that " 'Gargi' is so purposive and sincere that even seemingly dry lines spoken in the courtroom hit hard." and gave 3 out of 5 rating.[20]

Accolades

List of Gargi awards and nominations
Year Award Ceremony Category Nominee Result Ref.
2023 Ananda Vikatan Cinema Awards Best Film Gargi Nominated [24]
Best Director Gautham Ramachandran
Best Actress Sai Pallavi Won
Best Supporting Character Kaali Venkat Won
Best Story Hariharan Raju

Gautham Ramachandran

 Nominated
Best Screenplay Won
Best Lyrics Karthik Netha, Yaathri for the song "Maasaru Penney" Nominated
Best Production Blacky, Genie & My Left Foot Productions
Critics' Choice Film Awards Gender Sensitivity Award Gargi Won [25]
Best Actress Sai Pallavi Won [26]
Norway Tamil Film Festival Awards Won [27]
Indian Film Festival of Melbourne Nominated [28]

References

  1. ↑ "Suriya and Jyotika get involved with Sai Pallavi's Gargi". The Times of India. 25 June 2022. Archived from the original on 14 August 2022. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  2. ↑ "Surya acclaimed Gargi's story writer Hariharan as "New thoughts and writing must be celebrated!"". The Times of India. 25 June 2022. Archived from the original on 14 August 2022. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  3. ↑ "PICS: Sai Pallavi looks scintillating in a saree during Gargi promotions; Thanks presenter Suriya". Pinkvilla. 7 July 2022. Archived from the original on 7 July 2022. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  4. ↑ "Aishwarya Lekshmi breaks out on stage at the 'Gargi' press meet". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 7 July 2022. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  5. ↑ "Aishwarya Lekshmi Breaks Down At 'Gargi' Press Meet". 7 July 2022. Archived from the original on 7 July 2022. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  6. ↑ News9 Staff (7 July 2022). "Gargi trailer: Sai Pallavi plays school teacher in this courtroom drama". NEWS9LIVE. Archived from the original on 8 July 2022. Retrieved 8 July 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  7. 1 2 "WATCH | 'Gargi' trailer: Sai Pallavi plays a teacher in this emotional courtroom drama". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 8 July 2022. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
  8. ↑ Indujaa, D N (8 July 2022). "Sai Pallavi, who took Jyotika s place??". India Herald. Archived from the original on 13 February 2023. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
  9. ↑ "Sai Pallavi announces new film 'Gargi'". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 23 July 2022. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
  10. ↑ "Watch: Trailer of Sai Pallavi's Gargi hints at legal drama". The News Minute. 7 July 2022. Archived from the original on 7 July 2022. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  11. ↑ Today, Telangana (3 July 2022). "Sai Pallavi-starrer 'Gargi' to release on July 15". Telangana Today. Archived from the original on 7 July 2022. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
  12. ↑ "Sai Pallavi-starrer 'Gargi' set for worldwide release on July 15". English.Mathrubhumi. Archived from the original on 7 July 2022. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
  13. ↑ "Gargi to Stream on this OTT platform!". www.moviecrow.com. Archived from the original on 19 April 2023. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
  14. ↑ "Gargi : Sai Pallavi is attracting fans and getting positive reviews". indiaherald.com. Archived from the original on 19 July 2022. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  15. 1 2 "Gargi movie review: Sai Pallavi shoulders an immersive drama". The Indian Express. 16 July 2022. Archived from the original on 19 July 2022. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  16. 1 2 "Gargi Movie Review: A superb Sai Pallavi shines in this tense drama on sexual abuse", The Times of India, archived from the original on 20 July 2022, retrieved 19 July 2022
  17. ↑ "'Gargi' review: Strong performances, all-round craft excellence make this an affecting film". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 19 July 2022. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  18. ↑ "Gargi Movie Review: Sai Pallavi is terrific in this sensitive legal drama with a twist". India Today. 14 July 2022. Archived from the original on 21 July 2022. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  19. 1 2 "Gargi Movie review: Sai Pallavi-starrer steals the show with its sensitive portrayal". Firstpost. 18 July 2022. Archived from the original on 19 July 2022. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  20. 1 2 "Gargi Movie Review: Sai Pallavi, focused writing are stunning in this legal drama". Pinkvilla. 15 July 2022. Archived from the original on 19 July 2022. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  21. 1 2 Ramanujam, Srinivasa (14 July 2022). "'Gargi' movie review: Sai Pallavi stars in an outstanding film that questions perspectives". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 19 July 2022. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  22. ↑ "Gargi Movie Review: Strong performances, all-round craft excellence make this an affecting film". Cinema Express. Archived from the original on 23 July 2022. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
  23. ↑ "Gargi Movie Review: Sai Pallavi is terrific in this sensitive legal drama with a twist". India Today. Archived from the original on 21 July 2022. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
  24. ↑ "சினிமா விருதுகள் 2022 - திறமைக்கு மரியாதை". Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  25. ↑ "Congratulations to the amazing team of the Feature Film 'Gargi' for winning the Gender Sensitivity Award!..." Critics Choice Film Awards (@CCFAwards). 17 April 2023. Archived from the original on 19 April 2023. Retrieved 18 April 2023 – via Twitter.
  26. ↑ "Huge congratulations to the amazing Sai Pallavi for winning the Best Actress award at CCA 2023 for ..." Critics Choice Film Awards (@CCFAwards). 17 April 2023. Archived from the original on 19 April 2023. Retrieved 18 April 2023 – via Twitter.
  27. ↑ Reshma, KL (14 February 2023). சிறந்த இயக்குநர், இசையமைப்பாளர்,நடிகர்.. திரைப்பட விழாவில் விருதுகளை அள்ளிக்குவிக்கும் பொன்னியின் செல்வன் [Best Director, Music Director and Actor. Ponniyin Selvan Wins Awards at Film Festival]. Kalaignar Seithigal (in Tamil). Archived from the original on 5 March 2023. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
  28. ↑ "Darlings, Kantara, Sita Ramam, Ponniyin Selvan 2 lead nominations for Indian Film Festival of Melbourne awards". The Indian Express. 14 July 2023. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
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