There are good films and bad films but then there are films that leave you in a baffled state because of its calamitous craft. It would be made so badly that it does not permit you to place the flick even in the bad category as it would disdain how dire it was. Galtha is one such film. In recent past, Tamil cinema audience has been accustomed to films which are made with the message first approach leaving aside the craftsmanship and performances which are vital to take the film closer to the audience. Galtha takes the message first approach to a whole different level that it makes us wonder what could be the intention of the production house as well as the director in bringing the flick to the theaters. We wish at least they knew the purpose behind it.
In a small village on the border of Tamilnadu medical wastes are dumped without following any proper disposal procedures. Despite many expressing their disapproval, no one could bring it to an end as it happens with the support of a local politician who makes lump sum money because of it. A knowledgeable social activist (Gajaraj) along with the help of his son (Siva Nishanth) and a local man (Antony Sagayaraj) in the village begins to create awareness among the villagers about the possible ill effects that the improperly dumped medicinal waste could bring to them. But no one seems to care much of their lecture. Suddenly, many people get affected and some even lose their life because of the ill effects caused by the bio waste. The sidekick of the social activists also loses his wife.
Unable to cope with the demise of his wife he begins to drink all the time and gets addicted to alcohol. Though he is addicted to alcohol he does not give up on his fight against the illegal dumping of medical waste. At a point he confronts the politician responsible for the dump. Angered by the confrontation the politician hacks him to death. His murder unites the villager against the politician and they begin to protest against the illegal medical dump happening in their village. Will the villagers stand united till the end and succeed in their protest to stop the medical waste from being dumped in their village, or will the politician deploy a political game on them and blow them apart, is what makes the rest of the flick.
The one line of the drama is indeed interesting but the way the story is developed around the one line and the way it is presented are awful enough to make you to want to leave the theaters in the middle. If not an expert level writing, an average writing on a one line such as this could easily make the entertainer sit well among the audience. It is high time that producers and story tellers of Tamil cinema realize the importance of what a writer could bring to their script. With such a one line Galtha merely seems like the director chose the contemporary issue first and then decided that he must deliver a message on it irrespective of what may come. And the outcome is 110 minutes of self inflicted torment for the audience.
For any film to work well with the audience the flow of the film and the rationale behind it is quite necessary, for a flick that intends to deliver a powerful social message the above mentioned factors are a must. But Galtha does not seem to care about any of it and moves as it wants at its own pace. One minute the issue takes the centre stage, then it is pushed back by the romance track, then it jumps in to narrating a sub plot in which a dummy villain – who we all know would eventually join hands with the hero in the middle for the cause the hero fights for – fiercely threatens to hack the hero to death. With all these elements stuffed together in to the plot the entertainer feels like a collection of everything that it never intended to explore.
Even the casting of the flick does not do much good for the flick. Siva Nishanth and Antony Sagayaraj fight had to pass of with their performances. Gajaraj delivers a decent performance. While Ayraa Jain, Divya Elumalai and even the experienced Appukutty struggle to do justice to their roles. The rest of the cast has delivered an average performance.
On the technical end, musicians K. Jai Krish and A. J. Alimirsaq have done a decent job with their background score though they disappoint in the songs section. Cinematographer Vasudeva Rao has covered the flick in the best possible ways. While he is adequately supported by editor Muthu Muniasamy.
On the whole, despite a decent one line plot Galtha has taken the mediocre film making level to a new standard which pushes it in to the better not made category.