'Gaganachari': A cleverly crafted satirical sci-fi movie

Imagine a film about aliens taking over planet earth with UFOs and extra-ordinary powers. Sounds like a Hollywood flick? 'Gaganachari' directed by Arun Chandu, may have borrowed this often explored Western theme, but has managed to give us a film that is truly regional.
The movie shows three roommates – Alan John Valamparambil, Victor Vasudevan and Vaishnav – who are stuck with each other, tolerating each other's quirks because they can't be anywhere else in the world. The reason? Aliens have inhabited the earth since 2030, after an 'alien mega structure landed the earth's atmosphere through a portal'! Victor (Ganesh Kumar) who was part of the military retaliation programme, that fought against the aliens, survived, earning him the nickname alien hunter. Thirteen years later, a team of documentary filmmakers camp at his house to capture his fascinating journey. What follows is an interesting mix of anecdotes from Victor and his two roommates, who always seem to be up to no good.

The humour in the film is rather quirky with most dialogues peppered with references of old movies. You have to be a 80s or 90s kid, growing up watching those Babu Antony or Kunchacko films, to get all the jokes. But if you are, the movie is a truly fun ride.
The dialogue delivery by all the actors complements the wacky screenplay, ensuring you get hooked to the movie, right from the time Victor answers all the questions with a smirk on his face, wearing a fancy shirt that exposes his past, extravagant lifestyle. Gokul Suresh, whose previous filmography has not been exceptional, sets a benchmark in acting with his hilarious representation of the character Allan. He channels a bit of Suresh Gopi in mannerisms but it is his easy-flowing dialogues that leave you in awe. Vaishnav (Aju Varghese) is also in his element.

Anarkali Marikar, who was exceptional in the recently released film ‘Mandakini’, gets a comparatively smaller, yet prominent role. Most of her emotions are expressed through her eyes, because she is an alien who can’t speak, but when she does, (after the boys fix her speech machine), she sounds exactly like a well-known actor, leading to guffaws in theatres. Allan, madly in love with her, had hoped she would sound like singer K S Chithra or dubbing artist Bhagyalakshmi!

The film is satirical at best in mockumentary style, covering topics that are extremely relevant. We are told that petrol prices skyrocketed in 2025 because people were fighting against each other using petrol bombs. Petrol, and not gold and drugs smuggling, becomes the norm! The geef they buy, which is an alternative to the banned beef, is a mix of a dog and a lamb! The background score by Sankar Sharma is just perfect for the movie, though some of the romantic tracks stand out like a sore thumb. 'Gaganachari' is not your usual film, but it will work for the non-regional audience too because of its universal subject and treatment.