Girmit Movie Review: Ravi Basrur's entertainer is a new cinematic experience

They are kids. Wait, they are adults. Oh no, they are kids. Nah! They are adults hidden inside these cute little kids. Director Ravi Basrur’s trick in his commercial entertainer, Girmit, works very well. The movie focuses on children tackling an issue that is well beyond their age. But the best part about it is that each child onscreen is convincing and compelling.

Director: Ravi Basrur
Cast: Ashlesh Raj, Shlagha Saligrama, Aradhya Shetty, Tanisha Koni, Jayendra

Girmit opens with a song that gives a gist of how parents find it difficult to find a suitable match for their kids when they reach marriageable age. In the first 30 minutes, the film gives a sneak-peek into the lives of Sarojamma and Shankarappa, who are finding it difficult to find a groom for their eldest daughter Rekha, aged 35 years, followed by Roopa, 28, and Reshmi. The parents are behind the marriage broker, Bhaskar, to find a match for their daughters.

Bhaskar and Susheela, on the other hand, are on the lookout for a bride for their son Raja. A soothsayer tells Raja’s grandmother that she has 30 days to live, and she now insists on witnessing her grandson’s wedding before her death.

Raja and Reshmi accidentally meet in a market place, and it is love at first sight. Reshmi reciprocates but she puts forth a condition: Raja must find a groom for her sisters within 15 days. Raja accepts and finds matches for Rekha and Roopa. In the melee, how he handles the goons who become a hurdle in Rekha’s life forms the crux of the masala entertainer, which ends with a beautiful message.

Though Girmit  is an all-children’s film, Ravi Basrur gives a whole new cinematic experience with a mix of love and comedy that caters to the entire family. The film is well balanced with a good screenplay and dialogues. However, the true strength of Girmit is the children’s voices, their dialogue delivery lending a whole lot of energy to the film.

Yash and Radhika Pandit have dubbed for the lead actors — Ashlesh Raj and Shlagha Saligrama. One can feel their presence on screen just by listening to dialogues of these two actors. Achyuth Kumar, Rangayana Raghu, and Shivaraj KR Pete have dubbed for the other kids in the film.

Pramod Maravanthe has managed to finely balance the dialogues between the adult actors and the kids. Every character in the film is engaging, especially the lead actors. Ashlesh and Shlagha have, to an extent, tried to be the junior Yash and Radhika Pandit on screen.

Apart from direction, Ravi Basrur has also managed to entertain with light-hearted music, especially the peppy number rendered by Puneeth Rajkumar. This children’s film, made with a youthful spirit, has good picturisation by Sachin Basrur.

Girmit, named after the masala mix that is very popular in North Karnataka, stays true to the title and this honest attempt by Ravi Basrur can be relished by everyone.