Gantumoote

• Teju Belawadi as Meera
  • Yukti as young Meera
• Nischith Korodi as Madhu
• Bhargav Raju as Dheeraj
• Sharath Gowda as Raju
• Spoorthi Gumaste as Rashmi
• Anushree Kashyap as Sajida
• Sri Ranga Kothur as Babu
• Chandana. M. Rao as Jyothi
• Varsha as Sowmya
• Shreya Hiremath as Madhu's sister
• Kashyap as Abdul
• Akshay Prasad as Mohan
• Surya Vasishta as the Math teacher
• Prathima Vajra as the English teacher
• Pruthwi Banawasi as the principal
• Chandrashekar as Madhu's father
• Satish Kumar as the auto driver
• Namith Gowda as Prajwal
• Roopa Rao in a cameo appearance

The soundtrack and background score was scored by Aparajith Sris, and the audio was released on 23 September 2019. The music was recorded and produced at KrishT Inn Tunes in Bangalore, and mixed and mastered at Tarang Studio. The backing vocals were given by Sri's, Deepak Seth, Eesha Suchi and Surabhi Soman. [6]

Gantumoote received positive reviews from critics.

Karthik Hebbar of The Hindu called it "a precious gem", further appreciating it by remarking "the real beauty of the film though is in the narrative. The unabashed, unapologetic journey of a girl finding passion and exploring it without inhibition. The camera here gazes at the male body through the female gaze. It is her stare, her pursuit and her passion in play here. The cinema understands and disrobes the real world through this very unique feminine gaze..."[7]

Baradwaj Rangan of Film Companion called it "exquisitely directed and enacted" and praised the director, saying that "Rao manages something very difficult. She holds a series of moods throughout, and the places she chooses to linger on are unusual. She is more interested in character than event, and she practically holds up an X-ray of Meera’s soul. Her framing is unfussy, and yet, there’s quiet beauty in the images of, say, Meera and Madhu against the backdrop of a stone wall. These are little snatches of visual poetry, as is Teju Belawadi’s face."[8]

Theres Sudeep of Deccan Herald said, "Gantumoote is a must-watch. It is not every day that you see a film getting a standing ovation as the end credits roll. Gantumoote is such a film."[9]

A Shraddhaa of New Indian Express said the film "does justice to the film’s tag line —baggage — and comes with its own sets of emotions and nostalgia, which take the audience to the good old days." and reviewed, "The subject of innocence and romance requires a certain dose of boldness to be portrayed on screen, especially in Sandalwood, since there are only a few movies that have crossed the limit to project the feelings in a natural manner. Given an A certificate by the censor board, Roopa Rao’s romantic tale, Gantumoote, does cross the conventional barriers, and kisses and cuddles become an innocent part of the story, never becoming vulgar."[10]

Harish Mallya of The News Minute called it, "a rare gem in Kannada cinema [...] Though it looks like a school romance story at the onset, the treatment is very fresh and unique for Kannada cinema." He further noted, "The challenge in making a film like this is that you do not have anything new that can be told. It should turn out to be a collection of experiences. Watching the film, it clearly shows how carefully the team has chosen the moments and has captured those in the most realistic manner, devoid of any glorification and glamour. The charm lies in the simplicity which is apparent all over the film."[11]

Gantumoote created history by becoming the first ever Kannada film to win the Best Screenplay Award at the New York Indian Film Festival.[12]

• Gantumoote on IMDb