Film: Ghatothkach Direction: S Srinivasa Rao
You don’t mind watching it. You don’t mind missing it either. There are moments of genuine good humour. But they come interspersed with long sermons and inane drama. Not quite the stuff one would expect from Singeetam Srinivasa Rao, who still has a little deposit in the memory bank of cinemagoers, courtesy “Pushpak”, a two-decade old silent film starring Amala. Here Rao tries to grow with the times and tries his hand at animation. He picks up the story of the relatively lesser known Ghatothkach to put together this film. However, the lack of comforting familiarity with the lead character limits the film’s appeal. Unlike Hanuman or Krishna, Ghatothkach, the son of Bheema and Hidimba, does need an introduction.
The young viewers have to be taught about the mythological hero who has never evoked as much awe as, say, Bheema or Arjun. For kids he comes across as just another mischievous character from mythology.
The kids don’t identify with his antics as much as they would with Hanuman or Krishna. When the director jumps from the antics of the child Ghatothkach to the brawn of the adult, it is not without a jerk. For adults, there is not enough depth in story-telling, not enough consistency in the narration to hold interest. So many negatives. Any positives? Yes, The initial few minutes are quite good with the child Ghatothkach winning over the viewers with his cute work. The little one sit and clap as Ghatothkach solves problems bigger than his size.
And the adults laugh in a belated attempt to keep pace with kids. Also, some of the animation of the lead characters is good. Unfortunately, that is not something one would say for the whole movie.
You don’t mind watching it. You don’t mind missing it either. There are moments of genuine good humour. But they come interspersed with long sermons and inane drama. Not quite the stuff one would expect from Singeetam Srinivasa Rao, who still has a little deposit in the memory bank of cinemagoers, courtesy “Pushpak”, a two-decade old silent film starring Amala. Here Rao tries to grow with the times and tries his hand at animation. He picks up the story of the relatively lesser known Ghatothkach to put together this film. However, the lack of comforting familiarity with the lead character limits the film’s appeal. Unlike Hanuman or Krishna, Ghatothkach, the son of Bheema and Hidimba, does need an introduction.
The young viewers have to be taught about the mythological hero who has never evoked as much awe as, say, Bheema or Arjun. For kids he comes across as just another mischievous character from mythology.
The kids don’t identify with his antics as much as they would with Hanuman or Krishna. When the director jumps from the antics of the child Ghatothkach to the brawn of the adult, it is not without a jerk. For adults, there is not enough depth in story-telling, not enough consistency in the narration to hold interest. So many negatives. Any positives? Yes, The initial few minutes are quite good with the child Ghatothkach winning over the viewers with his cute work. The little one sit and clap as Ghatothkach solves problems bigger than his size.
And the adults laugh in a belated attempt to keep pace with kids. Also, some of the animation of the lead characters is good. Unfortunately, that is not something one would say for the whole movie.
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