Gharshana
Policemen tend to be unidimensional in Indian films. Either they are corrupt and toady or honest beyond belief. Seldom they are portrayed in flesh-and-blood terms. Only on rare occasions you get an acceptable insight into how policemen work in India. Drohkaal (Kurudipunal in Tamil) and Ardh Satya are perhaps good examples on the rough and tumble of a cops life.
There is an obvious lacuna for such films in Telugu.
Perhaps, Ghrasana will change all that.
The film is a simple tale of an encounter-specialist policeman told in an uncomplicated manner. The film is a faithful remake of the Tamil hit Khaka, Khaka starring Surya and Jyothika.
Venkatesh plays the tough-as-nails cop who, along with a similar set of policemen, goes all out against terrorist groups. It is Dirty Harris meets Terminator kind of film. Venkatesh, like all policemen who take their jobs seriously, is a lonely man and has nobody in his life --- till he meets the cute teacher Asin, that is. What happens to Venky's friends and his wife when a terrorist starts targeting him for killing his brother forms the major portion of the film.
The romantic sequences between the lead pair are one of the heart-warming sections of the film. The songs, set to tune by Harris Jeyaraj (a protg of A R Rahman) has the modern feel with an ideal mix of rhythm and melody.
Director Gautam menon, considered a whiz in Tamil, seems to have honed his art and craft seeing the likes of Mani Rathnam, Ram Gopal Verma, and if you like, Quentin Tarantino.There is a gritty feel to Gautam's movies and that will be much in evidence in Gharsana. He has a unique way of picturisation and he uses the fast-cut editing technique admirably.
For Venky, Gharsana is likely to extend his winning run. The film has all the ingredients of a serious entertainer as opposed to Masala potboiler.