Ghatothkach
Direction
: Singeetam Srinivasa Rao
Rating
: ***
Peacocks fly, lion
rajas
hip hop, a blue baby elephant pouts, bugs bunny bounce, and (
Baal
) Ghatothkach performs more magic tricks than Merlin. Unarguably, the first half an hour or so of this animation feature directed by Singeetam Srinivasa Rao, is sheer delight.
Evidently, the 77-year-old director reputed for his wry sense of humour (Pushpak, Appu Raja.. forget Mumbai Express though) is tapping the puckish child in him. He wants kids – young and grown up – to have a pop-the-corn time. And you do for a while. The picturisation of the songs – particularly the title track and then Angalik bangalik jadoo hai – are imaginative and high-adrenaline.
Clearly though, animation in India still has endless miles to fly. The auspicious thing is that the trip towards Disney-Pixar standards has at least taken off the ground. The draftsmanship and colours have improved, yes, but detailing hasn’t. For instance, almost all the women characters look the same here – with maidan-sized eyes, lotus lips and Shakira-style hips.
Rao, also credited as the music composer, conjures a background score straight out of Titanic, except for a few mandatory flourishes of Indian classical. Be that as it may, it’s the scripting that needs major finessing. The story of Ghatothkach – the son of Bhima and Hidimba – keeps wandering restlessly into the multiple routes of the Mahabharata.
{{/usCountry}}Rao, also credited as the music composer, conjures a background score straight out of Titanic, except for a few mandatory flourishes of Indian classical. Be that as it may, it’s the scripting that needs major finessing. The story of Ghatothkach – the son of Bhima and Hidimba – keeps wandering restlessly into the multiple routes of the Mahabharata.
{{/usCountry}}The focus blurs. Consequently, the transition of Ghattu to the adult Ghatothkach is somewhat confusing. Like it or not, the second-half of the well-intentioned enterprise literally ends up losing its plot.
By comparison, Shemaroo’s Bal Hanuman was the easier-to-grasp animation entertainer. This one has its excellent moments, leaving you craving for more. Next time, could we have some more of the Angalik bangalik joie de vivre... please?