Garudan Story

Set somewhere near Theni in southern Tamil Nadu, Garudan is about two best Karunakaran (Unni Mukundan) and Aadhithya (Sasikumar) who become friends over a shared trauma and look out for each other as they wield powerful authority over the town’s temple and happenings of the surroundings. Between them is Sokkan (Soori), Karuna’s fierce loyalist, who does not let anyone bat an eyelid at Karuna, even if it is the well-meaning Aadhithya. Alas, who has the greed left, as one of the friends changes gears, prompting a tale of betrayal, rage, and needless to say, more action.

Garudan Review

At one point in Garudan, a woman makes her husband take their toddler daughter along with him, as he goes to meet his friends who are notorious for their violence. All makes sense when the husband says the toddler was sent so he does not get drunk. As much as one might wonder how an infant might double up as a bodyguard for her father, especially in a scenario involving many goons, it is also the most effective method a housewife can devise to keep her husband from being wasted. While what ensues is a chain of events that one might get reminded of certain portions from Subramaniapuram and Kodi, it is certain moments and takes, that make Garudan a rooted film boiling with emotions in this hyper-masculine narrative.

Garudan is a tale that is made to be narrated not told to talk about the glory of friendship, what it takes to be an ardent loyalist, or even the courage it takes to stand up for justice even if is against your own. Even if the arcs above are tucked in detail and contribute immensely to the story, it also becomes a tale that has to be told just because a police officer wants to resign from working in a troublesome jurisdiction after being tired of constant transfers. With this as an opening, director Durai Senthilkumar weaves in a plot that brings in multiple characters who get caught between the desire for wealth and power, which sets up the premise for a much bigger and more complicated weave of friendship. The first half introduces multiple characters and all we get is a voiceover that explains their connections and contributions, which may sometimes go over your head and instill confusion for its fast-paced style, Garudan gradually picks up with its interval block and the aftermath of it.

The film also has enough nice pockets for laughter and dark comedy. For example, Soori, who is fiercely faithful, has a way of showing it through a manner of speech, that brings in some streaks of humour. In these times, you don’t see the comedian parotta Soori, but a protagonist who does humour. In another instance that involves Soori and his lady love Vinnarasi (Revathi Sharma) helping her friend out with her love, there is a hilarious scene of comedy of errors which slowly warms up you for the action blocks to arrive. And aiding all this is Yuvan Shankar Raja’s background score and the carefully planned slow-motion shots for Soori, which helps you to savour the moments of heroism in a believable manner.

Having said all of this, Garudan is not free of flaws either. It has certain moments that come with a predictability factor, and the multi-character introduction through mere voiceovers in the first half, feeding the audience with more information told than shown. There is also a cliché of what happens to two best friends, and how their fates end up. But Garudan salvages these to an extent, by using Sokkan as a chess piece navigating through the lives of these characters in the most realistic way possible. And Soori immensely brings the meaty portions of Garudan to the table, through his acting chops and versatile emotions in the most convincing manner possible.

Garudan Verdict

Garudan is a solid film that perfectly suits Soori as a follow-up, after playing the lead in Viduthalai. His Sokkan is a perfect concoct of innocence and courage, that somewhere takes the spirit of Kumaresan from Viduthalai, as he comes out of the shell most convincingly. Thanks to the writing, there is enough room for the actor to show his performative side, without sidelining the other two characters. With equal and honest offerings of substantial portions for its multi-character narrative, Garudan seems to likely begin the much-needed wave for Tamil cinema’s dry spell to get over.

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