Rahul Ravindran is a sensitive mind who has deeper feelings as a person than as an actor and director. His directorial debut, Chi La Sow, is one of the most favorite movies of many. After a hiatus, Rahul directed the film The Girlfriend, which was released today. To what extent did the audience like this film? Let’s see.
The Girlfriend Story: Bhumadevi (Rashmika) is an average girl who grew up in the shadow of her father despite her self-confidence. Vikram (Deekshith Shetty), whom she meets in college, is in a confused state. Under his influence, she searches for freedom and happiness and occasionally reads. If so… she realizes that what she thinks is love is actually captivity, and that she is shrinking without knowing it. She wants to get out of that frame. What are the difficulties faced by Bhooma in that process? How did she overcome them? This is the storyline of The Girlfriend.
Performances: Rashmika has cultivated the fears of an average girl, especially a child who has grown up as her father’s secret child. The audience will also feel the panic seen on Rohini’s face as she looks at herself. Likewise, her anger and frustration in the climax are well portrayed. Rashmika takes another step forward as an actress.
The role played by Deekshith Shetty is negative. It’s not bad; it’s an inherited personality from upbringing. Deekshith has mastered the majesty of the intoxication of power. The strength of being a man is evident in his mannerisms, body language, and even in the way he breathes. He has played such a negative role here, but that doesn’t mean he can only do negative characters. Deekshith is an actor with plenty of qualities who can grow to a good level if given diverse roles.
Anu Emmanuel has earned good marks as an actress. When did she understand Vikram’s behaviour? Her role was not satisfactory as it was not clearly shown. Rao Ramesh and Rohini’s scenes are few, but they have done justice to those roles with their experience.
Technical Aspects: Prashant R. Vihari’s background score dominates Hesham’s songs. The emotion of the character and the mood in each scene are excellently elevated. The cinematography is good, but it would have been nicer if more care had been taken with the coloring. A gradual tone shift from bright to dull to match the film’s mood would have worked better. As it stands, the film looks dull throughout, slightly affecting the theatrical experience. The art, costume, and production teams have contributed well to achieving good output on a minimal budget.
Analysis: Rahul Ravindran, unlike the typical topic of women’s empowerment, a metaphorical way he presents it is commendable. The way he makes the audience feel that the heroine is shrinking within herself, the way he visually represents her confusion, and the interval sequence are all impressive.
Especially, the hostel door scene connects deeply with every girl. However, though the idea is strong, the composition and execution of certain scenes needed more attention. So, Rahul is definitely impressive as a writer but less so as a director. As a director, he has not been able to entertain to the fullest.
To know the value of light, you have to show the darkness. Similarly, if a character is good, you must show that the opposite character is bad. Within that contrast lies the light. Only when you feel the light slowly emerging from the dark layers does a sense of completeness come. The Girlfriend stops just short of that perfection.
What does it mean to understand a girl’s mind? What is the honor and the status that should be given to her? Rahul Ravindran’s way of addressing these questions in the film is good. Rahul succeeds because he manages to provoke that thought. If this idea becomes a discussion tomorrow, the film will have succeeded.
Verdict: Overall, not everyone may agree with the justification in the story, especially Rashmika’s speech in the climax. But it definitely makes one think about how to live a life on their own terms, and The Girlfriend is just about that.
Bottom Line: Sensible and emotional
Rating: 3/5
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