Gajakesari Movie Review

Gajakesari is a film of epic proportions. It is no doubt one of the most extravagantly made films on Kannada screen ever. And the story, screenplay, acting and match this beautifully made film. The film compares with the best of films made in India and will no doubt make Yash a much bigger star than he is already. All appreciation should go to the director Krishna, who has made his debut as director after being known as a top cinematographer till now since his epoch creating work in Mungaaru Male. Krishna has written the story and screenplay of the film apart from directing it.

The plot of Gajakesari is unique and probably never seen before in films. A 27-year-old is in search of a wife. His mother works in a mutt. The head of the mutt gives him the shocking news that he will become the next head of the mutt. The youth first thinks it is a wonderful proposition as he would be in-charge of the vast properties of the mutt. But he would have to leave his current life and lifestyle which he cannot. To avoid becoming confined to a life in the mutt he has to give an elephant to it.

Much of the rest of the story is about whether the hero becomes a mutt head or gives an elephant to the mutt and saves his life. But there is much more interesting things happening with the film. The hero falls in love with a 23-year-old girl who is studying wild birds. He encounters her in the forest where he goes to get an elephant. But the hero gets more than what he bargained for. The forest dwellers he stays with have their own history. They are professional elephant trainers who are being thrown out of the forest for commercial considerations.

An explosive history reveals a special bond between elephants and the hero. The hero has an ancestor born among the forest people who saves the local kingdom from an onslaught of invasion. This part of the film is amazing and would be considered one of the best in Yash's career.

The songs of the film are already a hit and perfectly placed in the film. Superb camera work by Sathya Hegde, amazing performances by Yash, Amoolya, Anant Nag and others, hard-hitting dialogues, an excellent narration and a huge talent in the form of the elephant makes Gajakesari the film to watch immediately.