By: Keyur Seta

Director: Satish Rajwade

Producers: Mirah Entertainment

Writers: Satish Rajwade and Chinmay Kelkar

Cast: Atul Kulkarni, Sagarika Ghatge, Sulekha Talwalkar, Rohini Hattangadi, Satish Rajwade, Mira Velankar

Music: Avinash Joshi and Vishwajit Joshi

Genre: Romance/ Drama

Rating: * * * *

Story Outline: Due to a sheer co-incidence, complete strangers Prem (Atul Kulkarni) and Sonal (Sagarika Ghatge) bump into each other at a marriage counselor’s office as they both are going through a troubled marriage with their respective spouses. Sonal is happily willing to divorce her husband but Prem is hoping against hope to reconcile with his wife. Circumstances bring Prem and Sonal closer and their friendship soon transforms into love. But are Prem and Sonal meant to be together?(For more reviews, news and information on Marathi cinema, click HERE) (To follow us on Facebook, click HERE.)

Review: Good love stories make you smile but great love stories make you fall in love with love. Satish Rajwade’s Premachi Goshta surely falls in the second category for it redefines love by presenting it in the simplest form and at the same time keeping the entertainment quotient alive throughout. In fact, the film also has the potential to appeal to those who shy away from the genre.

We have seen uncountable films where a man and a woman meet and they fall in love. Although the same happens here, the events by no means can be labeled unreal or filmi. The nature of the two characters, their meeting, interactions and the development of their relation appear highly believable and straight out of reality. It is vital in such genre of films to make sure the audience feels for the two characters. It happens here very convincingly!

Different theories and philosophical aspects of love are smartly included in the dialogues. This doesn’t become preachy whatsoever since the story continuously moves ahead with it. Talking further about the dialogues, the film is a shining example of how simple and realistic situations can create plenty of humorous moments.

In the movie, Kulkarni’s character is seen stressing on the fact that cinema is nothing but what we see around. Once while talking about film narration, he also asks, “Why can’t we keep it simple?” Rajwade’s interpretation of the story clearly matches with the thought process of his protagonist.

The filmmaker has also brought a novel concept of showing characters’ mobile screen to the audience every time his or her phone rings. This makes us recall how he experimented with black and white images in his last film Badam Rani Gulam Chor. Also in BRGC, the situation of the three characters is reflected in the parallel story of two rival politicians. Over here, the scenario is intelligently depicted in the film script the couple is shown writing.

Apart from the many ups there are few downs. A change of heart of a supporting character isn’t entirely convincing. There also comes a period in the second half where the story appears stretched. Lastly, there are some minute errors in the end which cannot be revealed to avoid spoilers. But thankfully, a heartwarming and, most importantly, simple conclusion makes sure that you really don’t mind about these points.

The lovable track ‘Olya Sanjveli’ plays a role in storytelling and continues to play in your mind long after the film gets over. ‘Haravto Sukhacha’ also suits the proceedings. The nature of the subject and the situations don’t give much scope for the cinematographer to showcase his skills. But Suhas Gujrathi does a good job in keeping the simplicity intact. The same can be said for the background score and editing.

The film wouldn’t have been this impressive without some quality performances from the lead pair. Atul Kulkarni perfectly gets into the skin of the character and provides an outstanding act! He once again proves why he is one of the finest actors around. Sagarika Ghatge makes a confident debut in Marathi cinema. Apart from some tiny errors in pronunciation, she is perfect.

Satish Rajwade is wonderful as Kulkarni’s friend. After a point of time, you anticipate humor every time he comes on screen. Sulekha Talwalkar fits the bill while Mira Velankar is impressive. On her return to Marathi cinema, Rohini Hattangadi gives a mature and sensible performance. Ajay Purkar in a brief role is not bad.

Overall, Premachi Goshta’s redefinition of love deserves to be seen. The film should enjoy good returns at the ticket window, mostly due to the positive word-of-mouth.