Ghaati Movie Review:

There is this concept of shape-memory, and how certain materials, even after being subjected to intense heat or pressure, return to their original shape. It reminded me of our Telugu action dramas. They might begin in the mines of Singareni, or the forests of the Eastern Ghats, or the labyrinth of some city’s underbelly, but eventually, no matter what they promise, they bend back to the familiar outline of the “serious-faced hero in slow motion.” Ghaati is no different. But the question is, how interestingly everything leads up to the same ol', same ol'?

Director: Krish Jagarlamudi

Cast: Anushka Shetty, Vikram Prabhu, Larissa Bonesi, Jagapathi Babu, Chaitanya Rao

Krish Jagarlamudi’s Ghaati begins with an impressive opening, a montage mapping how marijuana grown in the Ghats snakes its way into the city. The visual grammar is clean, the tone is uncompromising, and the music also shows promise. For a moment, you think Krish has found his old fire, his blend of political awareness and commercial style. We’re introduced to the ecosystem, the feared Naidu brothers (Ravindra Vijay and Chaitanya Rao), the cunning law enforcers, the faceless and oppressed Ghaatis who risk their lives ferrying ganja across terrain that doesn’t forgive. At the centre, we meet Ghaatis, Sheelavathi (Anushka Shetty), a bus conductor, and Desi Raju (Vikram Prabhu), a medical lab technician who are good at extracting the load with a skill that comes from generations of practice. They are in love, hoping to get married and stay away from their community’s shady work, but they are pulled back in for many reasons. 

It’s a solid set-up, part social drama, part lovers-who-rebel tale. For once, the mass hero is a heroine, and Anushka slips into that mould with relish. The early passages flourish with texture. Except for Jagapathi Babu trying too hard to be his vintage charming self with pulpy dialogues like ‘Your mouth needs kisses right? If you don’t spill the truth, I’ll stitch it up’ to a goon, most of the proceedings have a sense of something-big-is-going-to-happen mystique to them. 

Up to the interval point, Ghaati is fairly gripping. It doesn’t flinch from showing the generational violence faced by communities stuck in the cycle of illegal labour. It sketches a world that feels somewhat lived-in, even if the linguistic notes are already shaky. When Sheela and Raju decide to break free of their community’s servitude to the labour of Ganja farming by concocting marijuana oil, a less dangerous, more sustainable way to deal with the trade, you think, this is where Krish will kick the door open. Then, almost on cue, the film loses nerve.

The second half is where the most important payoffs of the film were supposed to happen but then, Krish seems torn between the film he wanted to make and the “commercial” movie he is not good at. What should have been a descent into rage and revolution turns into a sulky and meandering melodrama. The rhythm slackens. The screenplay runs in loops, atrocities are repeated, confrontations are staged without escalation. I kept waiting for that gradual build up where Sheelavathi’s grief hardens into determination, where a victim becomes a force of nature. Instead, the change happens abruptly. Suddenly, she is a mighty force who will beat up hordes of villains. It’s as if the film changed editors midway. 

Anushka, in action, is magnificent, the crack of her movement, the glint in her eyes, the sheer authority she carries are enough to rouse a theatre. There’s genuine joy watching her gracefully command the screen. But the writing turns sour. The tragedy that’s supposed to ignite her doesn’t sting as much as it should. This is a statement, adding to my woes, I keep repeating a lot in my reviews: pain shown is not equal to pain felt, unless audiences are given time or space to sit with the character’s tragedy. Great revenge dramas, even the pulpiest ones, build anticipation; you need to feel the slow burn not with a dated song, but with the actor’s performance and moments.

Music commits the biggest sin. Nagavelli Vidya Sagar’s score sounds like it’s stuck in the late 90s, with generic drumbeats and melodramatic instrumentals. In today's action cinema landscape, audiences might forgive dodgy choreography or budget constraints, but they won't forgive music that makes everything feel instantly forgettable. Here, the music is not only forgettable but also drains energy instead of adding it.

Then there's the linguistic chaos. Everyone speaks in their own dialect without any attempt at consistency. Anushka delivers a typical Andhra dialect, Vikram Prabhu offers a Tamil-Telugu hybrid, whilst Chaitanya Rao switches between urban and rural speech patterns depending on the scene's requirements. Although Chaitanya is a charming actor, here he is reduced to a screaming one-note bad guy. For a film supposedly rooted in specific geography and culture, this lack of authenticity feels particularly jarring.

And then there’s the matter of Anushka Shetty’s appearance. For reasons beyond me, the makers of Anushka’s recent films have taken the decision to glamorise her with needless digital slimming and skin smoothening. It’s distracting, inconsistent, and frankly, insulting to the star of her stature. Anushka doesn’t need this cosmetic airbrushing! Her eyes, her presence, her smile, they’re enough to charm anyone away. I want to ask both the star and the team, seriously why? 

Still, there’s sincerity in the bones of Ghaati. The attempt to talk about tribal exploitation through the prism of action cinema is commendable. The first half shows Krish hasn’t forgotten how to stage a world with texture. And Anushka, whenever the film allows her, proves once again why she’s irreplaceable in Telugu cinema and a true-blue superstar who completely makes us forget the baggage and noise that comes with being a female star and sparks a celebratory mode for all audiences.