Banner: Siddhivinayak Cinevision
Producers: Sachin Khanolkar & Bindiya Khanolkar
Director: Ananth Narayan Mahadevan
Cast: Vinay Pathak, Konkana Sen Sharma, Ranveer Shorey, Tanishtha Chatterji, Asrani, Rajit Kapur, Vikram Gokhale, Neha Pendse, Vinay Apte, Mohan Kapur, Achint Kaur, Khusboo, Viju Khote, Vipin Sharma, Neena Kulkarni, Bharat Dhabolkar, Ganesh Yadav, Murli Sharma, Siddharth Jadhav & Gary Richardson
Music: Dr. L. Subramaniam
Anant Narayan Mahadevan, an actor – director of repute & one who has also delivered milestone gems earlier, in his latest directorial offering ‘Gour Hari Dastaan – The Freedom File’ has depicted the painstaking struggle, of over 3 decades, of an ex – freedom fighter Gour Hari Das to get his overdue rights of being properly & lawfully recognised as one of the original freedom fighter by the Indian Government. The film has been brilliantly crafted portraying all the right nuances, of a helpless man, at the right places & at the right time.
Gour Hari Das (Vinay Pathak) an ex – freedom fighter from Odisha is now residing in Mumbai & working in Khadi Kraft. He is living a happy life with his wife (Konkana Sen Sharma) & son. But somewhere along the way he is also troubled by the fact that no one believes him or takes him to be an ex – freedom fighter. So along with his Khadi Kraft job he also struggles, by running from pillar to post, to get his Tamrapatra, given by the Goverment to ex – freedom fighters in recognition of taking part in India’s struggle for Independence from the British Raj, which will ultimately prove that he was indeed an ex – freedom fighter and had also gone to jail in the process. Little did Gour Hari Das knew that he will also get viciously caught in the beaucratic web. At last his over 3 decades of the painstaking struggle ends and he ends up getting his due recognition, in the process of which he is also helped by 2 media guys namely Ranveer Shorey & Tanishtha Chatterjee and many others. While there have also been people who have discouraged him in fulfilling his mission.
As a director Ananth Narayan Mahadevan indeed deserves a salutation oriented standing ovation for presenting on the celluloid silver screen, a real life saga of an ex – freedom fighter named Gour Hari Das now residing in Dahisar. That apart the producers duo of Sachin Khanolkar & Bindiya Khanolkar also deserves full marks for backing director Ananth Narayan Mahadevan’s ambitious & heart touching project. For over a year the film ‘Gour Hari Dastaan – The Freedom File’ has been doing the Indian & global Fest circuit rounds and bagging awards & adulations galore. But though the film will be liked by the elite & the classy cine goers, its main drawback is its exceedingly slow pace Which may not appeal to the masses.
Performance wise Vinay Pathak has delivered an extraordinnaire performance by literally living the life of a forgotten hero Gour Hari Das on the celluloid silver screen. His complete transformation as the real hero Gour Hari Das is really seen to be believed and speaks volumes of his histrionic prowess. In fact he really walks away with all the acting honours. The rest of the cast comprising of veterans as well as others like Konkana Sen Sharma, Ranveer Shorey, Tanishtha Chatterji, Asrani, Rajit Kapur, Vikram Gokhale, Neha Pendse, Vinay Apte, Mohan Kapur, Achint Kaur, Khusboo, Viju Khote, Vipin Sharma, Neena Kulkarni, Bharat Dhabolkar, Ganesh Yadav, Murli Sharma, Siddharth Jadhav & Gary Richardson have formed a picture perfect foil to Vinay Pathak’s Gour Hari Das, albeit in their briefest cameo roles.
Tail Piece: As mentioned earlier ‘Gour Hari Dastaan – The Freedom File’ is primarily meant for the classes and not for the masses. Besides at the box office it may not set the cash registers ringing, but it will certainly shower awards galore for director Ananth Narayan Mahadevan.
