Gajab Thai Gayo!, Review: Study in a Gujarati medium school, you could win Rs. 25 lakh
Defying any form of classification, Gujarati language film Gajab Thai Gayo! (It’s a Calamity, though calamity is perhaps too strong a translation of Gajab) moves in so many different directions that you end up failing to appreciate its novelty and path-breaking tracks. What appears to be a film on science-fiction constantly hammers the triple messages, that India and Indians have made huge contributions to the world of science, Gujarati should be encouraged as a medium of instruction, getting preference over English and Hindi, and that pollution is a very serious issue. It is an agenda-driven movie, with a thick coating of comedy, action and sci-fi.
Two drunks are startled out of their wits when a meteorite-like fiery object hits the place where they are imbibing the spirit. It turns out that the round object has various powers, including the power to transport its possessor to the place of his desire. The action then shifts to Sheth Kapurchand Mangaldas Vidyalaya, which is one of the last existing Gujarati medium schools in Gujarat. The Principal of the school wants to preserve its heritage and is struggling with changing world. His daughter, Vishwa, is a teacher in the school. The other teachers are a disgruntled lot and are looking for excuses to submit their resignations. One of them actually resigns when he is chided by the Principal for being habitually late, but he is happy, for he runs a high profit-making tuition class.
Enter Bhagirath, who is a post graduate from Princeton University, USA, and offers to teach the students science for free. Vishwa doesn't trust Bhagirath initially, as his teaching methods are unconventional. Bhaga, Vishwa and three students- Anant, Paheli, Virat - travel to a nearby village which is Bhagirath’s little home away from the hustle and bustle, and start preparing for the Science Olympiad, where the prize is Rs. 25 lakh, an amount that will give the school a much needed cash injection. (In the Olympiad, one of the three finalist schools is called Marconi. A team could be named Marconi, but would there be a school in Gujarat named Marconi? Hardly likely).
Bhagirath, who learns that his grandfather and Vishwa’s grandfather were friends, also takes possession of the football-sized alien globe called Jabakiyo, which has some human qualities and can talk to them in Gujarati, and uses it for the benefit of all concerned. But, suddenly, Bhagirath and his three followers find themselves being chased by two detectives, one male and another female, as well as a city slicker and his gang, representing a multinational conglomerate, who want Jabakiyo for themselves. Vishwa, who has fallen in love with Bhagirath, has joined the team of four, and the five are not willing to part with Jabakiyo at any cost. Then, in a major twist, Vishwa is appointed the Principal, while Mr. Greedyman becomes the donor Trustee of the school, in an attempt to get hold of Jabakiyo.
Directed by Neeraj Joshi (Swagatam, Sharato Lagu, Cash on Delivery) from his own script, Gajab Thai Gayo! has a choppy screenplay. While it dazzles occasionally, with its sci-fi VFX, helped a lot by competently crafted sets, and tickles your funny bone time and again, it is not a comedy at heart. Pontificating and moralising is never easy, and Joshi uses various tropes to conceal his intentions. Some of them are so convincing that they could be complete stories in themselves. At one stage, he leads you on to wonder whether Bhagirath really existed, and you feel betrayed. His villains are as stereo-typical as they come, but the detective duo are a mixture of stock comedy and over the top antics. In an attempt to expand the canvas of the film, Joshi even takes you to the moon, literally. Complex and complicated, the plot never lets you settle down and absorb and assimilate the proceedings.
Though a school is at the centre of the ‘filmogram’, and three teenagers/preteens have a good share of the screen space, it is not a children’s movie. The issues it raises concern policies of the central (federal) government, parliament and the constitution of India. The influences of Rakesh Roshan’s sci-fi movie Koi Mil Gaya are there for all to see. Some developments take you completely by surprise, like the trip to the moon, while others, like the long-drawn Science Olympiad, are predictable and clap-trap. In short, Neeraj exhibits of flashes of brilliance, and then gets into familiar sequences like a kidnapping, fights and rescue of innocent school children. And right in your face is the fact that all the bad guys speak either English or Hindi, but not Gujarati.
Malhar Thakar, cast as Bhagirath, has been around for at least seven years and has worked with Joshi in all his three films. His unconventional looks, coupled with the moustache, beard and glasses, make him a good choice. Although caught in some childish situations, he maintains a certain dignity and acquits himself well. Pooja Jhaveri as Vishwa is too good a looker to be placed among the teaching staff, who give her no competition as far as beauty is concerned. Particular mention must be made of the scene wherein Pooja makes the first move to get Malhar to say “yes” to her. Both are very good in that crucial scene. Hindi film and TV actor Ujjwal Chopra is cast as the Bad Guy, Raghuram, who speaks only Hindi and English, and does a routine job. Rakesh Modi as Aacharya, the Principal, is competent, but is made to ham a bit. Providing comic relief are the duo playing the detectives (Sunil Vishrani as Tom and Shradhha Sutar as Jerry) and the two drunks. Here is a list of the remaining supporting cast available in the public domain: Vaibhav Biniwale, Kahan Mistry, Khush Tahilramani, Sneha Chauhan.
Music by Parth Bharat Thakkar is in consonance with the movie. Two songs are excellently written. Cinematography by Suraj Kurade creates the right textures and uses tricks of the trade to create special effects, to prepare for the VFX, effectively rendered by Chirag Mody, Rahul Rajput and Viral Thakkar. Film editing by Nirav Panchal seemed a bit too loose for me because the Première show started a full 45 minutes late and there was a 30-minute interval. After the show was over, another 12 minutes were spent in introducing the team. All this added up to 3 hours and 30 minutes, for a 8.45 pm show, and it was around 00.30 am when we came out., whereas the running time is only 2 hours and 11 minutes. Now, could Panchal have kept it to less than 131 minutes? How could he, with so many tracks and directions that the film took? Within the sequences, the cuts are sharp.
Gujarati film audiences might find it worth their while to watch the film, which has several sub-texts running under the multi-level narrative, that packs a few interesting surprises
I am giving due credit to the rest of the team, to encourage Gujarati cinema, and because the makers themselves made it a point to do so at the end of the show:
Casting by Jay Merchant
Production Design by Chirayu Bodas
Costume Design by Niki Joshi
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Prabhakar Dabhade Creative Director
Nasir Meherali Associate director
Rushi Mehta First assistant director
Anant Velani First assistant director
Aman Suvarna Third assistant director
Sound Department
Saurabh Dhopavkar Sound editor
Akash Sen Gupta Sound designer
Yogesh Nehe Sound designer
Music department
Niren Bhatt Lyrics
Priya Saraiya Lyrics
Rooshin Dalal Background Score
Kaizad Gherda Background Score
Rating: ** ½
Trailer: https://youtu.be/aBOHZXjm4Qo
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