Men and machines. It’s a love story that defies logic. The soulful 2024 Tamil film Meiyazhagan explored the relationship between the protagonist and his cycle, and what the vehicle really meant to him. “In a way, this cycle coming into our lives changed it completely,” a teary-eyed Karthi tells Arvind Swamy in the film.

G.D.N kickstarts proceedings with this fascinating emotion. A young Gopalaswamy Doraiswamy Naidu (GDN) follows an Englishman around for two years — not because he wanted to be friends, but because he was besotted with the motorcycle that he was riding. A few minutes into the film, a star-stuck Dorai asks the Englishman (who he ironically also calls ‘Dorai’ which means ‘master’) if he can sell him the motorcycle.

It would be the start of a lifelong tryst with vehicles and machines.

But it’s not just that alone that Naidu is fascinated by; “Padippu solli kudu kadha neraya vishayam en aarvam solli kudukkum (what my education doesn’t teach me my enthusiasm will),” Naidu tells someone in a sequence.

G.D.N (Tamil)

Director: Krishnakumar Ramkumar

Cast: R Madhavan, Sathyaraj, Jayaram, Priyamani, Dushara Vijayan, Vinay Rai,

Runtime: 147 minutes

Story: All about the life and times of inventor G.D. Naidu

Based on inventor and industrial pioneer GD Naidu, Madhavan’s latest biopic on the big screen captures the highs and lows of the life of an ambitious man who dreamed big. G.D.N is indeed an important piece of work — for, it seeks to educate audiences about a personality who might have changed the fortunes of thousands, if not for insecurity among other fellow Indians.

Don’t let the word ‘educate’ fool you. Unlike some other biopics, G.D.N – directed by Krishnakumar Ramkumar – packs a bit of commercial punch as well, through the arrival of an Income Tax officer named Krishnan (Jayaraman) who is hell bent on proving that Naidu is a tax dodger. The interval block, in fact, does not even feature the protagonist himself; but two seasoned actors, Jayaraman and Sathyaraj (who plays Pillai, Naidu’s friend and colleague), facing off in an electric sequence. It’s the kind of commerical hero-villain face-off that you would least expect in a biopic of an inventor - which is what makes G.D.N reasonably entertaining.

Yet, for all its ambition, it struggles to invest in its quieter moments. The emotional heft in the story is often undercooked – Naidu’s decision to choose a second wife (Ranganayaki, played by Dushara Vijayan) over his first love, Chellamma, is barely substantiated. Major events such as the Second World War are hurriedly interspersed with the protagonist’s interactions with NS Krishnan, MR Radha and Periyar... these events span long periods of time but are constructed within seconds in the film, thus making transitions abrupt.

Madhavan has found a niche playing real-life personalities. Be it his role in Dhurandhar or as Nambi Narayanan in Rocketry: The Nambi Effect or his latest role in G.D.N, the actor seems to thrive playing characters who have actually lived rather than imagined. And within the limitations that such personalities possess, Madhavan sinks his teeth in. There’s a stretch where he has received some painful news over a phone call from Germany; his reactions show Madhavan’s growth as an actor. Of course, there’s also Govind Vasantha’s score that elevates the impact in these scenes.

The curiosity of Naidu and how he handles setbacks forms the core of G.D.N. While the former has been adequately addressed, the latter could have been written with more depth. This is where one feels that director Krishnakumar and team could have upped the game; rather than trying to pack in so much of the man’s life inside the 147-minute timeline, they could have selected a few highlight moments to showcase. This would have allowed the film to breathe a little more. But for bringing to fore an overlooked visionary who deserved wider recognition, G.D.N will be an important film.

G.D.N is currently running in theatres

Published - August 07, 2026 04:24 pm IST