The movie is the remake of cult Jigarthanda. But Valmiki is not as cut- copy-paste kind. Because it is the movie with of nativity. In that way director succeeds. Second half fully emotions driven. But unwanted comedies are just like a Scumbug. Varun tej acting and expressions are speach less . Due to lot of close up shots his emotions are neatly elevated especially at interval before scene. Music is awesome. Lot of unwanted sounds especially at emotional scenes.
One the whole the best of Varun tej in his career.
15 Reviews
Jigarthanda - Raw and Rustic Flick. GG- Rod and Rustful flick.
harishmadireddi14 April 2020
Performance wise Varun Tej has accomplished the challenge in front of him very elegantly and after the movie u doesnt feel national award winning performance of bobby simha has been ruined but the changes made and the commercial look pushes this movie from artistic and raw movie to routine commercial movie. Bobby simha character had its grey area and realistic in not criticizing the acting aspirants but here since the movie crown puller has some sort of market they have changed that realistic approach but still a nice.
Music - 😍👌 became a fan of micky j meyer and waiting for more mass beats from him.
Dailogues - Harris Jayraj best for this movie from direction, screenplay and dailogues.
Varun Tej at his best!!
shalu_mudgal29 March 2020
"Expensive spoof"
vamsykiran21 September 2019
It's heartbreaking to see a expensive spoof of "jigarthanda"...
Valmiki is a huge waste of many talents.. it applies to all the actors(varun,pooja,atharvaa&mrnalini) and technicians
Unlike jigarthanda this movie doesn't carry any soul.
Unsatisfied Remake of Jigarthanda
BuzZBasket20 September 2019
Warning: Spoilers
FIrst Half :
Gaddhala Konda Ganesh (varuntej)'s Terrific Intro with Flashback, Aspiring Filmmaker Abhilash (atharva Murali) Entry, Villainous Portrayal Song on Ganesh, Ganesh's Characterization, Pre-Interval
Second Half : Gani's Flashback, Sridevi (pooja Hegde) Entry, Elluvochi Godaramma Song, Emotional Scenes,muni Manikyam (brahmaji) Comedy Scenes with Gani Gang, Climax
Positives : Varun Tej's Makeover, Dialogues, Bgm
Negatives : Screenplay, Flashback, Second Half, Length
Second Half : Gani's Flashback, Sridevi (pooja Hegde) Entry, Elluvochi Godaramma Song, Emotional Scenes,muni Manikyam (brahmaji) Comedy Scenes with Gani Gang, Climax
Positives : Varun Tej's Makeover, Dialogues, Bgm
Negatives : Screenplay, Flashback, Second Half, Length
Violence, violence and more violence
krishnar-172787 October 2019
First half is full of violence. Do not go to this movie with Children or kids.
Varun's performance is good. Person does all violent acts throughout his life and suddenly becomes a great guy. There is a limit to how much violence can be shown in movies. Showing violence as a great thing is not good.
Gaddalakonda Ganesh Review
Magow-Intermean12 October 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Abhi (Atharvaa Murali) wants to make a feature film with an antagonist as his lead and finds the perfect muse in the ruthless Gaddalakonda Ganesh (Varun Tej). How he finally manages to make his debut forms the crux of the tale.
Gaddalakonda Ganesh, previously titled Valmiki, is the Telugu remake of the Tamil hit Jigarthanda. It is the story of a filmmaker who yearns to catch a break in the film industry and learns that sometimes to make art, one needs to compromise. Nay, the term is adjust, as Tanikella Bharani's character puts it in a scene. It is also the story of a gangster, who deals with fear as his currency, but seems to find himself in a strange juncture of his life and gets a chance to turn it all around. The film is not just the story of these two characters, because more importantly, it is Harish's love letter to the film industry and the art of cinema. The film is incredibly meta in the most minimalistic of ways, which might not sit well with the regular masala flick lover.
Abhi (Atharvaa Murali) is a short film maker who gets a chance to direct a feature. To set himself apart from the competitors, he decides his protagonist will not just have shades of grey, but will be a negative character completely. He finds the perfect muse in the much-dreaded gangster Gaddalakonda Ganesh (Varun Tej) aka Gani, a man so sadistic, he loves torturing and killing people for the most inane reasons. Gaddalakonda trembles at his name and he likes to keep it that way by killing everyone who even remotely challenge his authority, much to the chagrin of his rendered mute mother (Supriya Pathak). Abhi is willing to do anything to get Gani's story, even go as far as to fake romance with Bujjamma (Mrinalini Ravi), the daughter of his cook. But what happens when Abhi and Gani's worlds finally collide is something that needs to be watched on-screen.
Gaddalakonda Ganesh is not a complicated film, but the emotions it deals with sure are. And while Atharvaa Murali breezes through his role that's a mix of street-smart and cunning, one cannot help but wonder if his body language could've been a little funnier. It is a dark comedy after all and he seems to be taking things way too seriously. Mrinalini delivers an impressive performance in the screen time she has, so does Pooja Hegde in a beautiful flashback that works. It is Varun Tej however who steals the show as the gangster, making the role his own, complete with lanky awkwardness, manic laughter and surma lined eyes. While hardcore fans of Jigarthanda might find this interpretation of Assault Sethu a tad too melodramatic, it works when viewed as a stand-alone. He might not always inspire the kind of fear he's supposed to on-screen, but Varun Tej nails it at bringing in the vulnerability the character requires.
Ayanka Bose's cinematography brings in a kind of panache and nuance even to a tale as raw as this, some frames in the film look simply stunning. Mickey J Meyer's music is unobtrusive for the most part, even if the BGM does get a tad bit too melodramatic towards the climax. The length of the film could've been considerably shortened, as it might be too long for some, but for those who enjoy character studies, this is perfect. Harish Shankar makes an already hit film his own in ways that matter and reels it in, by delivering a frame-to-frame remake where needed.
However, the only drawback the film has is that the comedy seems forced and same old in some scenes, even if Brahmaji nails his bit in a hilarious role. Satya too does a commendable job, even if he offers nothing new. The climax and ending almost take it a bit too far but Harish manages to reel it in almost at the end. The whole sequence could've just been handled a little better. Brahmanandam's cameo is a delight.
Watch Gaddalakonda Ganesh this weekend if dark comedies and dramas revolving around two contrasting characters are your cup of tea. Watch it especially for Varun Tej's performance as the gangster. But don't go in expecting a typical Harish Shankar mass masala film, for you will leave disappointed.
New look of old face...
phanirsch22 September 2019
Best Movie in Varun Tej Carrer
gopisadi7 October 2019
100% Entertainer if You Don't Compare it with JigarThanda
ynkpharmacology20 September 2019
Pros: Varun's Transformation is at a new level
@ Comedy- Satya and Brahmaji did a tremendous Job, ROFL
@ BGM - Highlight
@ Camera - Ayanaka Bose's work is extraordinary
@ Retro Episode is totally Highlight of the entire movie - especially the "Yelluvochi Godaramma"
@ We can feel all emotions through out the movie
Cons: NO - Because I don't compare it with JigarThanda.
Cons: NO - Because I don't compare it with JigarThanda.
varun tej looks menacing ..
vijaysurendran-430934 July 2020
Havent seen the original fully .. nor do i understand telugu .. just watched the movie to kill time .. so glad i did .. varun tej is really awesome .. now thats how a real gangster would look like ... big thumbs up from me .. supriya pathak is and pooja hegde did their part really well ..
Great Performance by Varun
saha-kalyan00722 November 2019
Well, it is a remake of Tamil superhit Jigarthanda. In that movie Bobby Simha did a remarkable job and Varun took it as a challenge. He did, not only justice to the role but did a distinct performance than Simha. Both are violent charecter but in their own way. Simhas flash back came with the vission other actor in his mind Vijay Sethupathi. But here Varun did another remarkable job of recreating that role. It is a fantastic Varun Tej performance and fun to watch. Not sure what the rating are so low by other viewers. I can see only one reason but I won't tell because it is all internal politics.
Telugu nativity apt story
swamygopal24 September 2019
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