Garuda Gamana Vrishabha Vahana

This is one of the most 'well-made' movies of 2021, IMO. The Kannada film industry gets a bad rap but content like this goes a long way in showing why you need to 'put some respeck on it'.

The director (who's also written and acted in this movie) is apparently a Martin Scorsese fan and boy has he made a film Scorsese might enjoy from a filmmaking standpoint.

While this is a regular gangster story that doesn't have anything mind-blowing story-wise, the writing, sound design, editing, the several layers, acting & cinematography are amazing. They elevate this gangster-take on Brahma-Vishnu-Shiv to a totally different level.

That 'tiger-dance' sequence in the rain - *slow claps*

While this isn't a movie for everyone, if you enjoy stuff like The Godfather or Scorsese-que content, this might be worth a shot. Also, I lowkey like how easy to understand and follow Kannada is. Hoping to watch more Sandalwood movies.

Cult Classic,Next level movie🔥,Raj B Shetty Character & Acting overshadows Rishab shetty's Act Must watch movie.

Kannada industry is aiming to the next level, Brilliant BGM,Direction is Mind Blowing.

A movie which needs to be appreciated for its various dimensions.

It begins with a very beautifully crafted english song which captures the essence of the characters "Shiva" and "Hari", they are synergistically very powerful but bring out the worst in each other.

5 mins into the movie you would see how graphic and realistic this movie would be. Be it the costume, language or acting, its all very natural.

The narration could have been better and in a few places you would find needless slow motion scenes. But having said that, Mangaluru gets a powerful scene setting as the beautiful city, its beautiful temples and the amazing people have been depicted well in the context of the movie. There is so much more but Kudos.

Last but not the least, "Hulivesha super marre"!!!

Raj B Shetty, Rishabh Shetty and your entire crew deserves standing ovation!!!!

Incredible acting skills and groovy music till the end. Storyline was good. Zero overexaggerating. No nonsense scenes. Realistic dialogues. Can't take your eyes off this one. Bottom line- Shettys taking over sandalwood.

It is immensely hard to catch the audience by surprise in the over-populated and overdone gangster drama genre where audiences have been exposed to everything from Scorcese's panache to Kashyap's rootedness.

Yet, Raj B Shetty's "Garuda Gamana Vrishabha Vahana" deftly unnerves and astounds with its rustic narration, explosive action and mythological symbolism, augmented by a chilling background score and convincing lead performances.

Rishab and Raj might be lesser known Shettys of Kannada cinema given the pan-India reach of Rakshit Shetty but they stand a head taller here in terms of creative output. Raj B Shetty is stunning as "Shiva", nuanced and restrained in emotional portions and deliciously violent in the action segments, playing an able foil to Rishab Shetty's "Hari".

With obvious symbolism to Hindi deities Lord Shiva and Vishnu respectively, the story follows the two surrogate brothers as they build a mafia empire together, only to squabble and fight as a clever police office turns them against each other.

The oft-repeated plotline, reminiscent of Mani Ratnam's Chekka Chivantha Vaanam (2018) however, does not come across as formulaic since the narrative is purely driven forward by the lead actors' immense performances and the use of motifs and analogies to create lasting emotional impact.

The director uses smartly tailored frames and spine-tingling background music to create a sense of foreboding and dread even with just a pair of shoes! With rustic characters, raw violence, psychological turmoil and human ego driving the story forward, Malayalees especially will feel a sense of Lijo Jose Pallissery-ness in this story, such is the quality and vibrancy of Raj B Shetty's construction of the narrative.

Garuda Gamana Vrishabha Vahana is a landmark not just in Kannada cinema, but in the annals of Indian cinema as well. It is no wonder that celebrated auteur Gautham Menon quickly snapped up the Tamil remake rights for this gem.

All superlatives and praise fall short for this sensational gangster saga. Highly, highly recommended. An absolute must-watch!