I was looking for something to watch last night and picked Gargi just by chance (SonyLiv orig. Tamizh w/Eng. Subs). Its a well made, impactful, powerful film and also credit to the makers for casting a trans person in a significant role)
Gargi (Sai Pallavi) is a school teacher who also gives free tuitions to poor kids from her locality. She lives in a modest home with her watchman father Brahmananda (RS Sivaji), mother who sells home made dosai batter and pre teen sister Akshara. Gargi is in love with Pazhani (Kalesh Ramanand) and they hope to get married soon with their parents blessings. Gargi is paranoid about her sister not stepping out of the house after 5pm, and through flashback we learn that Gargi at a very young age was subject to molestation by her tuition teacher and eventually saved by her father.
A gang rape of a 9 year old takes place in the apartment complex where Brahmananda works. Four suspects are immediately arrested and confess to the crime. A few weeks later during the official identification parade, Brahmananda is identified as a 5th accused and duly arrested. Gargi is shocked. She is not allowed to meet her father when she goes to the police station and IO Bennix (Prathap) advises her to take her family and leave town for their own good. Sure enough there is a predictable public frenzy and media trial judging Brahmananda and his family guilty with miscreants throwing stones and filth at their house.
Convinced of her father's innocence, Gargi is determined to clear his name. She gets in touch with an old family contact Sr. Advocate Bhanu Prakash (Jayaprakash) who promises to fight the case. However the Bar Association soons issues a ban on its members to defend the accused of this heinous case and Adv. Bhanu is forced to withdraw. Gargi is in great despair, when suddenly the local night pharmacist Indrans (Kaali Venkat) who is also a very inexperienced junior of Adv. Bhanu bravely offers to take on her father's matter. Indrans has little self confidence and also stammers. However with his pharma background, he is able to pick flaws in the prosecution witness evidence and the fact that the child victim was given a heavy dose barbiturates during the identification parade is brought on record, thus creating a slight benefit of doubt in favour of Brahmananda. A trans judge (S. Sudha) is hearing the in camera matter.
With Gargi's determination and Indran's effort, they manage to meet the victim's distraught father Kundhava (Saravanan) who confesses that he tutored his daughter for the identification parade as she was completely traumatised. Indrans has quietly recorded this statement. The judge grants Brahmananda conditional bail while also ordering a second identification parade without the victims fathers presence.
No Further Spoilers ....... watch this well made, powerful film till the very end.
The acting, the cinematography, the settings, its all superb. Every character is well portrayed by the respective actor. Sai Pallavi, Kaali Venkat and Saravanan stand out in particular. S. Sudha is also very effective as the no nonsense judge.
For a change, none of the horrific scenes are shown graphically, every act of violence is implied. The real issue in our society of child molestation and abuse is well highlighted, something every child should be made aware of from a very young age.
The film is excellent and deserves to be widely watched. Some confusion arose for me (maybe I missed something) regarding Gargi's line of thinking towards the latter part, which was not quite convincing.
Gargi (Sai Pallavi) is a school teacher who also gives free tuitions to poor kids from her locality. She lives in a modest home with her watchman father Brahmananda (RS Sivaji), mother who sells home made dosai batter and pre teen sister Akshara. Gargi is in love with Pazhani (Kalesh Ramanand) and they hope to get married soon with their parents blessings. Gargi is paranoid about her sister not stepping out of the house after 5pm, and through flashback we learn that Gargi at a very young age was subject to molestation by her tuition teacher and eventually saved by her father.
A gang rape of a 9 year old takes place in the apartment complex where Brahmananda works. Four suspects are immediately arrested and confess to the crime. A few weeks later during the official identification parade, Brahmananda is identified as a 5th accused and duly arrested. Gargi is shocked. She is not allowed to meet her father when she goes to the police station and IO Bennix (Prathap) advises her to take her family and leave town for their own good. Sure enough there is a predictable public frenzy and media trial judging Brahmananda and his family guilty with miscreants throwing stones and filth at their house.
Convinced of her father's innocence, Gargi is determined to clear his name. She gets in touch with an old family contact Sr. Advocate Bhanu Prakash (Jayaprakash) who promises to fight the case. However the Bar Association soons issues a ban on its members to defend the accused of this heinous case and Adv. Bhanu is forced to withdraw. Gargi is in great despair, when suddenly the local night pharmacist Indrans (Kaali Venkat) who is also a very inexperienced junior of Adv. Bhanu bravely offers to take on her father's matter. Indrans has little self confidence and also stammers. However with his pharma background, he is able to pick flaws in the prosecution witness evidence and the fact that the child victim was given a heavy dose barbiturates during the identification parade is brought on record, thus creating a slight benefit of doubt in favour of Brahmananda. A trans judge (S. Sudha) is hearing the in camera matter.
With Gargi's determination and Indran's effort, they manage to meet the victim's distraught father Kundhava (Saravanan) who confesses that he tutored his daughter for the identification parade as she was completely traumatised. Indrans has quietly recorded this statement. The judge grants Brahmananda conditional bail while also ordering a second identification parade without the victims fathers presence.
No Further Spoilers ....... watch this well made, powerful film till the very end.
The acting, the cinematography, the settings, its all superb. Every character is well portrayed by the respective actor. Sai Pallavi, Kaali Venkat and Saravanan stand out in particular. S. Sudha is also very effective as the no nonsense judge.
For a change, none of the horrific scenes are shown graphically, every act of violence is implied. The real issue in our society of child molestation and abuse is well highlighted, something every child should be made aware of from a very young age.
The film is excellent and deserves to be widely watched. Some confusion arose for me (maybe I missed something) regarding Gargi's line of thinking towards the latter part, which was not quite convincing.