Caught in a sea of characters -- Gusthi
LEVITY RULES, BUT NOT THROUGHOUT: Gusthi.
Genre: Comedy
Director: Rajkapoor Cast: Prabhu, Karthik, Vadivelu, Manya, Flora
Storyline: Escaping from a marriage he doesn't wish to get into, the hero gets entangled in a series of issues.
Bottomline: Screenplay plays spoilsport.
The innumerable characters that stomp the screen in this comedy venture befuddle you. With people always moving in groups, most of the time it is confusion confounded in Sundari Films' `Gusthi' (U). The pandemonium, with Imman's re-recording fuelling it further, hurts the ear. Getting such a huge cast together should have been quite an arduous task for Rajkapoor, story, screenplay, dialogue writer and director. And to add to the onus he also plays one of the villains in the film.
To escape marriage to a village head's daughter, a dimwit, Jeeva (Prabhu) runs away to the city and seeks refuge at Vel's (Vadivelu's) abode. The bride's entourage follows him en masse. In a city that's teeming with bad men, Singam (Karthik) is the head of a gang that's more comical than menacing. Then there's this huge family in Kodaikanal, managed by the rich old `Periappa,' Vijayakumar, who has a flashback tale of an only daughter (the yesteryear heroine, Latha). She, with her quota of flashbacks, is an enigma till the end.
Narration gains momentum in the second half, where you come across a few sequences that are genuinely funny. Otherwise the rest of `Gusthi' falls flat, with puerile `humour' and bizarre music increasing your woes. Unnecessarily elongated scenes tire you — like the one in the shopping mall where a thief contributes to the melee. And it is sheer gibberish that you come across at the mental asylum.
Sharing screen space
Prabhu and Karthik share screen space after a long while, in `Gusthi.' One looks prosperous while the other appears washed out. Prabhu's potential is intact. Only that it goes waste in a screenplay that meanders without focus. Karthik is still elegant in dance — that's about all you can say as far as his performance is concerned. Noteworthy support comes from Vadivelu — on and off he helps you have a hearty laugh.
Flora and Manya are the heroines. The former parades in skimpy clothes making clear the purpose of her appearance while Manya (who's supposed to be a doctor) slips into the same rut after a reasonably decent opening.
The lyric (Snehan) and tune of the `Thaka Dheem ... ' is refreshing.
Comparisons are odious all right, but even as you watch `Gusthi,' you cannot but think of the imposing parts Prabhu and Karthik portrayed together in `Agni Nakshatram' and heave a sigh of sadness at their present plight ... and yours too. Because the screenplay wipes out chances of what could have been a fairly enjoyable fare.
MALATHI RANGARAJAN
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