Godha, starring Tovino Thomas and Wamiqa Gabbi, was planned by director Basil Joseph and writer Rakesh Mantodi long before Sultan and Dangal became the biggest hits in the history of Indian Cinema. Produced by AV Anoop and Mukesh R Mehta, this highly anticipated sports drama tells the story of a Punjabi girl Aditi Singh (Wamiqa Gabbi), her Malayali friend Anjaneya Das (Tovino), his father Captain (Renji Panicker) and Kannaadikkall, a village in Kerala known for it's veteran Gatta Gusthi wrestlers. Godha is Tovino Thomas's first release after his biggest hit 'Oru Mexican Aparatha', which gave him a huge fan following.
Gatta Gusthi is the native form of wrestling with a different set of rules from the more popular freestyle form. Renji Panicker plays the role of Captain, a veteran wrestler who gives Gusthi coaching to youngsters in his village. The ground where Captain and his friends fought and won many prestigious matches has now been seized by cricket loving youngsters. People's falling interest in the Gusthi has lowered their respect towards Captain and he decides to organize a Gatta Gusthi tournament to regain his lost fame. The wrestling enthusiast Aditi's visit to God's own country sets off many stones rolling and results in an interesting turn of events in the screenplay.
A brilliant performance by Wamiqa Gabbi is the backbone of Godha, supported by excellent performances that add fire into this beautifully written fun-filled sports film. Wamiqa succeeds to emotionally connect with the audience while raising the question 'How high can a girl dream?’ a very relevant question asked by women in today's rising India. Tovino Thomas brings out the unfocused nature of his character with perfection and also handles his transformation like a veteran. The show stealer is Renji Panicker who stuns the audience with his well built physique and a greatly polished performance. The most important thing that separates Godha from a normal Malayalam film is the dedication shown by every artist to wrestle with a grace and make their performance very convincing. Aju Varghese, Hareesh Perumanna, Sreejith Ravi, Pradeep Kottayam and Bijukuttan handle the humor department with elegance and merge well with the gripping screenplay.
The credit for making the film a great watch goes to five people: Basil Joseph (Director), Rakesh Mantodi (writer), Shaan Rahman (music), Vishnu Sharma (Cinematography) and Abhinav Sunder Nayak (Editor). Basil's transformation from a good debutant director in Kunjiramayanam to a matured director is evident in every scene of Godha. He is slowly and steadily moving towards becoming the 'New Generation Priyadarshan'. The combination of distinctive and dedicated acting, ardent writing and direction, majestic frames, emotion instigating tunes and precise cuts produce an awe-inspiring and sublime movie.
Godha might not be the best movie of the century, but it is definitely a 100% entertainer that inspires and satisfies its audience.