Wet, lush greenery is not something you normally associate with the word ‘dystopian’, but that is exactly where Arun Chandu firmly places the primary characters of Gaganachari. Victor, a retired alien hunter with a penchant for painting nudes, lives with his nephew Allan, a cinephile/voice artist, and Vaibhav, a partyboi/cook. ‘Raghavji’, an illegal AI, is their guide, philosopher, and companion.
Into their lives comes Aleyamma, the alien who is on the run from the local law enforcement. The “girl among bachelors” trope is not unfamiliar in Malayalam cinema. We have had classics like Kilukkam and Mannar Mathayi Speaking in the past. But what makes Gaganachari soar is the absurdist/meta humour (aka ചളി) weaved into the situation. And in a hilarious subversion of expectations, you’ll find a familiar voice out of the blue.
Framed as a mockumentary, the film explores a police state future where petrol is banned, AI is outlawed, and the dream is to get a visa to the moon. The film’s clever use of stock footage and realistic VFX hits the mark. Meta humour perfectly executed by the cast lands well. I also found the interstitial animations really great. The film makes abundant references to Malayali pop culture and tips their hat to classics of this genre.
However, it is not exactly a sci-fi movie; alien contact is a plot device for some light political commentary. In short, don’t expect an Interstellar. Gaganachari is not without its flaws. While there are loose threads, such as Aleyamma’s motivation which is left unanswered, there is no denying the fact that Gaganachari is entertaining and perfect for someone looking to watch something fun and different.
While no cats were harmed in the making of this movie, if you love your cat, do it a favour and don’t let it watch this film. 😹
To find out why, get off your ass and go watch it!
P.S. Do try to catch it in theatres. Going by the production house’s previous films, it may not come to OTT 📺. On that note, I think this would also have worked well as a limited series. Anyone listening? 😉