A biopic on Gour Hari Das, a freedom fighter who needed to establish his identity and his journey spanning three decades in his quest for a piece of paper – the Certificate of recognition for his efforts during the freedom struggle from the Government of India.
Not for seeking pension funds or other benefits, but recognition of his efforts as a teen-aged school boy who went to prison for several months for taking part in the freedom struggle during the British raj in India.
Gour Hari Dastaan is a story based on real life of an Odisha freedom fighter, Gour Hari Das who made his way through a long battle of silent war that lasted for 32 years, against his own government to prove his patriotic association towards the nation. He fought for a certificate recognizing his work as a freedom fighter which took three full decades to arrive.
He is ridiculed by others around him as he doesn’t have the Freedom Fighter’s certificate. His building neighbours doubt his forthrightness. At one stage his own son loses faith in him as his college principal refuses to allot admission to the boy under the Freedom Fighter’s son’s category stating lack of evidence.
Crazy, imposter, criminal, eccentric and sometimes referred to as a cool guy, Gour Hari Das wrote over a thousand letters to the authorities, pleaded them several times for what? To prove his identity. A touching tale based on a real story.
A noteworthy tender moment in this biopic is that when the Chief Minister finally hands over the Certificate to Mr Das, its unbelievable for him (Das), his controlled emotion, and then his efforts at maintaining his balance of mind.
But once he is out on the streets, he sees a movement to fight corruption. He notices a small girl child holding her father’s hands, Gour Hari Das proudly shows the certificate to the child and then felt the desire to hand over the much sought after Certificate to that young girl. A symbolic gesture!
Another one is that of Ahikkar (played by Vipin Sharma) who as the society member of Gour’s was always spiteful towards him. Once in a meeting in Gour’s house he flicks an expensive pen. But when reality dawns on him, the same Ahirkar returns the stolen pen stealthy through the freedom fighter’s door left half open. A respect toward the person who fought during our freedom struggle.
This is undoubtedly the best screen performance from Vinay Pathak. Ranvir Shorey and Tannishtha look like real scribes.
At the age of 84, the much sought-after certificate, when it was ultimately awarded, was a bittersweet victory.
Though a bit slow in pace, yet it is a highly recommended film for the the young and old to realize the struggle that our leaders had to go through in their life, so that we are a free country today.
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Cast:
Vinay Pathak as Gour Hari Das
Konkona Sen Sharma as Lakshmi Das
Ranvir Shorey as Rajiv Singhal (Mid-day Scribe)
Tannishtha Chatterjee as Anita (Mid-day Scribe)
Vikram Gokhale as Chief Minister
Vipin Sharma as Ahirkar (Gour’s neighbour)
Rajit Kapoor as Mohan Joshi (Advocate)
Saurabh Shukla as Special Secretary – Freedom Cell
Credits:
Presented by – Siddhivinayak Cinevision
Distributed & Marketed by Entity One
Director – Ananth Narayan Mahadevan
Writer – C. P. Surendran
Cinematographer – Alphonse Roy
Music Composer – Dr. L. Subramaniam
Sound Designer – Resul Pookutty
Gour Hari Dastaan – The Freedom File (Movie Review)
