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Ghazi
Ghazi links:
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Jeevi
rating: 3.25/5
Punchline: Well executed war-at-sea film
Genre: War
Type: Straight
Banner: PVP Cinemas, Dharmaa productions & Matinee entertainment
Runtime: 125 minutes
Censor Certificate: U
Release date: 17 February, 2017
Theater watched: Screen 4, Prasads Multiplex, Hyderabad
Cast: Rana, Taapsee Pannu, Kay Kay Menon, Atul Kulkarni, Om Puri, Nassar, Rahul Singh, Milind Gunaji, Ravi Varma, Bharat Reddy.etc
Music: K
Cinematography: Madhie
Editor: A. Sreekar Prasad
Dialogues: Gunnam Gangaraju
Costume Designer: Ashwanth Byri
Additional Story & Screenplay: Gunnam Gangaraju & Niranjan Reddy
Story, Screenplay & Direction: Sankalp
Producers: Anvesh Reddy, Jaganmohan Reddy, Pearl V Potluri, Param V Potluri & Kavin Anne
Ghazi links: |
In 1971, a war with Pakistan was imminent as Pakistan is oppressing East Pakistan which is seeking a separation. Pakistan was looking for a ‘Pearl Harbor’ kind of surprise attack on Visakhapatnam. The Indian Navy deploys a submarine S21 to keep a watch. The submarine is commanded by Ranvir Singh (Kay Kay Menon) who is a hot-blooded captain who doesn't respect protocols. The officials give clear instructions to Arjun Varma (Rana Daggubati) who is the second in command of the submarine to make sure that Ranvir Singh doesn’t disobey protocols. While doing patrolling, the Indian submarine intercepts the Pakistan’s powerful submarine PNS Ghazi. The rest of the story is all about the mind games between the two rival captains and how Indian submarine succeeds in destroying PNS Ghazi.|
Actors: Rana Daggubati has suited the role well and carried it off with utmost authority as the Lt. Commander. His physique and good voice also helped the role. Kay Kay Menon is very good as a hot-tempered captain. Atul Kulkarni is fantastic as XO. Taapsee Pannu plays the role of a refugee who finds her way into submarine. Her role is miniscule. Satya Dev plays a crucial role of sonar operator and contributes well. His role has a lot of screen time because it’s sonar operator who acts as eyes and ears to any submarine. Ravi Varma makes his presence felt, this time in a positive role. Bharat Reddy plays one of the crew members. Om Puri is perfect as the key official in Indian Navy. 
Story - screenplay - direction: The story of the film is interesting as it has some historical relevance. The PNS Ghazi which was sunk near Visakhapatnam still lies there. The debutant director Sankalp Reddy has made sure that movie is engaging though 80% of the film takes place in a submarine. And you can only see the presence of the enemy through the headphones of sonar operator. If you had already seen Hollywood/World films made with submarine stories, they tend to be more technical in terms of commands. The director has simplified the process so that the first time submarine movie audiences wouldn’t feel uneasy. I loved the detailing in this film. Though I had seen many submarine based films, I had never encountered the concept of sea mines. The way Patton’s name is used is good (Patton film winning Oscar in 1971 when this story happened and captain modeling himself after Patton (captain reading ‘War As I knew It’ written by Patton)). Director Sankalp with a good technical team and support from knowledgeable film personalities like Gunnam Gangaraju makes a mark with his debut. However, they should have let characters speak in English/Hindi and given sub-titles in Telugu instead of dubbing it as it affects the feel/mood. The screenplay of the film is nice in second half. The director has used patriotism to nice effect as it’s a story of Indian submarine pitted against a Pakistani submarine. 
Other departments: Background music scored by ‘K’ is a huge asset. It’s very important to have the right music for a different content film like Ghazi and K comes up with a fabulous job. Cinematography by Madhie is excellent. He has also brought the much needed tense ambience with his visuals. Gunnam Gangaraju’s dialogues are another asset. ‘Veedemanna lift operator aa? Leka submarine commander aa?’ is the best dialogue of the film that shows the frustration of Ghazi captain. Production design is excellent. Editing by A Sreekar Prasad is good. Visual effects are slick. The combination of PVP and Matinee Entertainment which has given a different content film Kshanam in the past and pushes the envelope with Ghazi film. Both PVP and Niranjan Reddy deserve applause for their relentless efforts to bring something new to Telugu cinema. 
Analysis: First half of the film is slow as it establishes the characters and premise. Second half is completely engaging. Plus points of the film are submarine backdrop, perfect casting, engaging (and a bit dramatic one that plays on India-Pakistan emotions) second half and technical brilliance. On the flipside, Telugu dubbing for Hindi/English dialogues has marred the feel of few scenes. And the attitude of Kay Kay Menon character and how it behaves appear over-dramatic. Ghazi is a kind of film that has content that works more at national level. On a whole, Ghazi is a daring yet engaging film which should be watched and appreciated despite being a niche film!!!