Vishnu Vishal’s home production, Gatta Kusthi sees him team up with director Chella Ayavu for the second time. Playing the female lead is Aishwarya Lekshmi and the supporting cast includes Karunaas, Munishkanth, Kaali Venkat, Ajay, Sreeja Ravi, Hareesh Peradi and Redin Kingsley.
The film is a rural-based comedy sports drama and the unusual mix works surprisingly well although the core story has been borrowed from various films from the 1980s as well as Vijay’s Bigil.
Veera – played by Vishnu Vishal – has specific dreams of what his future bride should look like and behave and this has led to him rejecting dozens of girls. In the neighbouring state of Kerala, aspirant wrestler, Keerthi – played by Aishwarya Lekshmi – is facing a similar problem as she is a strong, feisty and independent young woman. Keerthi’s uncle, played by Munishkanth, spins a precarious web of lies in order to bring this unlikely couple together, the consequences of which forms the rest of Gatta Kusthi.
Despite the seriousness of the plot and the multiple themes of the film, what makes this film a delight to watch is the light-hearted manner of its treatment by writer and director Chella Ayyavu. The pace is quite rapid and its regular punctuation of witty retorts and even some insanely misogynistic views make for very entertaining viewing.
Vishnu Vishal continues to prove his versatility in a role that is well-etched, consistent and credible. Aishwarya Lekshmi is in a role that requires multiple talents and she shines brilliantly in all her scenes. Munishkanth is, as always, a delight to watch while Karunaas makes an impressive comeback. Kaali Venkat is in a well-developed role while Hareesh Peradi is in a very subdued performance from his previous roles. The weakest links in the cast are Shatru who plays Keerthi’s coach and makes a very sad villain. Redin Kingsley once again shows that he has no appeal with the backing of Nelson Dilipkumar. Gajaraj as Keerthi’s father is the best of the others.
There are many highpoints to Richard M Nathan’s cinematography, particularly in the action sequences. Prasanna GK’s editing complements the cinematography while Justin Prabhakaran’s music falls somewhat short of his usually high standard.
The stunts are by the stunt duo Anbariv and it is very clear in this film that both of them have different talents because some of the sequences are top notch while the others quite mediocre.
Although there is nothing fresh in the plot, Chella Ayyavu’s screenplay and scripting bring this film to life, ensuring that the entertainment quotient stays constant throughout the film.
Vishnu Vishal continues his streak of choosing good scripts.
Gatta Kusthi scores 7 points out of 10.