A still from the movieThe conflict between a man’s ideological commitment and the disillusion it brings along has always been a favorite theme in Malayalam movies. The film God Say by Sherrey Govindan and Shyju Govind sings the same tune.
Based on T.N. Prakashan’s story 'Gandhi Margam', the film’s title is obviously a pun on the name of Nathuram Godse, the notorious murderer of Gandhi.
The film revolves around the lives of Harishchandran (Vinay Forrt), an alcoholic voice artiste at the Kozhikode station of All India Radio in the early 90s. Hari, who leads more or less an anarchist way of life, is forced to take up the position of a senior colleague who has retired from job.
His station director (Joy Mathew), who is somewhat a father figure to Hari, pushes him into doing Gandhi Margam, a primetime program focused on the Gandhian way of life.
The movie is based on TN Prakashan’s story Gandhi MargamAlthough Hari laughs at the irony, his boss makes him read Gandhi’s autobiography 'My Experiments with Truth'. The book turns his world upside down and Hari turns into a total Gandhian overnight with the wave of a wand.
He gives up drinking, embraces celibacy and tries to learn about the Gandhian way of life from Gandhi Moidu, played by Indrans, who runs the Gandhi Seva Samithi there.
Hari takes it so seriously that even a bare mention of the adoption of economic liberalization policies in 1991 can create a turmoil in his mind. He finds it hard to accept the current political scenarios and the thought that the world is drifting away from the teachings of Gandhi.
Mythili’s Kasturba is nothing more than a shadow of a strong female character she ought to have beenThings take a different turn altogether when the station director gets a transfer and the program Gandhi Margam gets cancelled. Hari gives up his job and starts writing a fictitious play on the after-death journey of Mahatma Gandhi.
Hari, along with his former girlfriend (Mythili) and other friends, stages the play at Kozhikode beach until it is stopped by government officials following a complaint that the play might hurt national sentiments. As the film ends, a frustrated Hari is seen walking away in his Gandhi costume.
Forrt succeeds in conveying the inconsistency of Hari’s character and his odd ways of life. However, the character transition was so quick that it doesn’t seem convincing at all. However, Forrt does his best in fusing Hari and Gandhi into one.
Poster of the movieThe supporting characters of Mythili and Mamukkoya fail to win the attention they seek and their performances end up as mere balancing acts. Mythili’s Kasturba is nothing more than a shadow of a strong female character she ought to have been. However, veteran actor Joy Mathew made use of his comparatively lesser screen space and maintained grace.
Sherrey and debutante Shyju succeed in setting the mood very well but fail to maintain it as the narration progresses. The attempt to re-read Gandhi remains unconvincing.
Blame it on the outdated narrative, clichéd characters and the predictable plot, God Say fails to make a connect with the audience.
