Ram Srikar
Vidayadhar Kagita’s debut is a stunning film that has enough substance to overpower its flaws. The film is packed with details, setups, and payoffs, which, once again are subtle and on-your-face, but certainly add to the experience.
The second half of Gaami that’s not just mind-blowing on a conceptual level, but is incredibly moving and poetic, albeit in a devastating way. It brings together the core interests — nature and humanity— and it bursts with compassion, something the film strongly stands for.
Gaami places the viewing experience above ‘telling a story’. It’s a simple story but with a complex edit pattern that often creates some restless moments, in both good and bad ways.
The edit keeps juggling between the three narratives, often cutting at tense points and creating the urge (which comes with a level of annoyance) to learn more, but it’s a brilliantly edited film, one that makes the most of its non-linear screenplay.
As an adventure, Gaami does feature some moments that require you to suspend your disbelief and I was willing to give the film that leeway because the effort to realise these moments is evident on screen.
Gaami is an epic and it marks the arrival of a strong filmmaking voice. It talks about the evils of humans and also celebrates human resilience. The film might not be perfect, but it is an effort that needs to be lauded, one that needs to be... felt.