Gurkha movie review: Yogi Babu's illogical film is aimed at promoting the comedian as a saleable hero

Over the years, Tamil cinema has been making heroes out of its successful comedians. Comedy is an essential ingredient in Tamil commercial cinema, and those who make it big mint money. And it’s just a matter of time before popular comedians graduate into playing hero as their ‘ego’ starts working. The latest comedian to join the ‘hero’ slot is Yogi Babu, who had two back-to-back releases — Dharma Prabhu, which hit screens on 28 June, and Gurkha this week. When comedians turn heroes, it’s almost as if they do it with a vengeance, since all these years they were at the receiving end of being hero’s best friend and the butt of all ridicule. They have a lot to prove because they want the industry to know that they too can be heroes. [caption id=“attachment_6990161” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  A poster pf Gurkha. Image from Twitter[/caption] The protagonist Bahadur Babu (Yogi Babu) is the grandson of a famous Gurkha, who married a North Madras girl but died rescuing a family from a group of rowdies. However, people refuse to accept Babu as a Gurkha due to his dark looks and a rather peculiar hairstyle. He is rejected by the selection committee at the Police training academy along with a dog named Undertaker. Finally, Babu and the dog join a security agency run by an eccentric man (Manobala) who looks after the security of a mall. There he comes across an old guard (Charlie) who has been neglected by his family. Meanwhile, Babu meets Margot (Elyssa), a high-ranking official in the US consulate and develops a soft corner for her. He mistakes Margot’s name as Market. Meanwhile, the people who had come for the premiere of Baahubali 3 at the mall’s multiplex are taken hostage by a group of terrorists with international links. They demand a ransom of Rs 20 crores to release the hostages, that include family members of politicians as well as policemen. Post interval, the focus shifts to Babu, the dog Undertaker and Charlie, as they try to thwart the terrorists’ attempts to kill the detainees. Some scenes may make one feel like the film is a spoof of Die Hard series, especially the cat-and-mouse chase played out between Babu and the terrorists over the walkie talkie. This is arguably the most enjoyable part of the film where Yogi Babu plays to the galleries with his one-liners and takes on Tamil Nadu’s one-man political parties, police, and a notorious godman. Gurkha is an out-and-out film meant to promote Yogi Babu as a saleable commercial hero, and he does what is expected out of him without much fanfare. The supporting cast is present to provide more gags and laughter if required. As expected, there are far too many logical loopholes, which are left unanswered. How can Yogi Babu walk around freely inside a mall where the security cameras have been taken over by the terrorists? But director Sam Anton makes it clear from the get-go. The title card reads – “Gurkha is no brainer,” which essentially means one should not ask logical questions.