THE BEDROCK OF STRONG FAMILY TIES

The English statesman and philosopher, Francis Bacon aired eloquently, “the worst solitude is to be destitute of true friendship.” One may be tempted to add ‘family ties devoid of agony and anguish’ to that quote.

“ಮಿಸ್ಟರ್ ಗರಗಸ” (‘Mr. Garagasa’― literally ‘Mr. Saw’, it is a moniker for a ‘boringly garrulous man’) is a 2008 Kannada film that has for its theme the significance of harmony and congeniality in matrimonial relations. Garagasa is heavily inspired by the French comedy Le Dîner de Cons and the Hindi flick Bheja Fry. The comedy did well at the box-office.

Muniya (Komal Kumar) is a struggling scriptwriter, who is a bit of an eccentric cackler. He is a genuinely decent human being, albeit a bumbling do-gooder. So, goofy Muniya, with his penchant for plain-spokenness, meets a film producer, Parthasarthy (Anant Nag), who is beset with daunting problems at home.

Muniya begins to narrate his script to Parthasarthy; but, the queer, quirky attempt soon runs into rough weather. Despite making a hash of the story-telling endeavor, Muniya resolves Parthasarthy’s marital conflicts and personal challenges. He even gets another couple facing strained relations and incompatibility issues to reunite.

The climax though reveals battle scars from Muniya’s troubled past…but, not before he drives everyone nuts with the drivel that he loquaciously churns out. The sum and substance of the movie’s message is that love, trust, affection and understanding are the vital ingredients of happiness at home.

Director Dinesh Baboo has delivered a clean comedy within the labyrinth of familial relationships. Aside from the tightness in the purse-strings, the humor has innocence engrained in it. There are neither sexual innuendos in the dialogues nor risqué scenes in the narrative for eliciting cheap laughs.

Baboo’s casting is top-shelf. His plot is perhaps musty; but, the script and presentation are zesty. He has shied away from cheap laughs with some clever writing in the script. The result: the task of vesting dialogues with hilarity and ushering comedic timing into the narrative seem easy.

Most sequences are shot within the claustrophobic confines of a living room…so, the camerawork often gives a déjà vu feel. There are very few outdoor sequences in the narration and the emphasis is on dialogues. The music of Manikanth Kadri is middle-of-the-road stuff. Technically average, the wholesome entertainer has a universal appeal; it is akin to watching a well-crafted, staged play though.

Komal Kumar is the soul of the film; his wooden, nonchalant expressions and tongue-firmly-lodged-in-cheek delivery of lines are endearing. Like always, ace actor Anant Nag too energizes the screen. Sudharani, TS Nagabharana, Ramesh Bhat, and others lend support competently in this rib-tickler.

I rate this comedy belonging to the ‘Life Comedy’ sub-genre: 7.0 on 10!