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Gurkha (film)

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Gurkha
Theatrical release poster
Directed bySam Anton
Written bySam Anton
Produced byKishore Thallur
StarringYogi Babu
Elyssa Erhardt
CinematographyKrishnan Vasant
Edited byRuben
Music byRaj Aryan
Production
company
4 Monkeys Studios
Release date
  • 12 July 2019 (2019-07-12)
Running time
143 minutes[1]
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil

Gurkha is a 2019 Indian Tamil-language action comedy film written and directed by Sam Anton. The film stars Yogi Babu, while Elyssa Erhardt, Anandaraj, Charle, Raj Bharath, and Manobala, among others, play key roles. It revolves around a mall security officer who must save hostages after the mall is taken over by terrorists.

The film was produced by 4 Monkeys Studio, with cinematography and editing handled by Krishnan Vasant and Ruben respectively. The music is composed by Raj Aryan. Filming took place between December 2018 and February 2019, and the film was released on 12 July 2019.[2]

Plot

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Bahadur Babu is an aspiring police officer, but gets rejected as he is branded unfit and is unable to clear the physical fitness tests. He joins a security agency owned by Kavariman. Later he gets posted as a security officer in a mall. A gang of ex-servicemen headed by Thyagu, plans an elaborate antisocial scheme and ultimately stages a takeover of the mall where Bahadur Babu works. Based on the scheme, the people who are lured into visiting the cinema under the false pretense of getting free tickets and shopping vouchers, including Bahadur Babu's love interest Margaret, are held as hostages. It is up to Bahadur Babu to save the hostages and become a real hero.

Cast

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Production

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The first look poster of the film was unveiled by actor Sivakarthikeyan on 15 September 2018.[3][4] The film was produced by Kishore Thallur under 4 Monkeys Studios. The filmmakers hired Elyssa Erhardt, a Canadian model who earlier played a small acting role in Sarkar, as the lead actress after auditioning several non-Indian actresses. The film also prominently features a dog. Filming began in December 2018,[5][6][7] and wrapped by early February 2019.[8] The director Sam Anton noted that he was inspired by the American films Die Hard (1988) and Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009).[9]

Soundtrack

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The soundtrack was composed by Raj Aryan.[10]

Track listing
No.TitleLyricsSinger(s)Length
1."Hey Poya"SivakarthikeyanRita, Anthony Daasan3:49
2."Chowkidar"Arunraja KamarajArunraja Kamaraj2:50
3."My Vellakaari"Vignesh ShivanG. V. Prakash Kumar3:39
4."Gurkha Theme"Raj AryanArunraja Kamaraj2:28
Total length:12:46

Critical reception

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Srivatsan S for The Hindu gave the film negative review, saying, "Most of Gurkha takes place inside a mall, where a group of people, along with Margot, is held hostage by self-proclaimed terrorists. How appropriate, I wondered, for the actual hostages are the ones sitting inside the theatre."[11] Thinkal Menon for The Times of India wrote, "The film belongs to the leave-your-brain-at-home category, and may appeal to those who don't mind logical issues and predictability".[12] Gopinath Rajendran of Cinema Express appreciated Sam Anton's direction and Yogi Babu's performance.[13]

Controversy

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The first look poster, which portrays Yogi Babu dressed as a Gurkha, elicited controversies among social media users related to racism and stereotypical portrayal of the Gurkha community. Sam Anton denied he had racist intentions, revealing that he had once been saved by a Gurkha during a house robbery, and added that the film actually glorifies such people.[14]

References

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  1. ^ "GURKHA (2019)". British Board of Film Classification. Archived from the original on 21 December 2019. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
  2. ^ "Yogi Babu's 'Gurkha' to release on 12th July". The Times of India. 30 June 2019. Archived from the original on 23 June 2025. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
  3. ^ "Sam Anton's next with Yogi Babu titled 'Gurkha'". The Times of India. 16 September 2018. Archived from the original on 10 December 2021. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  4. ^ "Sivakarthikeyan launches 'Gurkha' first look". The Times of India. 17 September 2018. Archived from the original on 13 April 2019. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  5. ^ "Yogi Babu, a dog, and a foreigner to play the lead roles in Gurkha!". Sify. 17 September 2018. Archived from the original on 9 February 2019. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  6. ^ CR, Sharanya (22 October 2018). "Elyssa plays the female lead in Gurkha". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 15 August 2024. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  7. ^ "Canadian model Elyssa roped in for Yogi Babu's Gurkha". India Today. 24 October 2018. Archived from the original on 9 February 2019. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  8. ^ "It's a wrap for Yogi Babu's Gurkha". Cinema Express. 6 February 2019. Archived from the original on 22 December 2024. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
  9. ^ Rajendran, Gopinath (11 July 2019). "Yogi Babu didn't want to play the lead in 'Gurkha': Sam Anton". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 23 June 2025. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
  10. ^ "Gurkha (2019)". Raaga.com. Archived from the original on 23 September 2020. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  11. ^ S, Srivatsan (12 July 2019). "'Gurkha' movie review: The one where comedy dies twice". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 12 December 2019. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  12. ^ Menon, Thinkal (12 July 2019). "Gurkha Movie Review". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 25 July 2019. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
  13. ^ Rajendran, Gopinath (12 July 2019). "Gurkha Movie Review: A mindless entertainer that predominantly works". Cinema Express. Archived from the original on 23 June 2025. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
  14. ^ "Racist "Gurkha" Movie Poster - Director Sam Anton Issues Clarification, Following Outrage". The Darjeeling Chronicle. 16 September 2018. Archived from the original on 9 February 2019. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
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