Staying clear from the recent dose of heavy action entertainers, Garuda ensures it stands out from the crowd with its treatment of the action commercial entertainer.  

Getting to the plot, written by actor Siddharth Mahesh, the first half revolves around Ram (Siddharth Mahesh), who is running a restaurant in Goa along with Anu (Aindrita Ray) and Shankrana (Rangayana Raghu). He comes in contact with an undercover cop (Rajesh Nataranga), of the anti-terrorism squad, who along with his team is on the lookout for a criminal gang headed by Kalinga (Adi Lokesh). Through a flashback, we see how Ram pays a big price for his honesty, and then it follows the beat of a revenge drama with an explosive climax.

Cast: Siddharth Mahesh, Srinagar Kitty, Aindrita Ray, Ashika Ranganath and Rangayana Raghu

Director: Dhanakumar

Director Dhanakumar avoids taking too many risks and largely sticks to the template run-of-the-mill action entertainer. Though the story and narrative could have done with a bit more focus, Dhanakumar scores with the casting.

Siddharth, who is featuring in his second film after Sipayi, gives a mature performance but there is room to improvise. Ashika Ranganath, Aindrita Ray, and Kamna Jethmalani get good screen space, and each actor justifies the role. Rangayana Raghu too has a significant role to play, but the highlight of Garuda is Srinagar Kitty. His character as a kadak police officer makes a strong presence.

Garuda is recommended to those who love to see a mix of action-revenge, love, and family sentiments, and for those who had particularly missed Kitty’s presence on the silver screen.