GAON Review: A decent effort, filled with messages.

There is a term that people use for such film….. That term is  “art film”. This is often a term used for films that break the conventions and tell us something new in a manner by which the mainstream audience may not consider “entertaining”. Such films usually fall into the low budget and experimental category.  While one can understand why such films may not have mainstream appeal, it is also undeniable that such filmmakers have something to say. Truly the maker of this film, Gautam Singh, had a lot to say. This film is filled with messages.

First, lets get to the plot. A boy named bharat goes to his father’s village, after his father passes away, in order to spread his ashes. He ends up connecting to the village and starts realizing where he comes from. In the process he feels the need to give something back to the village. Throughout the film, we are exposed to the innocent ways of the villagers and how they are truly disconnected from “Rising India”. India is a country of extremes, where on one end we have the metropolis, and on the other end we have the rural side, completely alienated from growth. This film is about that India. The director tells us about how technology and overabundance of wealth makes us greedy. He makes us understand the importance of money, while also telling us that we only need what we need. The director seems to be very passionate about this thought of how we perceive villagers to be poor, which they undoubtedly are in terms of money, but they are much more grounded. Sometimes the simple life is the best life. Another message in this film is about how growth happens from the bottom, not from the top, and while technology improves, the mindset also needs to improve.

From a technical standpoint, this film is very basic, however the shots and the staging is very well planned out. The director understands shot taking. The cinematography is good, considering the resources available. The editing is competent. As for the acting, everyone is decent. Not good, not bad. However, everyone is confidence and has given a good effort. If there was to be one criticism in the acting front, then the character played by Neha Mahajan can get irritating at times.

Now to the screenplay. I kept this last on purpose, because if there is a flaw in the film, then it is in the screenplay. Too much time was given to a particular chunk in the film that focuses on a drinking game. If the film were to use that time to build on the main plot and theme, the film could have been much better. Also, sometimes It feels as if the characters are too innocent even if they are from the village. There are certain references that seem off and don’t really connect. The main message does come out to some extent; however, the situations don’t seem very believable. The screenplay prevents this film from being what it could have been.

Overall “Gaon” is a decent effort with good intentions. It’s a one-time watch if you are open for something different. Don’t expect entertainment of the conventional kind. In fact don’t expect entertainment at all. This is a film worth watching solely for the theme, even if it doesn’t get it quite right.

Rating: 2.5 stars out of 5.