355. Gurkha; movie review

GURKHA
Cert 12A
143 mins
BBFC advice: Contains moderate violence, threat, injury detail

How is Yogi Babu so popular in Tamil cinema when he plays the same role over and over again?
His roles require him to look as fat and ugly as possible, shout a lot and be as thick as a brick.
Any audiences know exactly what is coming as soon as he appears on screen and yet his catalogue of movies over the past ten years has been enormous.
I don't get the screeching and I find the mocking of body shape rather one-dimensional but what I really can't comprehend is the casual racism in his films.
Skin colour plays too significant a part in Indian movies to go unnoticed.
All of the most revered female stars are pale as are most of the men. If they don't fit the perfect image, their characters are often abused.
During Sam Anton's film, the phrase 'black monkey' is used and 'China nose' is uttered as if it is an insult.
This racism is used nakedly in comedy films in much the same way that it was in 1970s humour in the UK.
I would ask why it is not even being addressed in Indian cinema.
I digress... but importantly, so.
Gurkha is meant to be a cross between Paul Blart and Die Hard.
Think about that for a moment and it becomes crystal clear that the two go together about as well as curry and custard.
Yogi Babu's character belongs in Paul Blart only because he is just a crass as the character developed by Kevin James.
He certainly isn't Bruce Willis.
He plays a security guard who has an overly ambitious crush on an American (Elyssa Erhardt)
Bizarrely, however, his brand of comedy is laid against an utterly ruthless villain (Raj Bharath).
At the end of Gurkha's screening on Amazon, it cuts to a very brief review from a man who claims he is from Tamilwalkies (presumably a spoof of Tamiltalkies).
He complains that there isn't a single laugh in the film and blames the director.
Is this a joke? If so, it is similar to every other gag in the movie - it isn't funny.

Reasons to watch: If you into south Indian shouty slapstick humour
Reasons to avoid: The casual racism or the lack of laughs

Laughs: None
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 2.5/10

Did you know? By the end of 2019, Yogi Babu will have appeared in a staggering 26 films in a calendar year.

Final word. Sam Anton: "It's not wrong to be inspired by other films as long as you don’t do a scene-by-scene copy." Cinema Express

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