Movie name: Godha
Language: Malayalam
Genre: Sports Drama
Duration: 2 hrs 2 minutes
Plot:
A young lady freestyle-wrestler runs away from her native place in Punjab, to avoid marriage that could end her wrestling career. She chooses to escape to a village in Kerala, which is the hometown of her male Malayali college-mate from the Punjab University. The village, once the haven of freestyle wrestlers from all over India, still relishes its past glory. The lady’s Malayali friend himself has a strong wresting background, and is the son of an old-time wrestling champion who wishes his village as well as his disinterested son to regain their passion for the great sport. The Punjabi lady wrestler’s arrival pushes the village to “godha” (wrestling ring).
The plot is fresh and interesting.
The movie is well-crafted to be called a “decent entertainer” in the Sports Drama genre. With an average start and sometimes-below-average middle part, it is the last 45 minutes that wrestles the movie back into reckoning.
Top class performance by the leading artists is the backbone of the movie. Wamiqa Babbi, who plays the lady wrestler’s part, has been very endearing and convincing. Ranji Panicker and Tovino Thomas bring their well-written characters to screen life, naturally and emphatically.
The fun part and party is just average. The very few hilarious scenes are evenly counter-balanced by dull and uninteresting ones.
Songs and background score entertains thoroughly in this 122-minute long movie. For a sports genre movie to really impress its viewers, the b/g music got to be pretty good to regulate the adrenaline-controlled emotions.
There are a couple of powerful and content-rich scenes that mince no words about the determination and focus exhibited by successful sports personalities. They must have their priorities in top order, is clearly impressed!
The love angle between the lead pair is deftly handled. It is realistic, mature and creative.
The emotional conflict between sports of old and modern times is brought out neatly.
Set in a fresh cinematic plot, with no vulgar jokes or content, and with its emotional thread holding most of the pieces gracefully together, Godha is a fairly good movie.
