STRONG WOMEN STAND UP FOR EACH OTHER

What Ayn Rand, the Russian-American author, wrote in her best-selling novel, ‘The Fountainhead’, is often paraphrased into a clarion call for women’s liberation as: “The question isn’t who’s going to let me; it’s who’s going to stop me.” The moot point of the debate on gender justice though is that often women hesitate to raise their voices against the patronizing male.

“ಕಿರಗೂರಿನ ಗಯ್ಯಾಳಿಗಳು” (‘Kiragoorina Gayyaligalu’, which translates to: ‘Vixens of Kiragooru’) is a 2016 Kannada film based on a novel of the same name penned by Poornachandra Tejaswi. The social drama was critically applauded for its refreshingly distinct portrayal of women as not just strong, but also fierce about standing up for each other.

The plot is set in the hamlet of Kiragooru, wherein its agrarian community lives in harmony, the odd brawl or bicker among the residents notwithstanding. The village has some feisty, bellicose ladies too. Then, there is shrewd, selfish Heggade (Sharath Lohitashwa) and his slimy sidekick, Shankara (Achyuth Kumar), who hatch a devious plot to divide the community on caste lines and grab the lands of gullible farmers opportunistically.

One of the farmers of the village is Kalegowda (Kishore), whose wife, Nagamma (Sonu Gowda), is a quiet, soft-spoken lady. But, connubial felicity is missing in their platonic relationship because Nagamma has not conceived even many years after tying the nuptial knot― the main reason for the man’s estrangement.

So does Nagamma regain connubial joy despite Kalegowda’s toxic masculinity? What about Heggade’s chicanery laced efforts? How do the viragoes of the village influence the outcomes of the sub-plots?

That is the rest of the story-telling.

Director D. Sumana Kittur has directed the movie with verve and panache― little wonder then that the film presents an immersive experience for its viewer. Sumana has masterfully chosen her cast and woven around them the events in Agni Sridhar’s screenplay. She’s also extracted the best out of everyone…even as she stays clear of sexist, chauvinistic objectification― a malaise that afflicts films pervasively― of the shrewish women of Kiragooru.

The flick is a collage too of many light-hearted moments; a rural canvas, rustic dialect and dialogues delivered in a sing-song accent… all enhance the comic appeal. It is a pity though that the expletives in the script, ones that village folk routinely use, are muted. Sadhu Kokila’s music is apt. Camerawork of Manohar Joshi is fine; and, Suresh Urs’ editing is topnotch too.

The ensemble cast includes Kishore, Achyuth Kumar, Sharath Lohitashwa, Shwetha Srivastav, Sukrutha Wagle, Sonu Gowda, Karunya Ram, Manasa Joshi, Ajay Rao, Girija Lokesh, Prakash Belawadi and many more. Each one has pitched in EXCEPTIONALLY.

In summary, this flick is a fantastic adaptation of a literary masterwork. The key takeaway for ladies from the film: “Stay strong; stay connected; and, stand up for each other!”

I rate this social drama: 7.5 on 10!