The Common Man Speaks

Gondhal Review: A night of ritual turns sinister

by Leave a Comment

Storyline: Gondhal is a night-long ritual held in one of the interiors of Maharashtra. It is performed in presence of a newly-married couple in order to eliminate the obstacles from their lives. A folk performance throughout the night is a part of the ritual, which is attended by the entire village. The story starts off when Bhivaba (Kishore Kadam) arrives to perform the ritual for the newlywed couple Anandrao (Yogesh Sohoni) and Suman (Ishita Deshmukh).

But this is not going to be just another night of the said ritual. Sarjerao (Nishad Bhoir), the son of the village Patil, is jealous to see a girl as beautiful as Suman being married off to the simple and innocent Anand. In fact, Sarjerao was earlier supposed to marry Suman but he couldn’t after his father asked for a huge amount in dowry. Despite Suman now being a wife of another man, Sarjerao is not in the mood to accept defeat.

Review: Gondhal, which is written and directed by Santosh Davakhar, gets the viewers transported into the interiors of the village and the ceremony of Gondhal in a thoroughly impressive manner. It does that through a long one-take shot that not only follows different characters perform different tasks but also in presence of over 100 junior actors in a large open area. Veteran cinematographer Amalendu Chaudhary makes his presence felt in various other shots as well.

Gondhal Marathi movie

No stone is left unturned when it comes to portraying the ceremony and its various aspects. One can find even minute detailing with regards to the rituals, costumes and production designing.

But the actual story begins at the interval block through an interesting development. This makes you think that the story will go on an expected route. But it actually goes onto the sinister mode. There comes a time when the ritual becomes a mystery drama. Even if you are able to guess the final outcome, its presentation keeps the proceedings interesting. Gondhal indirectly presents an irony of dark human intentions even while performing a sacred activity.

Ilaiyaraaja’s music is decent. His background score succeeds in enhancing scenes of different moods.

Ishita Deshmukh suits in the role of a newlywed wife. But she also shines whenever she has to act naughty. She is a find for the future. Yogesh Sohoni is perfect as the naïve young husband. He gets to display his talent more in the climax.

Nishad Bhoir is fair as the desperate Sarjerao. Kishore Kadam impresses the most during the initial long one-take scene. Suresh Vishwakarma, as Patil, and the rest of the supporting actors chip in with decent performances.

Coming to the negatives, an act committed by Bhivaba post-interval doesn’t appear convincing. It is difficult to believe that a character like his can take such an extreme step. There are also a few instances where the film could have been crisper.

Overall: Gondhal is a fine saga about a ritual turning into the night of crime. This is the debut feature film for Santosh Davakhar both as a writer and director but it doesn’t appear so.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Director: Santosh Davakhar

Producers: Davakhar Films

Writer: Santosh Davakhar (story, screenplay and dialogues)

Cast: Ishita Deshmukh, Yogesh Sohoni, Nishad Bhoir, Kishore Kadam

Also read: Haq review: Yami Gautam excels in this one-time watch courtroom drama

This blog is one of the Top 30 Indian movie blogs on the web as per FeedSpot. See the full list here –https://bloggers.feedspot.com/indian_movie_blogs/

Teen Paayancha Ghoda review: Fine portrayal of friendship and mistakes during teenage

by 2 Comments

Storyline: Teen Paayancha Ghoda (English title: Three Legged Horse) takes place in 2003 in Pune. Adnan (Kunal Shukla), a carefree youngster, has been flunking his 12th standard exams. He has already lost two years in the process. His girlfriend Chandrika (Ria Nalavade), who is even more carefree, continues to support him despite his failure.

Adnan’s father is in the rehabilitation centre for alcoholism. He isn’t strict with Adnan and doesn’t have any grudges for him failing in exams. But Adnan’s nana (Gajanan Paranjpe), who is a retired IPS (Indian Police Service) officer and with whom he lives, is super strict and has given an ultimatum to him to pass his exams this year.

Chandrika comes up with a plan to get a fake marksheet created for Adnan. For this, she contacts Rathore (Avinash Londhe), who is from the same age group. The purpose of creating a fake marksheet germinates into an unusual friendship between the three youngsters. But where will their wrong path lead them eventually?

Review: Teen Paayancha Ghoda is from the makers of the brilliant drama Amaltash. This film also falls in the unconventional zone like the earlier one but it’s hugely different both in terms of the storyline and its treatment.

Teen Paayancha Ghoda Marathi movie

It deals with a simple storyline but it’s nowhere narrated and presented in a conventional or straightforward way. Noopur Bora and Yogesh Vinajay Joshi have creatively narrated the tale in a way that you discover it in a novel way and through little details. The flashback to 2001 on quite a few occasions is also smartly done.

The film shows the three central characters indulging in an illegal activity. However, they are not shown as bad people. They are going through the wrong path only out of necessity. Of course, the film doesn’t justify their act but you somehow start liking them, especially Rathore. The organic way in which friendship develops between the three character plays a major role in it.

Suhas Desale and Rushi Tambe’s camerawork completely goes with the nature of the film. It is more like a glimpse into the world of the three youngsters. The same unconventionality is seen in the editing (Makarand Dambhare and Suhas Desale) and background score (Chlkwrk).

The performance of the three youngsters also plays a major role in making the tale believable. Their casting is just right. Kunal Shukla makes the character of Adnan believable. Along with being subtle, he also scores in being sarcastic. Ria Nalavade succeeds in playing a strong woman with a lot of spunk. Both are a lookout for the future. Avinash Londhe is apt in the role of the fully introvert Rathore. He speaks on various occasions through expressions.

The movie has some senior actors in cameos and extended cameos. Gajanan Paranjpe exudes fear every time he appears. Devika Daftardar is convincing as a mute and deaf character of Rathore’s mother. Sandesh Kulkarni and Rohit Kokate display mature acts in characters with limited screen time.

There are, however, issues that stop Teen Paayancha Ghoda from being superlative. The last 20 odd minutes don’t go with the nature of the rest of the film, which is light-hearted. The transition doesn’t appear as seamless as it should have been.

Overall: Teen Paayancha Ghoda is a fine portrayal of friendship and mistakes during teenage.  

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Director: Noopur Bora

Producers: Darshan Productions and Medium Strong Productions

Writers: Yogesh Vinayak Joshi and Noopur Bora

Cast: Kunal Shukla, Ria Nalavade, Avinash Londhe, Gajanan Paranjpe, Devika Daftardar

Also read: Amaltash review: Tenderly created saga on love, life & music

This blog is one of the Top 30 Indian movie blogs on the web as per FeedSpot. See the full list here –https://bloggers.feedspot.com/indian_movie_blogs/

Sabar Bonda review: Portrays a bold conflict in a quiet and gentle manner

by Leave a Comment

Storyline: Sabar Bonda (Marathi movie; English title Cactus Pears) revolves around Anand (Bhushaan Manoj). He hails from a small village in Maharashtra but has migrated to Mumbai where he works in the corporate sector. His father falls seriously ill and passes away. In order to carry out his funeral and other post-demise rituals, he visits his village for more than a week.

Amid such a situation, Anand’s orthodox relatives and close family members taunt him directly and indirectly on he still being unmarried despite reaching a ‘high age’ of 30. It is impossible for him to reveal it to them that he is a homosexual and recently went through a break-up. His mother Suman (Jayshri Jagtap) has accepted his reality; even his father had. Apart from her, his friend in the village Balya (Suraaj Suman) is his only companion. Anand finds solace while spending time with him.  

Review: Homosexuality is not a novel subject, especially in the unconventional or festival kind of cinema. But writer and director Rohan Kanawade’s Sabar Bonda stands apart from a lot of such films due to various reasons.

Sabar Bonda (Cactus Pears) Marathi movie

It is quite tough for parents to accept their son as a gay in a country like India. The film shows that even if somehow the parents accept their child’s sexuality, what about the relatives and society at large? And this becomes even tougher in a remote village where even a mere mention of the subject is considered more than taboo. This core aspect of the film is skillfully and sensibly portrayed by Kanawade in his feature film debut itself as a writer and director.

The film’s story has a definite conflict element. But the narrative is nowhere near dramatic by any means. It keeps moving in a quiet and gentle manner without making any sort of noise whatsoever despite the subject. The makers have even hardly used any background score. Cinematographer Vikas Urs has enhanced various sequences through his skills, especially in some long one-take scenes.

Sabar Bonda is more like a glimpse into the current state of Anand and the difficult ground on which he is standing at the moment. You do feel sad for him. But the film never goes into a depressive zone. However, you do feel glad for Anand whenever he goes through an episode of happiness; whether it is while spending time with Balya or the moment where he savors Cactus Pears.

This is one of those films where a lot of onus is on the actors and they don’t lag behind. Bhushaan Manoj simply lives the complex but quiet character of Anand. He goes through his various moods without saying much; mostly speaking through expressions. The same sort of quiet but expressive performance is seen from Jayshri Jagtap, who plays his mother. Her support for her son is unwavering, even if it is not visible.

The character of Balya also has an arc of his own, which is finely played by Suraaj Suman. The film has a number of supporting and minor characters as Anand’s relatives and fellow villagers. They all appear realistic.

The film doesn’t have a major negative point. The only minus here is the length. This movie needed to end before 1 hour and 52 minutes.

Overall: Sabar Bonda is unlike a lot of Indian films dealing with homosexuality. It portrays a bold conflict in a quiet and gentle manner.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Director: Rohan Kanawade

Writer: Rohan Kanawade

Producers: Lotus Visual Productions, Dark Stories, Moonweave Films, Taran Tantra Telefilms and Bridge PostWorks

Cast: Bhushaan Manoj, Suraaj Suman and Jayshri Jagtap

Also read: Dashavatar review: Dilip Prabhavalkar shines in the film that doesn’t live up to the interest it generates

This blog is one of the Top 30 Indian movie blogs in the world as per FeedSpot. See the full list here – https://bloggers.feedspot.com/indian_movie_blogs/

Dashavatar review: Dilip Prabhavalkar shines in the film that doesn’t live up to the interest it generates

by 1 Comment

Story outline: Dashavatar takes place in a remote village in Konkan, Maharashtra. The story revolves around Babuli Mestri (Dilip Prabhavalkar), an ageing folk theatre artiste and a celebrated figure in the village. He is specifically known for playing Dashavatar – the act of playing different avatars of Lord Vishnu. But because of the health issues born out of his advanced age, his son Madhav (Siddharth Menon) wants him to retire from his acting duties. Their doctor also feels the same.

Babuli, however, is adamant in continuing to act as he believes it is his duty towards God. At the same time, he is also concerned about Madhav’s future and is eager to see him secure a good job. Madhav too wants to start earning, so that he can marry his lady love Vandana (Priyadarshini Indalkar), who is from the same village.

Madhav finally lands a job at the new factory started in the village by the businessman Sarmalkar (Vijay Kenkre). But just when Babuli felt that life has gotten better, a shattering incident takes place in his life.

Review: Dashavatar scores high in getting you transported to the small Konkan village where it’s based. The scenic place is shot well by cinematographer Devendra Golatkar. The village’s folk theatre culture is portrayed in a realistic manner. It also acts as a tribute to the unsung theatre artistes from various corners of India. The bittersweet relation between Babuli and Madhav also brings a smile, although the song between them could have been done away with.

Dashavatar brings a shocking incident at the interval point. From here on, you expect the film to rise further. But, instead, it starts suffering from the second half syndrome. The incidents where various avatars of Lord Vishnu are brought in not only make the narrative predictable but also lack logic as it’s difficult to believe what one character keeps doing. Plus, the screenplay starts becoming messier as the film nears the climax with quite a few questionable incidents. The climax gives an important social message but it suits more in the medium of theatre than cinema.

It is the legendary Dilip Prabhavalkar’s act that turns out to be the major plus point. He gets into the skin of an ageing Dashavatar artiste and displays his talent throughout. There are also times when his act keeps the script’s shortcomings hidden in the second half.

Siddharth Menon provides an earnest act as Babuli’s son. Priyadarshini Indalkar has more to do than just romance, which she does well. Mahesh Manjrekar arrives late but leaves behind his mark as the cop Michael D’Costa. Vijay Kenkre, Abhinay Berde, Ravi Jadhav, Sunil Tawade and Ravi Kale lend able support in negative roles.

Overall: Dashavatar doesn’t live up to the interest it generates in the first half. The film becomes watchable more because of Dilip Prabhavalkar’s act.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Director: Subodh Khanolkar

Producers: Ocean Film Company and Ocean Art House

Writers: Subodh Khanolkar and Guru Thakur

Cast: Dilip Prabhavalkar, Siddharth Menon, Vijay Kenkre, Priyadarshini Indalkar, Mahesh Manjrekar, Abhinay Berde

Also read: Inspector Zende review: Manoj Bajpayee’s period crime drama is a one-time watch

This blog is one of the Top 30 Indian movie blogs in the world as per FeedSpot. See the full list here – https://bloggers.feedspot.com/indian_movie_blogs/

Jarann review: Finely crafted psychological cum supernatural thriller

by Leave a Comment

Writer and director Rushikesh Gupte made his feature film debut with the Marathi film Dil Dimaag Aur Batti, which was a spoof of the formulaic commercial Hindi films of the yesteryears. But his next release titled Jarann (his second movie Hazaar Vela Sholay Pahilela Manus hasn’t released yet) falls in the diametrically opposite genre of a psychological cum supernatural thriller.

Jarann revolves around Radha (Amruta Subhash), who stays with her daughter Saie (Avanee Joshi) in a bungalow in a city in Maharashtra. Her husband Shekhar (Vikram Gaikwad) is abroad for work since a year. Radha and Saie once visit the former’s family’s wada (ancestral house) in a village in the state. The house is about to be sold, so this is Radha’s last chance to visit it and enjoy a get together with her parents and relatives.

Radha’s parents had once rented out a room in the house to a black magic practitioner Ganguti (Anita Date). The room where she lived is kept vacant as it still gives an eerie feeling. Soon after Radha visits the house, an incident happens with her and her behavior starts changing.

Jarann sucks you into the world of Radha right at the onset. The film starts off as a black magic supernatural drama but you soon realize that psychology plays a role too. The balance between supernatural elements and psychology is maintained throughout. A past incident featuring Ganguti, which is elaborated later, stands out. The twist revealed at the interval point is interesting and it makes you eager to know what happens next.

For a large duration, the film is not as much story related as it is about Radha’s journey and what all she goes through. But the main triumph of the film lies in the pre-climax and the climatic portions. Just when you think that the film is heading a certain way, the narrative throws in not one but two unpredictable twists. The twists are not just for the heck of it. They not only fit into the story but also provide a kick.

Jarann scores high in the technical department too. The film wouldn’t have been a finely crafted dramatic thriller without Milind Jog’s camerawork, Abhijit Deshpande’s editing and AV Prafullachandra’s background music.

Amruta Subhash carries the film on her shoulders exceedingly well. Playing such a complicated character with whole lot of emotions and moods deserved utmost dedication and that is exactly what she provides. Anita Date succeeds in scaring you as Ganguti. Kishore Kadam provides a mature act as Radha’s psychiatrist. Child actor Avanee Joshi does well. Rest of the supporting actors, however, don’t get too much scope to perform. They chip in with decent acts.

On the flipside, Radha’s work life is shown in one scene. But the audience is not made aware about how her terrible psychological condition affects her profession as that is bound to happen. Also, a lot of the mystery is revealed through dialogue instead of visuals. This stops the film from achieving greater heights. But, as mentioned above, the ending twists, clearly satisfy you.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Director: Rushikesh Gupte

Producers: Amol J Bhagat and Nitin Bhalchandra Kulkarni

Cast: Amruta Subhash, Anita Date, Kishore Kadam, Avanee Joshi, Vikram Gaikwad

Also Read: Criminal Justice (Season 4): A Family Matter review: Interesting murder mystery plus courtroom drama

This blog is one of the Top 30 Indian movie blogs in the world as per FeedSpot. See the full list here – https://bloggers.feedspot.com/indian_movie_blogs/

Ata Thambaycha Naay! review: This heartwarming tale restores your faith in humanity  

by 1 Comment

Mumbaikars are often seen complaining about the BMC (Brihanmumbai Mahanagar Corporation) when it comes to running the city. While these criticisms might be valid, it is their poor workers who are always at the receiving end since they become the face of BMC at ground level. Debutant filmmaker Shivraj Waichal’s Ata Thambaycha Naay! is a much deserved tribute to them and their painstaking efforts to keep the city functioning.  

But the movie goes much beyond displaying their difficult lives. It is based on a true and heartwarming incident in the lives of a few BMC workers in 2016, although the film features fictitious characters and their sub-stories.

The Assistant Municipal Commissioner Uday Shirurkar (Ashutosh Gowariker) of BMC decides to get a group of its Class IV workers complete their 10th standard. They had to drop out of school due to some reason of the other. Shirurkar not only decides to provide them education free of cost at a night school but, on top of that, promises to pay them a remuneration for the same along with a chance of salary hike.

These workers include the aged Sakharam (Bharat Jadhav), Maruti (Siddharth Jadhav), Apsara (Kiran Khoje), Jayshree (Prajakta Hanamghar) and others. The responsibility of teaching them is handed over to Nilesh aka Nilu sir (Om Bhutkar). The workers, however, are hesitant to study during this stage of their lives.

Ata Thambaycha Naay Marathi movie

Ata Thambaycha Naay! is a rare film where from the first scene itself you realize that it has been created with a lot of heart, be it any department. You, somehow, start trusting the film and the film, in return, never breaks that trust. The movie has a lot of Rajkumar Hirani-ness to it, although it is not similar even remotely to any of his films. The comparison is only soul wise.

You start rooting for the characters, not just in their new endeavor but also in their day-to-day challenges. The film makes you feel for what all they go through, especially, while cleaning drains. Although the narrative keeps the fun element alive through some smart humour, it doesn’t take away from the seriousness of the issues. To maintain this balance is the biggest triumph of the film.

The film is also blessed with a screenplay that smartly mixes the characters’ (including the teacher) latest challenge with their personal lives through sub-plots. The marriage angle between the teacher and a young girl (Parna Pethe) is simple yet appealing.

The performances rise as high as the content. Bharat Jadhav shows his experience while playing a complex character who is going through a lot internally. Om Bhutkar is remarkable as a passionate teacher who considers satisfaction over money. Siddharth Jadhav once again succeeds in displaying seriousness and humour. Ashutosh Gowariker gives a realistic act while playing the real character of Uday Shirurkar.

Kiran Khoje, Prajakta Hanamghar, Pravin Dalimbkar, Parna Pethe and Shrikant Yadav’s contribution as supporting actors is also noteworthy. The veteran Rohini Hattangadi leaves an impact despite playing a cameo.

There are no major negative points here. A tragic incident during an important moment could have been avoided or, at least, toned down, as the film had already won us over by then. It also somewhere doesn’t gel with the light tone of the film. But the heartwarming ending moments don’t let you think much about this point.

Overall: Ata Thambaycha Naay! is a heartwarming reminder that the world isn’t as bad as we might consider it to be.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Director: Shivraj Waichal

Producers: Chalk and Cheese Films, Film Jazz and Zee Studios

Writers: Shivraj Waichal, Omkar Gokhale, Arvind Jagtap and Dharam Valia

Cast: Bharat Jadhav, Ashutosh Gowariker, Om Bhutkar, Siddharth Jadhav, Kiran Khoje, Prajakta Hanamghar

Also Read: Devmanus review: This drama is a fine mixture of crime and emotions

Devmanus review: This drama is a fine mixture of crime and emotions

by 2 Comments

Director Tejas Prabha Vijay Deoskar’s Marathi movie Devmanus is the official remake of directors Jaspal Singh Sandhu and Rajeev Barnwal’s Sanjay Mishra and Neena Gupta starrer 2022 Hindi movie Vadh (which this reviewer hasn’t seen). The movie is a fine emotional crime drama.

The story takes place in Kopargaon in Maharashtra. Senior citizen couple Keshav (Mahesh Manjrekar) and his wife Laxmi (Renuka Shahane) are staying alone after their son Madhav (Ruturaj Shinde) migrates to the US and gets married over there without their consent.

Keshav is a tuition teacher cum farmer, who somehow managed to gather loan to get Madhav educated in the US. Along with the bank, he also had to take money from the local contractor and an evil goon Dilip (Siddharth Bodke) while mortgaging their ancestral house.

Keshav was hasn’t been able to repay the instalments to Dilip for last four months as Madhav has stopped sending money. Hence, Dilip starts harassing them in worst and derogatory ways. The couple get some help initially from the newly transferred police inspector Deshmukh (Subodh Bhave). One day, Keshav gets involved in a crime, which changes his and Laxmi’s life forever.

Devmanus takes time to get into an exciting and intense mode. The first half is largely about Dilip harassing Keshav and Laxmi. We are not given the backstory of how Keshav had to take loan from a person as horrible as Dilip. He surely must have known about the latter’s reputation. Dilip using Keshav’s house to get intimate with sex workers just because the latter hasn’t been able to pay him for last four months is a bit too much.

However, the film goes onto different level once the crime angle comes in. From here onwards, it becomes a fine mixture of crime and emotions and keeps you completely gripped till the end credits.

The film scores well in the investigation angle, which was very crucial. Care is taken to not make it look clichéd and similar to the various crime stories on TV. The whole Wari angle is nicely included in the narrative and it succeeds in moving you. The guest appearance by Mohan Agashe was smartly done. One expects such crime sagas to end in a particular way. But Devmanus surprises during this part too.

Cinematographer Amey Vasant Chavan has well captured the town. He scores high during the Wari scenes. The background score is simple, which goes with the nature of the film.

This is one of Mahesh Manjrekar’s finest acts. He lives the character of Keshav in every breath and doesn’t let the graph low at any moment. Renuka Shahane also displays her fine talent throughout, at times speaking jus through expressions. Siddharth Bodke is evil personified. You can’t stop hating him, except on a few occasions where he overdoes. \

Subodh Bhave’s character isn’t that of a typical cop investigating crime and he does full justice to it. Abhijeet Khandkekar also scores well while playing another antagonist. Vinod Vanve is likeable as a kind-hearted auto-rickshaw driver. Ruturaj Shinde leaves some impact despite playing a cameo.

Overall: Devmanus is a well-made crime drama that also moves you.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Director: Tejas Prabha Vijay Deoskar

Producers: Luv Films

Writers: Jaspal Singh Sandhu, Rajeev Barnwal (original film) and Neha Shitole (adaptation and dialogues)

Cast: Mahesh Manjrekar, Renuka Shahane, Subodh Bhave, Siddharth Bodke, Abhijeet Khandkekar, Ruturaj Shinde

Also read: Phule review: Pratik Gandhi excels in this decent period drama

Follower review: Realistic glimpse into the making of a political troll

by Leave a Comment

Since little over a decade ago, politics has become a major interest for the youth. But the problem arises when this interest turns into an obsession for one political ideology. This aspect about today’s politics is realistically portrayed in Harshad Nalawade’s Follower (Marathi with Hindi and Kannada) while keeping the Maharashtra-Karnataka conflict of Belgaum at the centre.

The film tells the story of a youngster named Raghavendra Pawar (Raghu Prakash) aka Raghu, who stays with his mother in Belgaum after his father passes away in an accident. His elder brother works in the US. Belgaum is always in the news for its Marathi-Kannada conflict. Raghu also faces the brunt for being a Marathi in various ways.

Follower Marathi movie

During these times, he gets attracted to the speeches and ideology of a star political leader (Atul Deshmukh), who claims to be the messiah of the Marathi speaking people of Belgaum. Raghu joins his social media IT cell in order to spread the leader’s message and help him in his ‘cause’. Raghu’s political stand and activities strains his relationship with his close friends Sachin (director Harshad Nalawade himself) and Parveena (Donna Munshi).

Follower provides a glimpse into the life of a not just a follower but someone who believes that he is doing social work through his online activities by basically just being a troll. Nalawade’s portrayal will be relatable even for those who aren’t deeply aware about the Maharashtra-Karnataka issue because youngsters are seen obsessing over quite a few political parties throughout the country. The film shows how they never realize that they are just treated as pawns in the hands of their political ‘heroes’ for their ulterior motives. In a way, the film gives a slight remembrance of Avadhoot Gupte’s Zenda.

What makes Follower more interesting and intriguing is that it organically weaves a story of close friendship between three friends and perfectly joins the same with the political conflict. It also makes fine use of flashback. The story could have been narrated in a linear form and it still would have been likeable. But the back and forth narrative converts the film also into a mystery drama. The events that lead Raghu into becoming a staunch supporter of the star political leader is the biggest triumph of the film.

The production value makes the film look more like a telefilm. The lack of proper resources is clearly visible. This, however, doesn’t turn out to be a major issue because of the strong content at hand. The film is also shot in a creative manner by cinematographer Saket Gyani. It is laced with a number of impressive long one-take shots. The one that takes the cake is between Raghu and Parveen when both are riding their respective two-wheelers while conversing. The background score is minimally used, which goes with the nature of the film.

The performances are all natural. Raghu Prakash is fully suits the role of Raghavendra. He goes through the entire journey of his character in a dedicated manner. Harshad Nalawade also adds plenty of life to the character of Sachin. Donna Munshi also performs well and is also aptly cast as Parveen. Atul Deshmukh, the political leader, is thoroughly believable as someone who can brainwash the youth.

The issue about Maharashtra-Karnataka has toxic politics from both sides. For a major duration, it seems that the film shows the evil face of only one side. However, things even out later, which makes the movie neutral in its overall stand. The only questionable aspect is a sudden intimate moment between two pivotal characters, which appears forced.

Overall: Follower is a gritty realistic glimpse into the making of a political troll and its consequences.    

Rating: 4 out of 5

Director: Harshad Nalawade

Writer: Harshad Nalawade

Producers: Humara Medialabs and Causality Films Production

Cast: Raghu Prakash, Harshad Nalawade, Donna Munshi, Atul Deshmukh

Also read: The Diplomat review: Realistic version of Gadar

Sthal (Marathi Movie) review: Subtle yet powerful critique of forced arranged marriages of girls

by Leave a Comment

India is obsessed with marriages. Weddings take place all over the country in different regions and among different communities and they are celebrated like anything. However, even in today’s times in rural India, the practice of a girl’s forced arranged marriage still exists. Filmmaker Jayant Digambar Somalkar’s Sthal (A Match) boldly highlights this social evil.

The movie takes place in a village in Maharashtra named Dongargaon and it revolves around Savita Daulatrao Wandhare (Nandini Chikte). She is in her Final year of Bachelor of Arts course and her specialization subject is Sociology. Her father (Taranath Khiratkar) and mother (Sangita Sonekar) wish to get her married off soon but she wants to study further.

Prospective grooms regularly visit her house but eventually reject her. This increases the stress for Savita’s parents. Her elder brother Mangya (Suyog Dhawas) loves a girl from their village but he won’t be able to marry her until her sister gets married.

Sthal doesn’t waste any time in presenting the picture of an arranged marriage setting in a village. The elders from both the families have a chat. The girl is then made to sit uncomfortably on a stool and asked questions about herself as if she is accused of a crime. Without saying it, the film speaks out that this is nothing but humiliation for her. All this is achieved in a realistic and bold manner.

Sthal becomes all the more appealing because of the irony it presents through the subject Savita is studying in college – Sociology. In one of the lectures, she, along with her fellow students, is taught about Women Empowerment. The professor says that it roughly means that a woman should have the right to take her own decisions.

In another moment, the birth anniversary of the social reformer Savitribai Phule is celebrated in the college in a grand way and she is hailed as the torchbearer of progressive ideas for women. This is juxtaposed with the arranged marriage scenes at her place where Savita goes through the dreary exercise repeatedly.

The movie also throws light on the evil of dowry, which is very much practiced today. There is a scene where Savita’s friend tells her that their professor teaches women empowerment but doesn’t practice the same. To this, Savita points out that he is teaching it only because it’s a part of the syllabus. It indirectly means that the progressive ideas are only meant to remain in the books.

Sthal ends on an unexpectedly powerful note. The very last scene instantly brings back memories of Nagraj Popatrao Manjule’s Fandry. Nevertheless, it suits the film.

Nandini Chikte’s performance as Savita is as remarkable as the content of the film. She goes through the ordeal of being in front of the prospective grooms with a lot of realistic touch. She converses a lot through expressions and, at times, speaks out her mind with confidence. Sandip Parkhi does a fine job as the professor.

The rest of the supporting cast, including Taranath Khiratkar, Sangita Sonekar, Suyog Dhawas, Swati Ulmale (as Savita’s close friend Gauri) and others also bring about realistic performances.

Manoj Karmakar’s camerawork is simple, which goes with the nature of the film. The same can be said about the background score, which is minimally used.

The only negative point here is the length. This is felt the most when the entire wedding ceremony of Savita’s friend is portrayed, which could have been shortened.

Overall: Sthal is a subtle yet powerful statement against the social evil of girls’ forced arranged marriages, which take away their fundamental rights. The film is a perfect successor to The Great Indian Kitchen and its recent Hindi adaptation Mrs.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Director: Jayant Digambar Somalkar

Producers: Dhun Productions

Writer: Jayant Digambar Somalkar

Cast: Nandini Chikte, Taranath Khiratkar, Sangita Sonekar, Sandip Parkhi, Suyog Dhawas, Swati Ulmale

Also Read: Superboys Of Malegaon review: Heartwarming ode to cinema and friendship

Sangeet Manapmaan Review: Subodh Bhave’s second directorial turns out to be just a one-time watch

by Leave a Comment

Actor Subodh Bhave’s directorial debut Katyar Kaljyat Ghusli (2015) turned out to be a spectacular affair. There were much expectations for his second film as a director Sangeet Manapmaan, not just because he is in the director’s chair. This film is also adapted from an old classic musical play, just like the 2015 movie. But this time, the end result turns out to be just a one-time watch.  

Sangeet Manapmaan is adapted from Krushnaji Prabhakar Khadilkar’s musical play of the same name, which was first staged way back in 1911.  

The story takes place in a kingdom in Maharashtra called Sangrampur in an unspecified era. The chief of army Kakasaheb (Shailesh Datar) expresses his wish to the queen of Sangrampur (Nivedita Saraf) to retire from his services because of his advanced age. Although the queen believes he is irreplaceable, she suggests Kakasaheb’s deputy Chandravilas (Sumeet Raghvan) as the next chief. Kakasaheb subtly disagrees with the queen as he believes, despite being a brave warrior, Chandravilas doesn’t possess the exact qualities to be the next chief.

Chandravilas is arrogant and proud about his position as the deputy chief. He has a deep desire to be the next army chief after Kakasaheb retires. He also wishes to marry Kakasaheb’s beautiful daughter Bhamini (Vaidehi Parshurami), who has been his childhood friend.

Meanwhile, Dhairyadhar (Subodh Bhave) is an ordinary villager from the same kingdom, who stays with his doting mother (Neena Kulkarni) and does odd jobs for a living. Being brave and strong, his wish is to join Sangrampur’s army. One day, he saves Kakasaheb from a life-threatening attack from King Dhiren’s (Upendra Limaye) soldiers from the neighborhood kingdom. Impressed by Dhairyadhar, Kakasaheb inducts him into Sangrampur’s army, much to the jealousy of Chandravilas.

The original story is not just interesting but it also weaves together drama, romance, politics and action seamlessly. What pleasantly surprises you is the character of Bhamini, who is shown to be brave, both from within and outside. Generally, stories about kings and kingdoms are male dominated and they display only their bravery. But here, a young girl is shown not just to be brave but also someone who doesn’t let others take decisions about her life, including her marriage. Interestingly, her father also lets her be free.

To find such a character in a play written over 110 years ago indicates the progressiveness of theatre back then. Bhave and the makers deserve credit for selecting a play with this story. The production designing succeeds in recreating the bygone era and ensuring that the visuals are eye-pleasing.

When it comes to doing justice to the original story, the movie does bring about sequences that either move or thrill, especially in the ending moments. However, they are not present throughout the film. In other words, there was scope for the narrative to be more dramatic as well as emotionally thrilling but somehow the film doesn’t turn out to be as gripping as one would expect from such an interesting original story.

The duration of 165 minutes also goes against the movie. Although Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy have succeeded in recreating Khadilkar’s songs and composing fresh tracks, the movie could have been easily trimmed if it didn’t have these many songs. There are quiet a few instances where a song applies brakes on the storytelling. Plus, a couple of song situations suit more in the medium of theatre than in cinema.

Subodh Bhave makes the internally and externally strong character of Dhairyadhar believable. He also succeeds in the subtle transformation in the latter stages once he joins the army. Sumeet Raghavan is fine as the scheming and jealous deputy chief. Vaidehi Parshurami does justice to the strong character of Bhamini and portrays different emotions convincingly.

However, there is an issue with the age factor of Bhave and Raghavan as they appear much older to Bhamini. As Bhave plays a 35-year-old man, you can still excuse him. But it is impossible to believe Raghavan as Vaidehi’s childhood friend. His fake moustache also affects his screen presence. Similarly, Upendra Limaye also appears older for the role of King Dhiren.

Coming to the rest of the performances, Shailesh Datar, Nivedita Saraf and Neena Kulkarni score well as Kakasaheb, the queen and Dhairyadhar’s mother.

Overall: Sangeet Manapmaan turns out to be a one-time watch saga. Don’t expect anything of the level of Katyar Kaljyat Ghusli.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Director: Subodh Bhave

Producers: Jio Studios and Shree Ganesh Marketing and Films

Writers: Krushnaji Prabhakar Khadilkar (original play), Shirish Gopal Deshpande, Urja Deshpande and Prajakt Deshmukh

Music: Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy

Also read: Mukkam Post Bombilwadi review: Decent entertainer trapped in the wrong medium