Never Ending Movie Carnival
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Garmi review: A scorching and evocative saga of the murky political world
What: Garmi - A scorching and evocative saga of the murky political world.
After drenching in the nostalgic times of the golden era of Indian cinema witnessed in last week’s Jubilee, it’s time for some gritty and hard-hitting content chronicled around the murky world of student politics and its myriad machinations. Garmi, written created and directed by showrunner Tigmanshu Dhulia brings back the memories of his 2003 film Haasil which had starred the incredibly talented late Irrfan Khan, Jimmy Shergil and Hrishita Bhatt.
Garmi synopsis
Set in a small town of U.P, Garmi centres on Arvind Shukla (played by the talented Vyom Yadav), an M.A first year Political Science student at the Trivenipur university, who is sucked into the dirty underbelly of youth politics, mafia and crime which operates as an political R&D centre and gives rise to its future products.
Shukla’s life is caught in the whirlpool of rivalry and powerplay between the President and Vice President of the student’s party, Bindu Singh (Puneet Singh) and Govind (Anurag Thakur) who are controlled by a sinister guruji, Bairagi Baba (Vineet Kumar).There is an irreverent and wicked cop, Mrityunjay Singh(Jatin Goswami) so drenched in caste feeling that he can’t imagine of any good for the students, especially those who don’t belong to his caste.
College days make for the most cherished moments in one’s life. New bonds, friendships, cultural events and college elections are integral part of a student’s journey. But here, the environment is turbulent and traces the tumultuous foray of Arvind, the civil service aspirant who was once reluctant to come to Trivenipur, into the dirty and dark world enshrouded with chaos, crime and violence.
Dhulia, who was self-admittedly a youth activist during his college days, stages the plot in real campus locations and soaks it with tension and turmoil. In Haasil, he had trapped the pulse of youth activism in such an impactful manner that Garmi feels like an intricate reboot. The essence of Garmi is captured competently by cinematographer Shailesh Awasthi in the lived-in milieu, the culture, and its sharp characters. Allahabad’s vibrant intellectual and political atmosphere infuses life into the narrative. The female characters are however short lived and cornered in this ugly cocktail of men powerplay.
Vyom Yadav spearheads the vivid tale like a pro and he is an actor to watch out for. He is vulnerable yet violent, honest but shrewd. Dhulia and co-writer Kamal Pandey carve such a relatable character that his transformation from an innocent boy to someone blinded by violence feeds so authentic. He is surrounded by a superbly talented ensemble – Vineet Kumar, Jatin Goswami, Puneet and Anurag and Anushka Kaushik.
I go with 3.5 stars out of 5 for Tigmanshu Dhulia’s Garmi. The 9-episode series is streaming on Sony LIV from 21st April 2023.
Ahwaan Padhee, is an IT Techie/Business Consultant by profession and a film critic/cinephile by passion, is also associated with Radio Playback as well, loves writing and conducting movie quizzes. More By Ahwaan Padhee