Gaami

Gaami is a 2024 Indian Telugu-language epic adventure thriller film written and directed by debutant Vidyadhar Kagita. The film features Vishwak Sen, Chandini Chowdary, Abhinaya, Harika Pedada and Mohammad Samad in primary roles. Initially started with a crowd-funding campaign, it was produced by Karthik Sabareesh, under Karthik Kult. It was released on 8 March 2024 to positive reviews from critics and audiences, with most critics praising the cast's performances, unique concept, and technical values.

This film was a major commercial success at the box-office by grossing around ₹22 crore against the budget of ₹6 crore.

Plot
Aghoras of a secluded Ashram condemn Shankar, an amnesiac Aghora with haphophobia, who was dropped off at the Ashram as a teen by an admired Aghora Kedar Baba, to banishment, as they misconstrue his phobia to be a curse set on by him by Lord Shiva, asking him to repay his karmic debt. Sudama, an empathetic Ashramite, instructs Shankar to seek the cure from Kedar Baba, who was last seen at Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj. Shankar sets out to meet Kedar Baba but chances upon his disciple, who notifies Shankar of Kedar Baba's death but having been acquainted with his problem, suggests Shankar to acquire Maalipatram, an exceptional bioluminescent mushroom endowed with medicinal capabilities, found in a cave of Dunagiri, deep inside the Himalayas, to cure his condition and informs him that the plant would be potent in rehabilitating him only once every 36 years and gives him a deadline of 15 days to find it. Jahnavi, a doctor invested in a research trip on the maalipatram, accompanies him to the Himalayas.

Meanwhile, Durga, a Devadasi in a remote village of Southern India, is stripped of her duties to the God, owing to her terminal illness. She hopes to spend the rest of her life with her daughter, Uma, who is averse to Durga's persistent attempts, hating her for abandoning her soon after her birth. Nevertheless, when Uma discovers that Durga took the solemn vow as a Devadasi to ensure Uma's birth in a safe and sound way as her delivery seemed complicated, she reciprocates her mother's love for her and implores her to never leave her. Elsewhere, in C.A.T, an illegal medical facility, CT-333, a troubled subject, is forced to undergo conversion therapy; while Tara, research assistant to Dr. Bakshi, the chief, is determined to accomplish the task through electrocution, Dr. Bakshi is hell-bent on performing lobotomy, despite being aware of its absurd side-effects, and sets a target time for Tara to achieve the result through her way.

One day, an inmate falls into CT-333's cell through the ceiling; disclosing that he had worked as a research assistant under Bakshi and that he was confined for trying to expose the facility's illicit experiments, he hatches a plan to escape and takes CT-333's assistance in digging an underground tunnel. Shankar, who, while experiencing distressing dreams and hallucinations of CT-333 seeking help and a comforting touch, realisess that his journey is arduous and gives up while Jahnavi proceeds and gets trapped inside a frozen lake. He rescues her and discovers her noble intentions behind seeking the maalipatram: she desires to find a cure for mental traumas. In the meantime, while Durga and Uma share cherishing moments, the village's chieftain plots to make Uma the new Devadasi, believing that the village is undergoing turmoil due to the absence of one. Against it, Durga formulates a plan to escape from the village with Uma. However, she succumbs to her illness and a mourning Uma is forced to flee; an acquaintance helps her board a bus to the town, but Durga's contriving sister finds her and takes her to the chieftain, who violently makes her the new Devadasi. Shankar and Jahnavi fall off a cliff; a Buddhist monk rescues and heals him, but tells him that Jahnavi might be dead. Uma, having become the Devadasi in times where the Devadasis were commonly associated with prostitution, is forced to serve men, who approach Devadasis with superstitious beliefs.

During her first such encounter, a man freaks out on seeing Uma on her first night as the Devadasi and the chieftain uncovers something shocking and embarrassing about her; he conspires to murder her, but sells her off to his son's friend, a reputed agent working in C.A.T, who hopes to use her as a lab rat for a certain experiment. CT-333's plan to escape with the inmate fails and they are captured; while the inmate dies, CT-333 is subjected to electrocution, this time on his genitals. The system overloads and he continues to receive electrocution even when Tara orders the assistants to desist; as soon as she switches the system off, she ponders over the incongruous result and informs Bakshi, who decides to perform the lobotomy. CT-333, nonetheless, hides in a barrel to escape but it is taken to a freezing chamber and he loses his senses due to frostbite. The Buddhist monk, elsewhere, illuminates Shankar to solve the problems of CT-333 and Uma, on discovering that he frequently has illusions of them seeking help and implies that he might be connected to them by karma. As Shankar sets out to help them having failed to find the maalipatram, a lion pounces on him and he hides inside a cave; he finds a sickle and digs another way out.

Simultaneously, CT-333 manages to escape the facility, but Bakshi dispatches a pack of wolves outside upon discovering that he has escaped, while Uma is taken to the facility. Kedar Baba rescues CT-333 from the wolves, revealing that the latter, Uma, CT-333 and Shankar are the same person. Uma is diagnosed with congenital adrenal hyperplasia on that fateful night by the chieftain's son and his friend. Though born with female characteristics, she grows up to have characteristics of a man. The agent of C.A.T deems her perfect for the experiment, given that she is an intersex and C.A.T hopes to suppress her primary and secondary sex characteristics by electrocuting her, to ultimately convert her into a woman. Thus, Uma grows up to be CT-333, who becomes amnesiac and hapnophobic after the last electrocution that went wrong. As Shankar remembers his past, he attempts suicide out of agony, but soon remembers Durga's uplifting words and proceeds towards the blooming maalipatram he sees in a cave of an adjacent mountain and realizes that the day is the prescribed one to consume it. As the lion chases him, he jumps towards another cliff and subdues it.

He consumes the maalipatram on time and once again falls off the cliff due to his scuffle with the lion. As he wakes up on the banks of a lake, he stumbles upon Jahnavi, who has survived the fall and touches her, revealing that he is cured of his phobia. As he, overwhelmed, lays in her arms, experiencing her motherly touch, the scene fades to Uma holding on to Durga in a similar way.

Development
Vidyadhar Kagita initiated a crowdfunding campaign for the film, via Facebook, in July 2018. In a corresponding YouTube video, Kagita appealed to the public for financial support, emphasizing the project's independent nature and spirit. The campaign received significant backing from both the audience and industry insiders, enabling the commencement of principal photography in September 2018 in rural areas around Nellore, Andhra Pradesh. The film was shot in various locations including the Himalayas and Varanasi.

Pre-production
The diverse locations required for filming posed logistical challenges, ranging from humid South Indian villages to freezing Himalayan terrains. Extensive location scouting took place in regions such as Khtaling, Pyangong, Khardung La, Zanskar, and Leh during the winters of 2017 and 2018. The title logo was designed for universal appeal, and character concept arts were prepared to define the characters' nature and style.

Script development began in May 2016, with the first draft completed by September 2017. Inspiration from extensive location scouting in the Himalayas influenced subsequent drafts, leading to the shooting script's finalization by April 2018. Schedule-wise rewrites continued throughout production, with additional refinement during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Key cast members, including Vishwak Sen and Chandini Chowdary were approached based on their previous performances. Scene tests, table reads, and rehearsals preceded filming. Notable additions to the cast, such as Mohammad Samad and Shanti Rao, were made during subsequent stages of production.

Principal photography
The art department, led by Vidyadhar Kagita, oversaw production design for the initial schedules. Subsequently, Pravalya Duddupudi joined as production designer, overseeing the construction of 12 sets, including chroma key setups, at a warehouse studio. Special properties reflecting mythical and retro-futuristic themes were custom-made for the film.

It was filmed over approximately 130 days, deviating from mainstream production norms. The minimalist crew utilized guerrilla filmmaking techniques, shooting in rural villages around Nellore and specially erected sets in Hyderabad. The film was shot at locations including the holy Ghats of Allahabad, Varanasi, Leh, and Kardhung La pass. Despite interruptions from the 2019 India-Pakistan border skirmishes and the COVID-19 pandemic, principal photography concluded on November 6, 2020.

Post-production
Editing commenced during the first COVID-19 lockdown, with the first cut completed by November 2022. Sync Cinemas handled sound production, while Sunil Chinta served as the VFX supervisor, overseeing nearly 700 visual effects shots. Motion capture tests were conducted in May 2018, with environmental effects achieved in-camera through innovative DIY practical systems. In an interview Vidyadhar Kagita spoke about the idea behind Gaami "was to do something radical yet small enough so that it makes its money back even if fewer people watch it.” He adds, “Gaami should not be confused for a big film. After making Gaami, I strongly believe that we can do stuff like this even with less money. In the Telugu film industry, there is much discourse about what we can or cannot do. It is important that we change that and create space for new stories.”

Music
The background score of the film is credited to Narsh Kumaran, while the songs were composed by Naresh Kumaran and Sweekar Agasthi. The soundtrack features three songs, where the first single, "Gamyaanne" composed by Sweekar Agasthi, released on February 24, 2024, while the second single, "Shivam" composed by Naresh Kumaran, released on 4 March 2024.

Release
On 8 February 2024, it was announced that the film would be released worldwide on 8 March 2024 due to Vishwak's other film Gangs of Godavari being postponed. The film released on streaming platform ZEE5 on 12 April 2024.

Box office
Despite the clash with Gopichand starrer Bhimaa, Gaami saw Vishwak Sen's career's highest opening day with 9.07 crore and continued to grow with positive word of mouth. In United States premieres it collected over $160,000, the film initially faced challenges in securing optimal showtimes and screens in Cinemark Theatres due to the dominance of Hollywood releases like "Dune 2" and "Kung Fu Panda 4" and achieved a significant milestone by grossing half a million dollars and emerged as Vishwak Sen's career's highest grosser (in international markets). The film collected over ₹22 crore in its theatrical run.

Reception
Sangeetha Devi Dundoo of The Hindu cited the film as "an immersive soul-searching journey", while praising Vidhyadhar's work along with Viswhak Sen's performance and the cinematography. Echoing the same, Neeshita Nyayapati of Hindustan Times also praised Vidhyadhar's work with a special mention to the score and cinematography. The Times of India stated that, "Gaami is a film that, despite its length and narrative complexities, offers a visually stunning experience with strong performances and an innovative storyline". Writing for The New Indian Express, Abhilasha Cherukuri opined that the film gets its story treatment right, with respect to how the conflicts escalate progressively.

Praising the performances of lead actors (including Harika Pedada and Mohammad Samad), Jahnavi of The News Minute further wrote that "Vidyadhar shows some great genre-bending writing and direction in his very first film, bringing in an unconventional voice particularly for Telugu cinema". Pinkvilla praised the technical values of the film, in addition to the performances of Sen, Chowdary, Pedada and Samad.