Gulu Gulu Movie Review

Filmmaker Rathnakumar has a penchant taste for various subjects, which in turn, makes him a valuable writer and filmmaker. We would say, he is a more brilliant writer than a filmmaker. When he made a movie like Meyaadha Maan, which completely banked on characters and their dialogues, it was the invention of a new line in cinema. His second movie ‘Aadai’ had critical acclaim despite the mixed box office reception. But it’s amazing to see his third outing ‘Gulu Gulu’, which moves into a different zone, non-identical to his previous works.

Right into the first shot, we are introduced to Google (Santhanam), whose voiceover narrates his origin from a tribe that existed and became extinct in Amazon Forest. He is a man with a golden heart, who doesn’t want to see anyone in pain. He comes across a bunch of friends, who seek his help to save their friend abducted by a bunch of thugs. Then enters multiple characters with their issues, who soon set on a chain of events laced with trial-and-error comedy…

Santhanam has completely refrained from his routine attempts of tickling our wits with one-liners. He is silent all the time and has a miserable back story indeed. But two scenes will enliven his fans with ultimate fun and claps – The one you see in a sneak peek, where he messes with a cop, and the other one while carrying a coffin box and sending chills into the spines of two policemen. There are many actors in this movie, and they have been given intense characters. In a few places, we do feel like entering the universe of Thyagarajan Kumaraja’s universe (Super Deluxe connect), especially when a guy and girl stop the miscreants from raping a school girl with their attack, and a flight sound and shadow are seen and heard.

The actors playing the role of Eelam Tamilians are ultimate fun. Prathap Rawat and his gang are yet another reason to keep your ribs tickled. Not to miss the funny interval twist, where the China gang arrives to settle scores over a PUBG game is the peak of all humor. The climax action sequence amalgamated with comedy makes up for the slow momentum during the second half.

BGM over strings enhances emotions, but Santhosh Narayanan has to change his pattern of composing. Almost all the songs keep reminding us of his previous composition including a rap song that in many places resonates ‘Evan Da Enakku Custody’. Cinematography with the dark contrast and color tone gives a different feel, and it works out very well too. Editing is precise and smooth. There aren’t any big minuses in the movie. But a personal suggestion to Rathnakumar – He makes good movies based on different concepts, but the minutest drawback is the usage of double entendre lines, especially from a girl’s perspective. In Meyaadha Maan, there is a dialogue, where a girl character says ‘Our dog mated with a stray dog and my father accepted it later. So I would like to try the same.”

Similarly, there is a scene, where a girl openly admits to the boy who comes for matchmaking that she already made out with her beau, one time in real life and 50 times in imagination. Yes, that could be a fascinating takeaway for teens, but still, if he could avoid these little pieces of stuff, his movies would be a great celebration for audiences to watch as families.