Godha review by celebs and critics: Tovino Thomas, Wamiqa Gabbi, Renji Panicker-starrer is Mollywood's Dangal

Tovino Thomas and Wamiqa Gabbi's Malayalam movie Godha was released across Kerala on Friday, May 19. From the reactions of the audience after the opening day shows, it is understood that Godha is all set to be Mollywood's Dangal in many aspects.

Check audience review on Godha movie

As of now, only positive reviews have poured in for Godha from audience, critics and celebrities alike. Actor, director Roopesh Peethambaran of Oru Mexican Aparatha writes: "Godha is a massy entertainer!! Good Job Boys."

Director Lal Jose

Watched Basil's Godha ! I have had also seen Kunjiramayanam, and in the very next film the director made a big progress in the making style and narration. One of the best in the new league of directors ! I feel lucky to pick up the cameraman and the music director of Godha in my new film. Both made magic :D Tovino, you learnt the art of subtle performance so well, making the audience love you in all your scenes. I officially declare my jealousy to Ranji Panikker for being so fit and strong :D After 'Jacobinte Swargarajyam', you climbed up to the next step here. Finally, the one made me fall for the film is the heroine, a pure talent sharpened with hard work ! Mass claps for all of you guys ! Enjoy the success!

Meanwhile, actress Chandini Sreedharan, who was last seen with Dulquer Salmaan in Comrade in America, is also all praise for the Tovino-starrer after she watched its FDFS with the team of Godha.

"Absolutely LOVED the movie!! A complete entertainer with the right amount of comedy, love, emotion & excitement!! The entire cast did an amazing job!! Toviii... loved the cuteness you brought on screen for #AnjaneyaDas!! Thanks for making #Aditi so adorable yet aggressive @wamiqagabbi!! @ajuvarghese... Aju chettaaa & #Hareesh Chetta you guys were awesome!! & omggg I think my faaav was #RenjiPanicker Sir!! Director @ibasiljoseph... when can we work together?? Absolutely loved your vision & direction!! & @shaanrahman... LOVE LOVE LOVED the soundtrack & background score Shaaanika!! Amazing team!! Well made complete family entertainer!!

Vineeth Sreenivasan

A bit late, but I finally got to watch Godha in the theatre.. Having seen the movie multiple times during post production before the final cut, I was looking at the audience reaction rather than watching the movie myself. And the packed audience in AGS T Nagar were bursting into laughter all through the film. And finally when the director's card appeared, people gave a standing ovation.
When I walked out of the theatre, someone from chennai whom I have known for many years asked me, Vineeth did ur friends make this film; I said yes. My cousin brother wrote this film. And the director has worked with me as an assistant. Though I have got nothing to do with the success of the film, I realised that I was feeling proud..

Major Ravi

Godha.. A feel good wonderful entertaining film. I couldn't stop laughing throughout. Tovino Thomas you are growing big. Ur Guppy was again a good film. Director Basil congrats to ur work. Renji Panicker, u were awesome!! Dharma and gang were hilarious Heroine almost stole the show with that North Indian feel. Congrats to the entire team. Jai Hind!!

Critics are also commenting good words about Godha, calling it a completely packaged movie with right amount of comedy, emotion, love and thrilling moments. Film critic Chandra Mohan Gopinath of The Cinema Company says: "Godha is the ideal choice that can serve your appetite for enjoyment."

Wrestling is the core theme here but the smartness shown in packaging the film with adequate doses of humor, emotion and other fun elements puts Godha in a territory that no one can complain about. How a Punjabi girl Adithi Singh lands up in a remote village in Kerala where we have an interesting tussle going on between some new generation cricket fans and an older generation of hardcore wrestling players and followers is beautifully presented in a colorful fashion.

Midhun Manuel Thomas

'Godha' is a fun filled 'chick flick' riding on the wonderful making on Basil Joseph..!! This young Wayanadan gun has achieved tremendous growth as a maker when he reaches his second film ☺️☺️ And the specialty is, all the humour scenes were absolutely enjoyable and it was a real delight to watch all the artists perform especial the lead ones - Wamiqa, Renji Panicker sir, Tovino and Aju..☺️ If you are looking for fresh entertainment, then get ur tickets for Godha ASAP 

Aishwarya Lekshmi

I never had the opportunity to watch a movie with a crew that had given their all for the movie,but that's the story before #Godha. C.V. Sarathi sir had the kind heart to invite me to watch the first show with the team in #Padmatheatre ,Ernakulam. And I have to say I absolutely enjoyed it!!
I could relate to every line Adithi Singh told about her dreams, her helplessness,I was gone for "duck" by her charm and cuteness!! I loved her determination and her rebellion to get what she wanted most ,And its something Iam sure that will speak to every woman (and man ) on this planet.
I laughed at Anjaneya Das, I laughed with him, I felt his jealousy, his love , his sadness,his determinations..his change ..
I was awed by Renji Panicker sirs father character , Captain's passion for gusthi, his imperfections, the change that is being brought forward when he sees one last straw that could bring back all his lost glory and happiness , I loved the small nuances of the mother ,the sister , and every other character in the movie. Every body had their space to perform, and every body Performed!!!
The music was so niceeeee and so righttt!!!
And the camera took me right into the story and helped me travel with all its characters imbibing it , in full essence and glory !
From whatever I know, like most other filmmakers who genuinely love cinema ,they also have invested years of their time, sweat, heart,brain,soul,money,love and everything they could into this beautiful movie.
Kindly do not insult them by comparing it to any other movie, and kindly donot Compare the efforts put in by anybody. You will only know it if you were there with them through it.

Cinema is here for our entertainment, watch it to get entertained and to be happy! And I truly believe #Godha definitely will be a good reason to bring some beautiful smiles on your faces!Kindly watch our #Godha in theatres.
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Direction

Chandra Mohan has also mentioned about director Basil Joseph's improvement in maturity level that is very evident from what he has done for Kunjiramayanam. "The improvement in maturity level as a director is definitely there to be seen in how he has dealt with the subject and the apt treatment given to it. Wrestling is at the centre of everything the story says but here we see lot of humorous moments and funny scenes that help the film to travel to the finishing stages without much boredom and lagness," he adds.

Script

Despite being a predictable storyline at some point, Godha is said to have good humour that impresses the audience. "Rakesh Mantodi's screenplay has ensured that the movie doesn't get uninteresting at any point. The film runs to just two hours and in that two hours we are given what we want and the team of Godha are successful in creating a good atmosphere inside the theatre with no place for boredom," writes Chandra Mohan. 

"While the first half of the movie engages the audience through numerous comic sequences by Das, his friends, and glimpses of colorful campus life in Punjab, the second half packs hardcore action, fights and a thrilling gusthi match," according to Amrutha Menon at Manoramaonline.

Performances

Meanwhile, Aswin Bharadwaj S of Lensmenreviews claims that Godha cannot be called just a Tovino Thomas' movie, as both Wamiqa and Renji Panicker have been given equal weightage or sometimes greater than the young star's character Anjeneya Das.

The good thing about Tovino in the film is the way he has handled the humor. It never has a gimmick kind of feel and the actor was also good in those portions where the character undergoes that transformation. For me the real surprise was Wamiqa Gabbi. She has really made an impact through her screen presence. Her body language and looks have that earnestness of a wrestler and her performance looks honest on screen. Renji Panicker gets a really good character in the form of Captain and he manages to bring in the heft and emotional vulnerabilities of that character. The gang of Das comprising of actors like Aju Varghese, Dharmajan, Hareesh, Sreejith Ravi etc. offers ample humor. Others in the cast including Parvathy, Mamukoya, Hareesh Peradi and several more, were also pretty effective.

Technical aspects

"The film is rich with beautiful visuals and credit for that goes to Vishnu Sarma who has handled the camera work and ensured his work gets noticed. All the wrestling scenes and fights were choreographed quite well. We cannot compare it to a movie like Dangal but whatever wrestling scenes we have in Godha didn't look bad. Credit for that goes to the action choreographer plus the cameraman and also the editor," writes Chandra Mohan.

According to Tennyson Thomas of Movies Of The Soul, "the humour is really good with this one, and those scenes providing goosebumps as well as the emotional side – all remain strong right there. The songs as well as the background music are really good, and the same can be said about the visuals, all keeping the level of this movie high."

"Godha can be a fun watch for those who don't bother to compare it to other movies of the genre. Godha has a lot of easy-yet-effective comedy, aptly conceived music and flawless acting as well," reads the review by Deepa Soman in The Times of India.