Garividi Lakshmi Movie Review:
Stage plays, Harikathas and Burrakathas were once popular forms of entertainment in rural areas. Uttarandhra, in particular, has several folk art forms and songs that were once popular but have gradually faded from public memory. Although some of these songs have found their way into film music, no films have been made so far about the artists who popularised them. People Media Factory has now come forward to tell the story of Garividi Lakshmi, a popular Burrakatha and folk artist.
Director: Gouri Naidu Jammu
Cast: Anandhi, VK Naresh, Rag Mayur, Raasi, Ankit Koyya, Sharanya Pradeep, Shakalaka Shankar, LB Sriram and others
The story is set in Garividi village in Vizianagaram district. Devudamma (Raasi) decides to become a sanyasi and arranges another marriage for her husband before leaving him. However, she keeps her daughter, Vijayalakshmi (Anandhi), with her. Lakshmi gets married at a young age, but her husband leaves her for another woman, leaving her to face life on her own. Music, which she has loved since childhood, eventually helps her rebuild her life. With the encouragement of Rambabu (VK Naresh), and the support of Sattibabu (Rag Mayur), she starts singing and performing Burrakathas. Gradually, she earns recognition and becomes known as Garividi Lakshmi, adopting the name of her village as her identity.
Just when Lakshmi becomes a popular artist and gets busy with performances, a major setback changes her life. What forces her to disappear from public life? Why do some of the people she trusts betray her and take away her identity? Meanwhile, a young filmmaker, Rajesh (Ankit Koyya), wants to make a film about her life and introduce her achievements to the world. Does he succeed in his attempt? The rest of the story answers these questions.
Gouri Naidu Jammu, who also hails from the Garividi region, makes his directorial debut with this film. Before becoming popular as Garividi Lakshmi, she was known as Reddy Vijayalakshmi and had been interested in singing since childhood. Although she did not excel in her studies, she had a natural gift for singing and could pick up a song after hearing its lines just once.
The director narrates her childhood and moves into the main story without taking too much time. He keeps the narrative moving and avoids unnecessary scenes while presenting the important stages of Lakshmi's life. Despite the presence of several talented artistes in the region, she managed to establish her own identity through her distinctive style. The film attempts to introduce her journey to a wider audience and restore the recognition she lost.
The story begins with two aspiring filmmakers travelling to her village in search of her story. The first half focuses on Lakshmi's childhood, the difficulties she faces at a young age and her journey towards singing and performing Burrakathas. She also faces humiliation and struggles to establish herself as an artist.
A major turning point comes during a village fair, where she performs alongside the renowned artist Shanmukha Nageswara Rao, who is known for his performances in mythological stage plays. Initially, people show little interest in Lakshmi's Burrakatha performances based on stories such as Balanagamma and Satya Harishchandra. She then decides to switch to folk songs, which had lost their popularity by that time. This decision changes her fortunes, and the story picks up pace from there. The sequence is one of the film's major highlights and has been presented very effectively.
The second half shows Lakshmi's rise to fame, her busy schedule of performances and the betrayal she faces from people she trusts. Others begin exploiting her work and eventually take away her identity. The sequences involving people who turn her songs into a business through audio cassettes, the betrayal by people in the film industry and another person receiving a government award in her name are particularly effective.
The director deserves credit for presenting both sides of her life. Lakshmi's rise as a successful artist is engaging, while her struggles and emotional setbacks are equally moving. Although the second half slows down a little, the emotional scenes keep the audience invested. The climax is also handled well.
However, while the subject is interesting and emotionally engaging, the narration could have been tighter in a few places. Still, the director's intention to bring the story of a forgotten artist to the audience is commendable. The major asset of Garividi Lakshmi is its casting. Anandhi, who plays the titular role, does complete justice to the character. Although she has acted in several films and is popular in Tamil cinema, this could be a milestone performance in her career. Her North Andhra dialect, body language, singing and stubborn nature are all convincing. She impresses with her performance and brings out the emotional pain of the character effectively.
Rag Mayur gets a good opportunity as Sattibabu and delivers a convincing performance. VK Naresh is also impressive as Rambabu, who recognises Lakshmi's talent and helps her rise as an artist. This is one of his better performances in recent times. Raasi fits the role of Lakshmi's mother, while Ankit Koyya does well as the young filmmaker. Sharanya Pradeep, who plays Lakshmi's childhood friend, also delivers a good performance. Shakalaka Shankar, LB Sriram, Viva Raghava and Nithin Prasanna do justice to their respective roles.
The cinematography works well for the film. The camera work and art direction effectively recreate the atmosphere of the 1970s and 1980s. Charan Arjun's music is one of the film's biggest strengths. The songs are enjoyable and stand out as a major highlight, while the background score adds emotional depth to several scenes.
Director Gouri Naidu Jammu deserves credit for presenting the story sincerely without relying on unnecessary commercial elements. The film could also help restore the recognition that Garividi Lakshmi lost during her lifetime.
