Yellow (Marathi Movie) Review

April 4, 2014 by Keyur Seta Leave a Comment

Director: Mahesh Limaye

Producers: Riteish Deshmukh and Uttung Hitendra Thakur

Writers: Kshitij Hitendra Thakur, Ambar Hadap and Ganesh Pandit

Cast: Gauri Gadgil, Mrinal Kulkarni, Upendra Limaye, Rishikesh Joshi, Manoj Joshi, Aishwarya Narkar, Usha Nadkarni

Music: Kaushal Inamdar

Genre: Drama

Rating: * * * * ½

By: Keyur Seta

Story Outline: The film revolves around Gauri (Gauri Gadgil), who is a special child for having Down’s Syndrome. Despite her condition, her mother (Mrinal Kulkarni) is hopeful of Gauri succeeding in life. But at the same time she is tensed and anxious about her future. Gauri’s father, however, is ashamed of her. After he rudely rejects her, Gauri’s mother breaks-up with him and relocates to her brother’s (Hrishikesh Joshi) place forever. Later on, Gauri’s life starts changing after she joins a ‘special’ school and slowly develops an interest towards swimming.

Review: A film revolving around a patient suffering from Down’s Syndrome obviously sounds depressing or, at least, too serious. But it takes director Manish Limaye’s just first effort Yellow to prove that even a film dealing with such a subject can be told through continuous flow of delightful and humorous moments. But having said this, it also does complete justice to the subject by being an inspiration for its sufferers and their parents.

To talk about the plus points, they are aplenty. In fact, Yellow is one of the rarest films to score brownie points in every department. Talking about the writing, Kshitij Hitendra Thakur, Ambar Hadap and Ganesh Pandit have achieved brilliance. To narrate a story of a child suffering with such condition in such a light-hearted manner while making sure the focus isn’t shifted even a bit is something special. The conflict aspect later on too is interesting.

But the subject is such that it requires some skillful and mature handling by the captain of the ship and that is exactly what Manish Limaye does. And to see him carry out such a task in his very first film as a director is a remarkable achievement. Although it is difficult to list down few memorable moments, Gauri’s scenes with her uncle and coach (Upendra Limaye) deserve special mention.

It is very difficult to find a flaw from Yellow. You can only point out that the tragedy fallen upon a cameo character should’ve been avoided as that sub-plot gets no place later on. Also, the film could have been told in a shorter duration.

The song ‘Special’, sung by Apeksha Dandekar and composed by Kaushal Inamdar, is soulful and it perfectly suits the subject. Inamdar’s background score too invokes the right effect. Manish Limaye has shown his skills as a cinematographer too, especially during the swimming competition scenes.

The film rides high on performances. Gauri Gadgil is outstandingly heartwarming! She had a very difficult task but she carries it out effortlessly. The girl playing the younger Gauri too is excellent. Upendra Limaye displays his acting prowess in a first-rate performance. It is also good to see him play a non-rural character for a change. Mrinal Kulkarni gives a performance that moves you.

Hrishikesh Joshi is just lovable due to the comic timing he brings in even during serious moments. Manoj Joshi brings in the right emotions while playing Gauri’s father. Aishwarya Narkar too plays her part well. Usha Nadkarni is excellent in a cameo.

Overall: Yellow is simply a must-watch. It has the potential of being a box office winner. With the makers providing English subtitles, the non-Marathi crowd too will chip in once the word spreads.

Youngistaan Review

April 2, 2014 by Keyur Seta 1 Comment

Director: Syed Ahmad Afzal

Producers: Pooja Entertainment and MSM Motion Pictures

Writers: Syed Ahmad Afzal, Ramiz Ilham Khan and Maitrey Bajpai

Cast: Jackky Bhagnani, Neha Sharma, Farooq Sheikh, Prakash Belawadi, Deepankar De, Triveni Sangam Bahuguna

Music: Jeet Ganguly, Shreya Khanwalkar, Shiraz Uppal and Shree-Ishq

Genre: Political Drama

Rating: * * * 1/2

By: Keyur Seta

Story Outline: Twenty-eight year old Abhimanyu Kaul (Jackky Bhagnani) is the son of India’s Prime Minister Dashrath Kaul (Boman Irani). Working as a gaming specialist in Japan, he is living a dream life with his girlfriend Anvita (Neha Sharma) and a close friend (Kayoze Irani). But his life takes a major twist when he has to return to India after his father succumbs to cancer. Circumstances force Abhimanyu to become the interim PM much to the opposition of Anvita. But will an utterly inexperienced Abhimanyu be able to run the world’s biggest democracy?

Review: Can you digest the fact that a completely inexperienced 28-year-old can become India’s Prime Minister? If you can, you would be impressed by debutant Syed Ahmal Afzal’s Youngistaan for its intentions and the message it puts forth in a positive way. Despite its flaws and other issues, the film manages to provide a heartwarming effect since it has its heart at the right place.

From being a wild party film, the proceedings suddenly shift gears after the death of the PM. But this transformation should have been smoother and natural rather than sudden. Nevertheless, the crucial phase of Abhimanyu becoming the PM is handled with care and a sense of believability. Unlike other political dramas, the love track over here is a concrete part of the story, realistic and not thrown in just for the heck of it. Therefore, there is no question of the narration shifting to the love track since it is always moving ahead with the basic plot.

The most impressive aspect of Youngistaan is surely the motivational message it gives after Abhimanyu gains control of the situation. His speech at the United Nations and various rallies, his method of connecting with the masses and the climax are the winning moments that will leave you delighted. Without being preachy, the film also highlights that politicians are bad, politics isn’t. But despite giving such a serious message, the film never shies away from the light-hearted mode, which adds more mass appeal to it.

As hinted before, there are obvious flaws. Considering the basic storyline, it doesn’t come as a surprise either. I can’t list them to avoid spoilers. At the most, they could have lessened them. One point that can be mentioned is that Abhimanyu and Anvita could have easily got married. Plus, after a point in the second half, the narrative does suffer from some complications that could have been avoided. But due to various other plusses, you tend to make peace with the fallacies.

From the music, the title track and ‘Sangemarmar’ are impressive. ‘Tanki Monkey’ is weird! The technical aspects (cinematography, background score and editing) are as per the requirement.

The film wouldn’t have created this much effect without Jackky Bhagnani’s mature performance. In fact, the actor dishes out a major surprise with an act that is powerful and moving. He has now proved he is not just a star son. Despite his act, you can’t help but be amazed by Farooq Sheikh. He yet again shows he is a storehouse of talent that cannot be replaced.

Neha Sharma too plays her part very well. Like Jackky, even she will be recognized as a serious actor after this act. Prakash Belawadi is excellent as Murli. Deepankar De and Triveni Sangam Bahuguna too aren’t far behind. Boman Irani, Kayoze Irani and Meeta Vashisht are likable too although their roles are limited. The film has decent performances from a series of supporting actors.

Overall: Youngistaan deserves a watch for the message it gives. With elections just around the corner, the film has the capacity to encourage the youth to vote, especially the first-time voters.

Taptapadi (Marathi Movie) Review

March 31, 2014 by Keyur Seta Leave a Comment

Director: Sachin Baliram Nagargoje

Producers: Sachin Baliram Nagargoje and Hemant Bhailal Bhavsar

Writers: Rabindranath Tagore (original story) and Sachin Baliram Nagargoje

Cast: Veena Jamkar, Kashyap Parulekar, Neena Kulkarni, Shruti Marathe, Ambarish Deshpande

Music: Sumeet Bellari and Rohit Nagbhide

Genre: Drama

Rating: * * ½

By: Keyur Seta

Story Outline: Based on Rabindranath Tagore’s short story, the film is set during the pre-independence era in Maharashtra. Meera has been staying with her aunt (Ashwini Ekbote) and uncle (Sharad Ponkshe) ever since her mother passed away when she was six years old. Over there, Meera develops a close bond with her cousin Madhav.

As they grow up (as Veena Jamkar and Kashyap Parulekar), their friendship slowly blossoms into love. When Madhav is studying to become a doctor, they get married. The couple is enjoying their marital bond until Meera has a miscarriage. There’s further agony in store for her when she becomes disabled. This results in another woman Sunanda (Shruti Marathe) entering Madhav’s life. Will Madhav betray Meera by marrying Sunanda?

Review: Adapting Rabindranath Tagore’s story on celluloid in a different cultural setting and that too in your first film is no mean task. Debutant Sachin Baliram Nagargoje does show signs of maturity in his adaptation of the legendary writer’s tale in his Marathi film Taptapadi. However, few problem areas stop the film from being superlative. Nevertheless, it is worth watching once due to Veena Jamkar’s outstanding act.

Although the story takes place in the very olden days of the pre-independence era, it is shot and narrated in a completely new age manner. As a writer, Nagargoje has used simple yet smart techniques to connect scenes and take the story forward. The important and delicate issue of Meera’s disability too is introduced and developed intelligently. Santosh Suvarnakar’s artistic camerawork is also something that makes the film a visual treat.

However, all is not hunky dory for Taptapadi. The film loses pace after a point in the second half. But there are two other questionable aspects that hurt the most. Firstly, the change of heart of an important character doesn’t appear convincing. You can’t ignore this point since it is an important development in the story. Lastly, although the twist at the very end takes you by surprise and appears pleasurable, it lacks proper logic and appears incomplete. It also brings back memories of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay’s Parineeta.

Sumeet Bellari and Rohit Nagbhide composed songs are soulful and apt for the situations but a couple of songs affect the narration. The background score is as per the need.

Talking about the performances, it is Veena Jamkar all the way! She gets into the skin of a difficult character and produces a performance that is worthy of all the applause. In fact, this will be one of the talked about acts of her career. Kashyap Parulekar too plays his part perfectly. It’s just that he doesn’t appear a college student on few occasions.

Neena Kulkarni, as Madhav’s aunt, is excellent as the regressive and manipulative lady. You just love to hate her! Shruti Marathe fits the character well and gives a good performance. As Meera’s brother, Ambarish Deshpande is perfect as the revolutionary and a protective elder brother. Sharad Ponkshe and Ashwini Ekbote and the rest of the supporting actors offer decent support.

Overall: Taptapadi is a one-time watch, mostly due to Veena Jamkar.

Fandry (Marathi Movie Review)

February 15, 2014 by Keyur Seta 1 Comment

Director: Nagraj Manjule

Producers: Holy Basil Pictures, Navalakha Arts and Zee Talkies

Writer: Nagraj Manjule

Cast: Somnath Avghade, Suraj Pawar, Kishore Kadam, Rajshree Kharat

Genre: Drama/ Romance

Rating: * * * ½

By: Keyur Seta

Story Outline: In Akolner, a small village in the interiors of Maharashtra, lives an adolescent Jambawant Kachru Mane aka Jabya (Somnath Avghade), who constantly faces wrath of his father (Kishore Kadam) for his mischievous ways.

Jabya secretly loves Shalu (Rajshree Kharat) but she is hardly aware about his existence. But the bigger hurdle for Jabya is that Shalu is from a well-to-do higher caste while he is from the lowest one. Hence, his family is forced to carry out tasks that are considered dirty, like killing wild pigs aka Fandry. How will Jabya overpower this social barrier?

Review: From the promotional material, Nagraj Manjule’s directorial debut Fandry appeared similar to Shala and Timepass due to the adolescent love angle. Although that is very much its subject, it is far different from these two films since it mainly deals with the issue of caste discrimination. But instead of being a direct attack on casteism, it follows an indirect hard-hitting route full of artistic brilliance. Such a description, however, also means that the film suits more for the lovers of art-house or festival cinema.

As expected from a contemporary village flick, Fandry slowly but steadily gets the audience involved into the world of Jabya through a series of appealing moments born out of his daily routine. The protagonist’s restrained yet strong desires mostly portrayed through his innocent conversations with his best friend Piraji (Suraj Pawar) instantly make you sympathetic towards him.

It is remarkable how in his very first film Manjule has presented the issue of casteism and exploitation of the supposed lower castes by simply using the visual medium. This ensures you are glued to the screen despite the film not having a conventional storyline. Along with the fixing of Jabya’s sister’s wedding, jatra scene and the long climax, the very last second deserves special mention for its symbolism and the thrilling 3D-like effect it generates (watch the film to know more about this). It also brings back memories of Shyam Benagal’s Ankur.

The only negative aspect is that such an arty film should have been told in a lesser duration. They could have shortened few scenes. And needless to say, the film won’t appeal to those who prefer conventional entertainment.

Vikram Amlady’s beautifully creative camerawork makes the film what it is. Aloknanda Dasgupta’s background score brilliantly complements various situations. Using loud drum sounds during thrilling moments works very well. There are no songs but the one recited by the character of Piraji a couple of times is super pleasing.

Manjule has churned out brilliant performances from his cast although most of them are non-actors. Somnath Avghade deserves immense praise for his excellent portrayal of Jabya in his first film. At times he had the difficult task of portraying emotions through expressions but he does that exceedingly well. The reliable Kishore Kadam scores brownie points this time too with a thoroughly dedicated act.

Suraj Pawar too is excellent as Piraji. Manjule himself plays the role of Charkhya perfectly. It is surprising to see Rajshree Kharat playing just a cameo and getting hardly any chance to speak. To be fair to her, she does well of whatever opportunity she gets. The film is also blessed with a number of good supporting acts.

Overall: Fandry is an artistically crafted hard-hitting drama that deserves a watch if you prefer unconventional, realistic cinema. The film’s triumph at various international film festivals has ensured a positive word-of-mouth, which is reflected in the good opening it has received. If the word continues to spread, it will be a winner at the box office.

Photos: Kala Ghoda 2014

February 6, 2014 by Keyur Seta Leave a Comment

By: Keyur Seta

Come February and the art enthusiasts of Aamchi Mumbai get a booster through the Kala Ghoda Festival. So naturally, this year too the artist-at-heart Mumbaikars have been thronging the pleasing spot at South Mumbai in large numbers. In fact, the footfalls are increasing year by year and 2014 is no exception. So here’s a word of advice – if you dare to visit the Kala Ghoda Festival this weekend, don’t expect it to be an easy walk by any means. However, if you are a true lover of art, I am sure you won’t mind the bheed.

In the meantime, have a look at the eye-pleasing moments of the 2014 version of the festival via the following photos:-

(PLEASE CLICK ON THE PICTURES TO ENLARGE.)

Review: A Rainy Day (Marathi Movie)

January 31, 2014 by Keyur Seta Leave a Comment

Director: Rajendra Talak

Producers: Rajendra Talak Creations, Iris Productions and M. B. Creations

Writers: Rajendra Talak and Abhiram Bhadkamkar

Cast: Subodh Bhave, Mrinal Kulkarni, Ajinkya Deo, Neha Pendse

Music: Ashok Patki

Genre: Thrilling Drama

Rating: * * *

By: Keyur Seta

Story Outline: Aniket is a successful executive in a big company. A project on which he has been working since long gets a go ahead. Not just that, he also gets promoted. Co-incidentally, he receives the news of his wife Mugdha’s (Mrinal Kulkarni) pregnancy too on the same day. But Aniket’s overjoyed mood suffers a jolt when he slowly realizes that Mugdha is getting to know a number of dark secrets related to his professional and personal life. Who is revealing those secrets to Mugdha? What will be its consequences?

Review: Director Rajendra Talak’s A Rainy Day has a lot of things working for itself – an intriguing story, crafty narration, intense presentation, good performances and a friendly length of just 89 minutes. But in a suspense thriller, it is absolutely vital for the final twist to be convincing. Unfortunately, that doesn’t happen here else the film could have been so much more satisfying. Nevertheless, the aforementioned points make sure it is surely a one-time watch.

The opening credits of the film are smartly presented. Soon, you realize that was just the tip of the iceberg as a simple story is narrated in the most creative manner possible. For this a large part of the credit should be given to Sanjay Jadhav’s camerawork, which is simply outstanding. In fact, his work matches international level! Well-shot rain scenes almost throughout the film is also a sheer pleasure.

Oscar winning Resul Pookotty and Amrit Pritam Dutta too deserve equal praise for creating an intense feeling through their sound designing. Ashok Patki’s soulful compositions add to the effect.

Talking about the writing, the development of Mugdha getting to know Aniket’s secrets is brought and handled smartly, especially the manner in which flashback is used. Due to this, one is constantly glued to the proceedings. The pace does dip a bit in the second half though. But the biggest problem is the last five minutes. The all-important climax is incomplete and confusing as the biggest and the only mystery of the story isn’t solved. I didn’t feel like leaving the hall after the film was over, unable to believe that it was ended this way.

Subodh Bhave displays his acting prowess while playing a character with different shades with ease. Mrinal Kulkarni puts on a very convincing act of a disturbed woman. She deserves to be seen more. The film has some decent supporting acts from Neha Pendse and Ajinkya Deo and some good cameos by Manoj Joshi, Harsh Chhaya, Kiran Karmakar, Sulabha Arya, Sanjay Mone and few others.

Overall: Despite a big issue, A Rainy Day is a thriller worth watching once. It needs some rapid word-of-mouth to make a mark at the box office.

Review: Dedh Ishqiya

January 15, 2014 by Keyur Seta 3 Comments

Director: Abhishek Chaubey

Producer: Vishal Bhardwaj Pictures and Shemaroo Entertainment

Writers: Vishal Bhardwaj, Abhishek Chaubey and Sanjeev Datta

Cast: Naseeruddin Shah, Arshad Warsi, Madhuri Dixit, Huma Qureshi, Vijay Raaz, Manoj Pahwa

Music: Vishal Bhardwaj

Genre: Drama

Rating: * * * *

By: Keyur Seta

Story Outline: Khalu (Naseeruddin Shah) and Babban (Arshad Warsi) continue their con activities, this time in Lucknow. They get separated after their heist goes wrong. Khalu lands in Begum Para’s (Madhuri Dixit) palatial palace and gets awestruck by her. Begum stays with her helper Muniya (Huma Qureshi). She has organized a swayamwar competition among nawabs.

A desperate Khalu, who is impersonating as a Nawab, takes part in the swayamwar. Soon, Babban too lands at the palace and instantly falls for Muniya. Khalu and Babban start dreaming of marrying Para and Muniya and spending the rest of their lives in the comfort of the palace. But they are oblivious to the fact that the notorious Italvi (Vijay Raaz), another fake Nawab, and some unpleasant surprises can shatter their dreams.

Review: Amidst the overdose of some silly and cheap content in the current mainstream Hindi cinema, director Abhishek Chaubey and producer Vishal Bhardwaj bring a rare gem in the form of Dedh Ishqiya, a sequel to their 2010 hit Ishqiya. It’s a well-crafted dark comic thriller that just doesn’t cease to impress you. The content also makes sure you don’t feel the 150 plus minutes length of the film.

As for all quality films, this was possible due to some high degree of richness in the writing. The story in this second installment too is intriguing and interesting. The writers have rightfully revealed some amount of suspense at regular intervals thereby making the viewer more and more interested. The final twist in the pre-climax too plays a large role in providing overall satisfaction. Apart from this, one can regularly notice the artistic screenplay during a number of scenes.

But apart from the aforementioned points, what keeps you thoroughly entertained is the super impressive dialogues. The manner in which the writers have presented pleasurable Urdu words with a mixture of some witty and crazy one-liners deserves high applause. In fact, there is non-stop humor even during serious sequences. It is a good idea to include subtitles as a large majority of audience isn’t well-versed with chaste Urdu. With his second handling too being impressive, Chaubey has proved he is here to stay.

The only negative aspect here is some logical flaws in the tale. It’s not possible to reveal them to avoid spoilers. But you don’t mind them much due to various other plus points.

Bhardwaj’s music too is rich and it suits the situations perfectly. All songs score high marks but ‘Dil Ka Mizaaj Ishqiya’ is the best of all. It is sad that the songs haven’t got the due from the audience. On the other hand, some ghastly tracks from other films are receiving applause. Setu’s camerawork is outstanding! It is a pleasure to see the palace and other outdoor locations through his lens. The background score too suits the various moods of the film.

The film is also blessed with impressive performances. With a brilliant act, Naseeruddin Shah once again proves himself as one of the greatest artists from the country. It is good to see his effort going towards a good film after years. Although we have seen Arshad Warsi perform such roles quite a few times before, it is a pleasure to see him due to his wonderful comic timing. Nobody else could have essayed the role better than him.

Madhuri Dixit’s fans might miss the legendary actress in full flow. But we should remember she is playing a disturbed and depressed character. She does very well while being restrained and speaking through expressions. Huma Qureshi is incredible, both in her looks and performance. She is easily the best female actor currently. Vijay Raaz too is brilliant with his comic timing. Manoj Pahwa is a surprise package with a first rate performance. The film is also well supported by Salman Shahid and Ravi Gosain.

Overall: Dedh Ishqiya is a fine work of art but at the same time highly entertaining. It is sad to see the film not doing well at the box office. It looks like our youngsters only prefer trash like Grand Masti and Yaariyan. So if you like Dedh Ishqiya, please spread the word as the film fully deserves it.

Review: Yaariyan

January 11, 2014 by Keyur Seta 2 Comments

Rating: 0.5 out of 5

By: Keyur Seta

The motto of debutant director Divya Khosla Kumar’s Yaariyan is to encourage carefree youngsters to become responsible adults. But the path taken by the makers to derive at the point is so unconvincingly silly that the film just becomes a laughing stock by the time it ends. On top of that, it also resorts to some high degree of vulgarity.

Four happy-go-lucky and naughty youngsters – Lakshya (Himanshu Kohli), Jiya (Nicole Faria), Neil (Dev Sharma) and Pardy (Shreyas Pardiwalla) – are having the time of their lives in St. Stephens College in Sikkim. Lakshya’s father passed away in a war when the former was just a year old. Much to the grudge of his mother (Smita Jaykar), Lakshya has no respect for the country.

The dream lives of the youngsters come crashing down when they get to know that an Australian firm is all set to take over their college to convert it into a business avenue. But the students of St. Stephens College still have a chance of regaining their college provided they beat a set of Australian students in some sports events.

The following is a scene from the film – During a play, a girl is playing the character of Bharat Mata. Soon, her saree is stripped and she is reduced to almost bare essentials. So a stripped Bharat Mata dances on ‘Sheila Ki Jawani’ and those playing soldiers try to woo her with horny advances. If this isn’t annoyingly vulgar, what is? And just minutes later, a character says, “It hurts the most when someone insults our country.” Oh really? How cute! Sadly, there are more doses of cheapness at regular intervals, especially in the first half.

Even if one tries to ignore these antics, the film still doesn’t appeal because, frankly, nothing makes sense. Try to fathom these points:-

Apart from the issue of Australians suddenly claiming to take over the college, what is more absurd is to see the principal choosing a useless bunch of five students to save their college.
When Indians visit Australia for the first round, an Indian student is mercilessly killed by an Australian. Strangely, the culprit isn’t booked. He even visits India for the next round where Indians welcome him and his team! After all, Aamir Khan has advised us to believe in Atithi Devo Bhava!
In a hospital, a character is said to be so critical that he can die any moment. But he is not put to any life support whatsoever! Not just that, he is even allowed to talk freely with his friends in such a fatal condition!
The final round includes a dangerous sport where a slight mistake can even kill a participant! Whatever happened to law and order enforcements!

There is much more silliness in the narration but I haven’t mentioned it to avoid spoilers. Also, in between the writers address too many issues and thereby raising a question as to what the film is exactly about! Perhaps the only positive point one can derive is that the second half provides a number of unintentionally humorous moments, mostly during the closing stages.

Songs like ‘Allah Wariyan’ and ‘Meri Maa’, are impressive and offer relief but others like ‘ABCD’ and ‘Sunny Sunny’ are not only irritating but plain cheap! Perhaps Sameer Arya’s camerawork and good production values become the biggest plus points. It is sheer pleasure to see the picturesque locales of Sikkim and Shimla.

From the six debutants, Rakul Preet impresses the most. Apart from decent dialogue delivery, she scores the most while speaking through eyes. Himanshu Kohli isn’t bad either. Although his act isn’t up-to-the-mark, he has some acting potential. Shreyas Pardiwala, Vikas Verma and Dev Sharma play decent supporting acts. But Nicole Faria is simply irritating and unbearable! The sole purpose of her character was to offer skin show.

Serah Singh too has nothing much to do apart from planning kissing sessions with Kohli. Evelyn Sharma irritates once again. It is difficult to understand why veteran artists like Deepti Naval, Gulshan Grover and Smita Jaykar signed such a film. They don’t get much scope either.

Overall, Yaariyan is not only dumb but it also continues to lower the standards of mainstream Hindi cinema where vulgarity has become a norm these days. The disgraceful Bharat Mata scene mentioned above is simply unforgivable!

Timepass (Marathi Movie) Review

January 3, 2014 by Keyur Seta 3 Comments

Director: Ravi Jadhav

Producer: Ravi Jadhav

Cast: Prathamesh Parab, Ketaki Mategaonkar, Vaibhav Mangale, Bhalchandra Kadam

Music: Chinar-Mahesh

Genre: Romance/ Comedy

Rating: * *

By: Keyur Seta

Story Outline: Dagadu (Prathamesh Parab) is thrown out of the house by his angry father after he fails in the 10^th standard yet again. To support himself, he becomes a newspaper boy. Meanwhile, his friends urge him to get a girlfriend as they believe such ‘time pass’ is a must in life. Just then, Dagadu’s eyes fall on the innocent Prajakta (Ketaki Mategaonkar) and he falls head over heels for her. But Prajakta’s father hates Dagadu to the core after an ugly encounter with him. Will Dagadu succeed in the very first love story of his life?

Review: The two main characters in Ravi Jadhav’s Timepass are just repeated from two successful films – the guy from his own Balak Palak and the girl from Sujay Dahake’s Shala. One won’t mind this if the film turns out to be enjoyable. And surely, there is hilarity aplenty in Timepass.

But the basic aim of every movie is to tell a story and this is where it falters. In the end, it turns out to be just a poor remake of Shala. This comes as an unpleasant surprise since there are high expectations from the film, which is seen from the tremendous opening it has taken in the first weekend.

The high point of Timepass is obviously the character Dagdu and his crazy antics, born out of his funny act and witty dialogues. As he goes about trying to win Prajakta’s heart, the audience is treated to a laugh-riot, especially in the first half. Dagadu’s scenes with his friends and Prajakta’s cuteness at various occasions also deserve special mention.

But in the post-interval portions, Dagdu’s antics start becoming too repetitive. This is felt more because there isn’t any major development in the story. Later on, an illogical self-destructive incident involving a character (not possible to reveal much) just takes away much of your interest. Even if we ignore that moment, the pre-climax and climax don’t satisfy. You just feel watching Shala or Balak Palak again is a much better option.

From Chinar-Mahesh’s music, ‘Fulpakharu’ and ‘Mala Ved Laagle’ are impressive tracks. The camerawork and background score suit the subject perfectly. The editor should have used his scissors more. The length of 142 minutes is too high for the film. A dream sequence between the lead pair should have surely been shortened.

Although Prathamesh Parab and Ketaki Mategaonkar repeat their performances from Balak Palak and Shala, it is a joy to see them perform. Parab is once again very impressive as Dagdu. His comic timing is superb. Mategaonkar too is notable while playing a shy character. Vaibhav Mangale is brilliant as Prajakta’s angry father! He too shines in the comic scenes.

Bhalchandra Kadam does well in the role of Dagadu’s father. Urmila Kanitkar provides good support. Although Bhushan Pradhan has a narrow screen time, he is decent as Prajakta’s brother and so are the rest of the supporting actors.

Overall: Despite a whole lot of funny moments, Timepass doesn’t rise up to the expectations. Due to the hype and a great opening, the film will succeed at the box office.

2013 reinforced our belief in Hope & Humility

December 31, 2013 by Keyur Seta Leave a Comment

By: Keyur Seta

Until mid-November, 2013 seemed like an ordinary year as there wasn’t single event that delighted the masses. But after half of the eleventh month was over, when we had hardly any hope from the year, two events emerged that turned 2013 on its head with joy. Those events reinforced our beliefs in hope and humanity. They are as follows date-wise:

Sachin Tendulkar’s Farewell Speech:
All those who listened to the historic speech Sachin Tendulkar gave would agree that it was much, much more than a speech. After having a closer look at it, one realizes that it is a precious lesson on humbleness. Just imagine – a man who is hailed as the God of cricket and one of the most loved Indians is seen behaving like just like an ordinary Common Man.

Tendulkar’s humility and down-to-earth behavior isn’t new to the world. We have seen it all these years from the kind of career he has had and the way he has spoken to the media. But in his extempore speech, where he thanked a list of people who helped him become what he is today, we got a first-hand account of his inner self. It indirectly taught us that even after achieving the unachievable, one needs to hold on to humbleness, despite receiving a Godly status.

Children are often preached by their elders and teachers on how to become good human beings. Now, they have an easier option of making them listen to the 20 minute speech by the Master Blaster.

AAP’s Miraculous Success:
Till the start of December 2013, the nation had witnessed the triumph of the Common Man only in movies. It won’t be an overstatement that the masses had given up any hope as far as cleansing the politics was concerned. But how things changed once the results of the Delhi general elections were out!

People from the political fraternity had laughed at Arvind Kejriwal and his team when they decided to contest Delhi elections through their Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). I too, personally, thought it won’t garner any success. Although I had no doubt on their determination, I felt it was next to impossible to change the current filthy political scenario. But the impossible was made possible on December 8 when AAP won 28 seats in their debut election. Earning this many seats in your very first election is nothing short of a miracle.

Now all of a sudden, the masses slowly but surely got awakened to the power of ordinary citizens. The same people who had given up any hope from politics are now unable to stop talking about the subject simply because Kejriwal and AAP have shown a ray of hope, which was missing since time immemorial.

Ever since AAP formed the government on December 28, their popularity is increasing day-by-day. This has sent shockwaves in almost every political party of India. Talking about the politicians that had made fun of AAP, the joke is on them now.

In 48 hours after AAP formed the government, they have already begun delivering by making water free for Delhites, discarding VIP culture and red beacon cars and declaring Rs 1 crore compensation to all police officers sacrificing their lives on duty. If this continues, India will soon see a political revolution like never before. All the best to them for the 2014 Lok Sabha Elections.

Here’s wishing more power to the Common Man in 2014!