GDN OTT Review:
GDN inspired by the life of G. D. Naidu is now streaming on Netflix. The film is available in amil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi. R. Madhavan plays the lead with Dushara Vijayan, Priyamani, Jayaram, Sathyaraj, Karunakaran and Vinay Rai in roles.
GDN Movie Review
There are some real-life stories that make you wonder why they haven’t been told on screen earlier. G. D. Naidus is definitely one of them.
Known as the Indian Edison G. D. Naidu was an inventor, businessman and visionary who made an impact in South India. GDN attempts to tell that story with Madhavan taking on the lead role.
The film is now available on Netflix so lets take a look at how it works as a movie.
What is GDN about?
G. D. Naidu (Madhavan) grows up in a farmers family in Coimbatore. His formal education ends early but that never stops his curiosity.
He is the kind of person who wants to know how everything works. After seeing a motorcycle owned by a man he becomes fascinated by it buys one and starts studying its mechanism. From there his journey as an inventor begins.
Over the years Naidu develops inventions and machines and also makes his mark in the transportation business. What starts with a bus eventually grows into the United Motor Service (UMS) a huge operation with hundreds of vehicles.
His journey isn’t an easy one. His success creates problems with officials and some industrialists. He faces taxes, opposition and attempts to damage his reputation.
The film also looks at his life, including his relationship with Ranganayaki (Dushara Vijayan) and his first wife Chellamma (Priyamani). His Germany trip, World War II experiences and efforts to attract the attention of the Benz company also become parts of the story.
How is the movie?
The biggest thing about GDN is its subject. G. D. Naidus life is genuinely fascinating. There is more than enough material here for a big emotional biopic.
The film does cover quite a lot. We see his struggles, his inventions, his business journey and the problems he faces along the way.
The portions involving his business growth are among the parts of the movie. Watching him go from operating a bus to building a large transportation empire is interesting. The formation of United Motor Service is also handled well.
The film doesn’t always go deep enough.
Of spending more time showing Naidu the inventor and understanding what made him tick the story puts a lot of focus on the tax issues, conspiracies and the attempts to bring him down. Those portions do create some drama. They also take away from what could have been a more inspiring character-driven story.
Another issue is the side. The film moves through important events in Naidus life but many of them are shown quite quickly. Because of that some moments that should have had an emotional impact don’t quite land.
The relationship between Chellamma and Ranganayaki is another point. The film doesn’t explain the reason behind Naidus marriage strongly enough and Chellammas character later disappears from the story. That makes the whole track feel a little incomplete.
The second half takes us to Germany and into the World War II period along with Naidus efforts to impress the Benz company. These are chapters from his life but again the film sometimes feels like it is ticking off events from his biography rather than allowing us to really experience them with him.
Still there is something about GDN. It introduces an Indian personality to audiences who may not know much about him.
Performances
Madhavan is easily the highlight.
He doesn’t just look the part; he changes his body language, expressions and mannerisms as Naidu ages. After a point you stop seeing Madhavan. Start seeing G. D. Naidu.
That’s not easy to pull off in a film and Madhavan does it convincingly.
Sathyaraj is good as Naidus friend Ramayya Pillai. Jayaram and Karunakaran also make their presence felt.
The female characters unfortunately don’t get the kind of depth. Dushara Vijayan has an important role but the screenplay doesn’t give her enough strong moments. Priyamani and Aditi Balan have limited screen time.
Technical Aspects
The film looks good. The period setting, costumes and production design help recreate the world of Naidus time.
The visuals are one of the positives while Govind Vasanthas music adds to scenes.
Director Krishnakumar Ramkumar shows control especially considering this is his debut film. The bigger issue is the writing. With a life interesting as G. D. Naidus, the screenplay needed a little more depth and emotion
Final Verdict
GDN is not a biopic but it tells the story of a fascinating man who deserves to be remembered.
Madhavans performance is the reason to watch it. The story itself is another major plus and the period recreation and music add to the experience.
The film could have been more emotional. Could have explored Naidus personality and achievements in greater depth. So it succeeds in bringing the story of an extraordinary Indian inventor to a wider audience.
GDN is now streaming on Netflix in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi.
Verdict:An inspiring biographical drama, with a Madhavan performance
