RIFLE RANGE BOY: Blood is thicker than water?

Gargi (கார்கி, Tamil; 2022)

Direction: Gautham Ramachandran

SonyLiv

This Tamil movie, which was simultaneously dubbed in many Indian languages at its release, is creating waves and boasts of being one of recent most interesting legal dramas. It has a gripping story, a believable storyline with down-to-earth court scenes, excellent acting and veiled social messages to match.

When someone close to us gets entangled with the wrong end of the law, we tend to side with our loved ones. At no time would we waver from our stance but to stand behind them and assert that they have been wronged. Our blinkers refuse to make us see beyond what we want to see. We know what we want to believe. We refuse to see the bigger picture. Just how far would we go with that? A case in point that comes to mind is repeated negative messages from a particular convicted ex-PM's daughter's social media handles.

A love-smitten primary school teacher, Gargi, is full of smiles. Her life is set. Her beau is so much in love with her, and wedding bells are in the air. Everything came crashing down when a 10-year-old girl was raped. Besides four other ruffians, Gargi's aged father, who works as a security officer in the apartment complex, is the fifth suspect. Very soon, she realises that she is out alone in a world that is not only so cold but violently hostile.

The vulture-like attitude of the press becomes clear. In their ferocious appetite to tease the news, nothing seems sacrosanct. The neighbours and the rest of the general public are quick to cast their judgmental eyes and are not so civil with their caustic comments. The full trial by the media determines that the suspect is guilty even before the charge is filed. Gargi is advised to flee town with her mother and pre-teen sister. Even her fiancé is suggesting she run away from all these kerfuffles.

Gargi Vachaknavi in the Veda. She is one of the

epitomai of the high stature of women in ancient

India. She was Brahma Rishi, a celibate debater

in the court of King Janaka, circa 700BCE. She

remains the world's oldest feminine icon in

ancient Hinduism.

Gargi's mother's dosa flour home business comes to a grinding halt. The sister cannot go to school, and Gargi is soon sacked. No lawyer wants to defend her father due to public pressure; san a mature shy newbie lawyer with a stuttering problem and no experience defending anyone before.

Now Gargi has to take charge. She knows that her father cannot be guilty of the crime. After all, he saved her from near molestation by a teacher. It was also he who told her to stand tall to fight for herself.

The rest of the story is about Gargi and her not-so-experienced lawyer trying to get the father out on bail and doing their own investigations to unravel some ugly truths.

Inserted with the storyline are many social easter eggs waiting for film geeks to pick up. Kudos to the many powerful inserted every now and then. Women empowerment is given prominence here. Again and again, the female characters are reminded to assert themselves. Victory seems to be seen when the pre-teen sister attains menarche, and Gargi need not tell her the dos and don'ts as a girl.

The judge presiding over this rape case is a transgender. When the Public Prosecutor heckles the judge on the side of her gender when her ruling is not in his favour, she retorted, "I know the arrogance of men and the pain of a woman!"

The story is not lopsided, painting characters neither black nor white. Everybody has his flawed side and his weak moments. Overall, highly recommended. 4.5/5.