Gurkha (film)
Gurkha is a 2019 Indian Tamil-language action comedy film written and directed by Sam Anton.[1] The film stars Yogi Babu in the lead role,[2][3] while Elyssa Erhardt, Anandaraj, Charle, Raj Bharath, and Manobala, among others, play supporting roles. The film is produced by Sam Anton himself with his production banner 4 Monkeys Studios, with cinematography and editing is handled by Krishnan Vasant and Ruben respectively, continuing their association with the director. Music is composed by Raj Aryan. Principal photography commenced in around December 2018.
Gurkha | |
---|---|
Theatrical Release Poster | |
Directed by | Sam Anton |
Produced by | Sam Anton |
Screenplay by | Sam Anton |
Starring | Yogi Babu Elyssa Erhardt Anandaraj Charle Raj Bharath |
Music by | Raj Aryan |
Cinematography | Krishnan Vasant |
Edited by | Ruben |
Production company | 4 Monkeys Studios |
Release date |
|
Running time | 145 mins |
Country | India |
Language | Tamil |
Budget | ₹4 crore (US$560,000) |
Box office | est.₹8 crore (US$1.1 million)(see below) |
Plot
Bahadur Babu (Yogi Babu) belonged to a family of Gurkha initially had the intention to become a cop, but unfortunately, he gets rejected as he is branded unfit and is unable to clear the physical fitness tests. He joins a security agency known as Shakthimaan Security Services owned by Kavariman (Manobala).Later in the movie he gets posted as a security officer in a mall. The other characters who have a parallel story line in the movie are gang of ex-servicemen headed by Thyagu (Raj Bharath) who in the sidelines plan an elaborate antisocial scheme and ultimately stage a take over of the mall where our lead character works in. Based of the scheme the people who are lured into visiting the movies under the false pretence of getting free tickets and shopping vouchers, including Bahadur Babu's love interest Margaret (Elyssa Erhardt), are held as hostages. In the end, it is up to Bahadur Babu to save the people and become a real hero.
Cast
- Yogi Babu as Security Guard Bahadur Babu
- Elyssa Erhardt as Margaret
- Anandaraj as 'RDX' Alex
- Charle as Usain Bolt
- Raj Bharath as Thyagu and Shakil Akbar, ISIS Terrorist
- Manobala as Kavariman
- Aadukalam Naren as Nataraj IPS , Commissioner of police chennai city
- Ravi Mariya as ACP Harris Jayaraj
- Devadarshini as Gayathri
- Mayilsamy as Politician
- Livingston as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu
- Namo Narayanan as Saamiyar (Priest)
- T. M. Karthik as QTV Owner
- Subhashini Kannan as Nataraj's wife
- Supergood Subramani as Margaret's assistant
- Redin Kingsley as a hacker
- Japan Kumar as Bhajan Lal
- Blue Sattai Maaran
- Bijili Ramesh as the former chief minister (portrait shown)
Production
The first look poster of the film was unveiled by actor Sivakarthikeyan on 15 September 2018 and the first look poster itself revealed that the film will be a summer release.[4][5] The film titled as Gurkha implies that the film is based on security guards, and it is played by Yogi Babu. The filmmakers also reportedly hired Elyssa Erhardt, a Canadian model who earlier played a small acting role as an assistant to Sundar Ramaswamy (played by actor Vijay) in Sarkar). Elyssa will play the female lead as a foreign ambassador, along with a dog.[6][7] The film also marks Elyssa's acting debut in Kollywood.[8] The shoot wrapped in around early January 2019, and the reports confirmed that the film will be released in or around April 2019.[9]
Reception
Srivatsan S for The Hindu gave the film negative review, saying "Most of Gurkha takes place inside a mall, where a group of people, along with Margot, is held hostage by self-proclaimed terrorists. How appropriate, I wondered, for the actual hostages are the ones sitting inside the theatre."[10]
The first look poster, which portrays Yogi Babu as gurkha along with a dog, created buzz among social media users related to racism and stereotype portrayal of the Gurkha community.[11]
References
- "GURKHA". British Board of Film Classification.
- RajKumar (17 September 2018). "Gurkha Tamil Movie (2019) | Cast | Songs | Teaser | Trailer | Release Date". News Bugz. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
- Gurkha Movie: Showtimes, Review, Trailer, Posters, News & Videos | eTimes, retrieved 8 February 2019
- "Sam Anton's next with Yogi Babu titled 'Gurkha' - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
- "Sivakarthikeyan launches 'Gurkha' first look - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
- "Yogi Babu, a dog, and a foreigner to play the lead roles in Gurkha!". Sify. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
- "Elyssa plays the female lead in Gurkha - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
- "Canadian model Elyssa roped in for Yogi Babu's Gurkha". India Today. Ist. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
- "It's a wrap for Yogi Babu's Gurkha". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
- https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/reviews/gurkha-tamil-movie-review/article28411080.ece
- Desk, Author: TheDC News (16 September 2018). "Racist "Gurkha" Movie Poster - Director Sam Anton Issues Clarification, Following Outrage". The Darjeeling Chronicle. Retrieved 8 February 2019.