To be honest, the movie, Gadera, directed by Yogesh Vats, kind of felt like I was watching a school play where the characters tried too hard to be taken seriously with their dyed hair and costumes. The only good thing about the movie was the stunning landscape of the Himalayas and the Uttarakhand jungles. Although I’m not entirely sure if those scenes were taken off the internet or not. Anyway, the story is set in 1913, during the time when the British ruled over India. In the Uttarakhand region, which was divided into Garhwal and Kumaon, the villagers were basically puppets under the control of British officials. Then, they find this cursed gold coin, which leads them on this expedition into the forests, where all the officers are just greedy for finding treasure. But they forget that the real treasure is the forest itself. Cutting it down would have serious consequences for these people because, as per the myths, the forest deities would be angry and attack them. So, what happened to them? Well, let’s find out from the explainer of Gadera.
Spoilers Ahead
Why did the British officials start their expedition?
So, the story began when the British officials started ruling over the Uttarakhand jungles, and they started hearing rumors from the villagers about a hidden gold treasure deep within the jungle. It all started when the village head stumbled upon a gold coin from a person who was found unconscious in the river. He took the coin from him. But when the British officials raided the village, they found it on him and snatched it away. Meanwhile, a directive from British officials demanded that all villagers help cut down trees in the forests or face punishment. Obviously, the villagers weren’t thrilled about this. After all, the forests meant everything to them. They believed that angering the forest spirits and deities by chopping down the trees would bring terrible consequences not only to them but to the British officials as well.
Even though they tried to express their concerns to the officials, their pleas fell on deaf ears. The officials were determined to proceed with the deforestation. But the villagers knew they were setting themselves up for trouble. Meanwhile, the British major who found the coin from the villager went to their captain, expressing his desire to explore the forest and hunt for the rumored treasure he’d heard about from the townsfolk. The captain granted him permission to assemble a team for an expedition under Captain Thomas’ supervision. They were instructed to include Lieutenant John, a well-known figure from the World Geographic Society, in their team. Dr. Elizabeth and Lieutenant Watson would also join them for the expedition. They understood that this expedition could be a big deal for them. If successful, not only would they secure the treasure, but they’d also earn respect and possibly promotions as well.
Why did Lieutenant John take the lead?
Major Captain Thomas got his hands on the gold coin, but he was incredibly greedy and wanted to keep it for himself. However, he soon realized that the rumors about the treasure were true. As he tried to flee with the coin, a mysterious black figure attacked him, scratching his face and injuring him severely. And guess what? The soldiers who tried to steal from the forest got attacked, too. Despite these attacks, the expedition had to continue. Even though Elizabeth tried to tend to Captain Thomas’s wounds, Lieutenant John stepped up to lead the team further. But here’s the thing about Lieutenant John: he worked for the World Geographic Society and knew that cutting down the forest would be disastrous for the ecosystem and the townsfolk. He didn’t have any bad intentions. However, he’d received orders from higher-ups, so he had to go along with the expedition, along with Watson, Elizabeth, and the other soldiers in their team.
What happened during John’s expedition?
Once Lieutenant John began his expedition, terrible things started happening. It seemed like bad luck followed him and his team, all because of that cursed coin. He witnessed Doctor Elizabeth getting attacked by the same shadowy figure while she was wandering in the forest at night. Surprisingly, this incident brought the British officials and the villagers closer as they came together to help her. Despite the villagers being exploited by British officials in the past, they tended to Elizabeth when she fell sick. Soon after, many of their soldiers started getting hurt, their tents caught fire, and they faced various injuries. But despite these troubles, the villagers generously allowed the British officials to stay in their homes. Meanwhile, as Captain Thomas recovered, he embarked on his own expedition, eager to claim the treasure before John could. However, Lieutenant Watson was there to keep an eye on the forest while John cared for Elizabeth. So, we see how Captain Thomas tried to persuade Watson to join his team and find the treasure together, promising gold and a promotion. However, Watson, being John’s good friend, respectfully declined the offer as he did not want to betray him.
Captain Thomas saw how the soldiers and even the village people were on John’s side, so in anger and frustration, he attacked Watson with a knife to injure him. However, the village people found Watson and tended to his wounds. When the British officials returned with orders to continue cutting down trees, it was John’s turn to return the favor. He declared that no trees would be cut, defying orders from higher officials. The village people were grateful for his stand. However, Watson’s injury fueled John’s anger and made him investigate the curse in the forest, only to be ambushed by Captain Thomas. But here’s the twist: a mysterious man dressed in a black cloak arrived on horseback and took Captain Thomas with him to attack him, where tribal people made howling noises. This made me think of one thing: maybe there weren’t any forest ghosts or spirits after all; instead, the tribal people, hidden in their cloaks, were protecting their home (the forest) from outsiders who wanted to bring harm to it.
In Gadera‘s ending, we see how Lieutenant John has had enough. He realized that the British officials had caused too much harm to the village people, and it was time for them to leave. So, he made the decision to return to the Royal Geographic Society with Elizabeth and his team. He warned the major that if he didn’t stop harming the townsfolk for the treasure and cutting down trees, he would report him to the Royal Society. Ultimately, the major listened to John and put an end to the expedition and the tree-cutting. Lieutenant John saved the day. Together with Elizabeth, he left the village, bidding farewell to the townspeople. However, even though there are good people like John, there are also people like Thomas. So, it’s unlikely that the village people won’t suffer once they’re gone. After all, they’re just mere puppets in the hands of those in power, making it hard to escape their torture.
