Written and directed by Teddy Stern, co-written by Sneha Mehta, in the neon streets of Bombay, a down-on-his-luck cowboy has one night to recover his stolen guitar or lose everything he’s playing for. Starring: Shashank Arora, Rajesh Balwani, Amit Chakraborty, Om Kanojiya, Archana Kelkar, Manoj Sharma and Krithi Shetty.
Teddy Stern opens Getar Hero on a fantastic note, the combination of music, aesthetic, location and costume design all work to build this hugely intriguing, charismatic opening scene. Stern then doesn’t let the audience down for the rest of the film because if there is something Stern does wonderfully in this short, although there are actually several things, it’s capturing the right tone. The atmosphere perfectly builds to encapsulate the layers to Stern and Sneha Mehta’s writing, and that charming side never lets up.
It does so well to balance the humour with the sincerity, it can manage to be comical in an old-school, humble way while also establishing the earnest roots of its protagonist. They also create a superb leading character, who is sweet, talented, committed and has a low-key hustle. One that comes from not a place of striving for fame and success but just surviving. The style on the whole is incredibly engaging, the cinematography from Darren Joe is terrific and adds the perfect depth to match the writing.
All of which is then in turn so well matched by the performance from Shashank Arora. His ‘Cowboy’ is relatable, earnest and highly entertaining. He’s so easy to follow, it makes for effortless viewing. Arora does particularly well to help Getar Hero’s vein of sadness come through strongly and effectively. Additionally, that Johnny Cash cover is unexpected and a lot of fun.
Getar Hero is filled with authenticity, sincerity and humour. It’s entertaining, moving and very well made. It moves with perfect pacing, it’s got strong style and it highlights a very real reality of the gig economy and living day to day, not having the privilege of skipping a job and taking a chance on something bigger. It’s led by an excellent performance from Shashank Arora, he’s backed by a lovely ensemble, and it’s a memorable, engaging exploration of the sacrifices we make for family.
FilmCarnage.com 