Except for Good music, ‘Ek Taraa’ disappoints
 Rating: ★★★
Genres: Drama Censor: U/A Duration: 130 min Studio/presenter: Raiees Lashkaria Productions Producer: Raiees Lashkaria Productions Director: Avadhoot Gupte Writer: Avadhoot Gupte, Sachin Darekar Lyrics: Guru Thakur, Avadhoot Gupte Music: Avadhoot Gupte Cinematographer (DOP): Amalendu Chauhdari Cast: Santosh Juvekar, Mangesh Desai, Urmila Nimbalkar, Sagar Karande, Tejaswini Pandit, Abhedya Gupte Movie Review by: Jitendra R More |
Known for his films on social issues like, Politicians exploiting their party workers, the politics behind community festivals and inspiring Marathi youth to start business in other states; Avadhoot Gupte hasn’t offered much , through his latest film ‘Ek Taraa’. As a story writer, lyricist, singer and above all, the director of this film, Avadhoot dosen’t seem to have paid attention on restricting the length of the film. The only plus point of the film is its music, which offers variety.
Alandi seems to be the new destination for the lead characters of our Marathi films. So, in ‘Ek Taara’ we find another ‘Mauli’, who is not a protagonist, but a singer. The story of ‘Ek Taraa’ revolves around this local singer Dnyaneshwar Lokhande , who is popularly known as ‘Mauli'( Santosh Juvekar). Mauli sings devotional songs in his village, to carry forward the legacy of his father ( Mangesh Desai).
The film begins with an All India Music contest, with Mauli as one of the finalists. From there, the film goes into flashback, where we see Mauli preparing himself to take part in a reality singing contest in Mumbai. During the final round, we find his fiancée Chatura( Urmila Nimbalkar) and close friend Vithu( Sagar Karande) also joining him, to boost his morale. Undoubtedly, Mauli wins this contest and carries home a big booty .
Mauli marries Chatura and comes back to Mumbai. He signs a big contract with a channel, through a foreign returned E.P. of that channel Urja( Tejaswini Pandit). The business tactics of this channel are exposed in the film. Mauli also slips and falls into the trap of ‘wine and woman’. He frequently insults his wife and close friend and dares to share the bed with Urja in his own house. Both Chatura and Vithu after facing humiliation, return to their village.
In the post interval session, we see the film trailing , with Mauli falling into the trap of underworld. The director has not justified the behavior of two important characters of Mauli and Urja. How can a person with proper upbringing, change all of a sudden, to sleep with another woman, by asking his wife to sleep in a guest room ? How can he join the underworld group ? Also, how can a well educated big executive stoop so low, as noticed through some of her acts ? The concluding scenes in the film, are done hurriedly , i.e. to conclude with Mauli’s reunion with his family, after few years and his little son Omkar (Abhedya Gupte ) also acquiring singing talent. At the end of the film, we even see a complete devotional song picturised on him.
Santosh Juvekar has done a good job playing different shades, through his character. He finds good support coming from his co star Tejaswini, but, their chemistry doesn’t work well, as throughout the film, the audience develop a soft corner towards Chatura, who finds a better role this time in Marathi, after her debut through a cameo ‘Dum Dum Diga ..’. few years ago. Popular small screen comedian Sagar karande, finds a good role, to express his emotions well. Others in the cast, like Producer Raees Lashkaria as the channel head, Sunil Tawde as village Sarpanch, Amol Gupte as underworld Don and few others are just fine. Amalendu Chaudhari’s cinematography and Avadhoot Gupte’s music are the only plus points of this film, besides good performances by the artistes.
‘Balkadu’ inspires ‘Marathi Manoos’, to fight injustice
 Rating: ★★★
Genres: Drama Censor: U/A Duration: 124 Min. Studio/presenter: Maratha Entertainment, Sanjay Raut Producers: Swapna Patkar Director: Atul Kale Screenplay: Ganesh Pandit, Ambar Hadap Director of Photography: Ajit Reddy Editor: Ashish Mhatre, Apurva Motiwale Cast: Umesh Kamat, Neha Pendse, Prasad Oak, Anand Ingale, Tiku Talsania, Bhau Kadam , Sharad Ponkshe, Pushkar Shrotri Movie Review by: Keertikumar Kadam |
Presented by Sanjay Raut and produced under the banner Royal Maratha Entertainment the new released Marathi film ‘Balkadu‘ is produced by Swapna Patkar and directed by Atul Kale. This film is inspired from one of the most charismatic socio-political persona of recent times, late Balasaheb Thackeray.
Balkadu’s story is about a simple and straightforward Balkrishna Patil, a young history teacher in a school, possessing special ability to hear voices of great historical figures like Nehru, Shastri, Savarkar, Subhash Chandra Bose and Balasaheb Thackeray. Balakrishna, who originally resided in a Lalbaugh chawl, had to shift his residence to Nalasopara during his childhood. After many years, he meets his close childhood friend Sai Bawdekar (Neha Pendse).
When he shares his thoughts with Sai, she understands him and supports him, in his every action. besides She helps him to do a part time job as a dubbing artist in Marathi, in her history channel, where she works as EP. After seeking help from a psychologist, the voices Balakrishna hears, vanish but one voice clings onto him, i.e. Balasaheb’s voice. How a simpleton, who turns into an angry young man, for betterment of local people, is the story of the film.
In the film, Director has tried to do a sincere job, he has smartly used Balasaheb’s voice-over, to create the impact in certain scenes. Balasaheb’s interactive dialogues with the lead actor, are well crafted and make an interesting watch. The ‘cartoon’ aspect is also creatively used. There is a lot to be desired in screenplay department (Ganesh Pandit, Ambar Hadap) which seems disjointed. In fact, it starts with a promise of a good screenplay, but goes wayward towards the latter half. It has become unnecessarily lengthy and preachy towards the end. Aman Vidhate’s art direction is satisfactory and so is music (Ajit-Samir), though the ‘Powada’ is very good. Avadhoot Gupte’s song is very well used in background. The costumes are satisfactory, but Neha Pendse‘s costumes are more impressive and stand out.
The saving grace of Balkadu are the dialogues and performances. Especially, the Dialogues are fabulous . They have the required punch and comic punches, which are smartly interlaced. Umesh Kamat has come out of his comfort zone and has essayed the lead role with conviction. He scores points in wittiness and subtle timing. Neha Pendse does what was expected of her and looks ravishingly stunning, on screen. Prasad Oak carries a negative shade reasonably well. Rest of the cast, Anand Ingale, Tiku Talsania, Bhau Kadam , Sharad Ponkshe, Pushkar Shrotri lend good support. Supriya Pathare as mother, steals the show with her comic timing used in simple situations.
‘Balkadu’ is a must watch for Balasaheb’s followers scattered all over Maharashtra. Others may like it watch it, for good performances.
‘Classmates’ displays excellent team work
 Rating: ★★★★
Genres: Drama, Romantic, Musical, Suspense Censor: U/A Duration: 130 min Studio/presenter: Video Palace, S.K. Production Films Producer: Suresh Pai Director: Aditya Ajay Sarpotdar Writer: Kshitij Patwardhan, Sameer Vidwans Lyrics: Guru Thaakur, Kshitij Patwardhan, Manndar Cholkar, Satyajeet Ranade Music: Amitraj, Avinash-Vishwajeet, Troy-Arif, Pankaj Padghan Cinematographer (DOP): K.K. Manoj Cast: Ankush Choudhary, Sonalee Kulkarni, Sai Tamhankar, Sushant Shelar, Sachit Patil, Siddharth Chandekar, Suyash Tilak, Pallavi Patil, Sanjay Mone, Kishori Shahane, Ramesh Dev. Movie Review by: Jitendra R More |
Every parting indicates a big loss; but, every reunion is a reminiscence. Based on this philosophy is ‘Classmates’, the latest offering from Aditya Sarpotdar. No matter, this film is an authorised remake of a South film, with the same name, Aditya has used his past seven years experience, to skilfully captain his team of talented performers. Set on the backdrop of a college life during 90s, the film begins with a scene 20 years later, when the classmates of 1995 batch reunite for a purpose, in their college. So, we witness the seven batch mates comprising of Satya (Ankush Chaudhari), Appu(Sai Tamhankar), Aditi (Sonalee Kulkarni), Rohit Bhosale, now a MLA (Sachit Patil), Pratap, now a Police Inspector( Sushant Shelar), Amit(Suyash Tilak), now husband of Appu and Heena ( Pallavi Patil), a Muslim woman and close friend of Aditi; attending the opening ceremony of the Music section in memory of their departed friend.
They are all welcomed by the lady principal (Kishori Shahane Viz), mother of late Ani (Siddharth Chandekar). As they are about to meet late in the evening, after the function, an unfortunate accident takes place in respect of one of their classmates. This being a biggest twist in the story, the film progresses with the investigation of the accident and at the same time, taking the viewers into flashback, to show the happenings twenty years ago, while they were in the college. So, we witness the acts of ragging, which prevailed those days, the rivalry between two groups, with the entry of politically backed youth wings, dance n music and of course the love affairs. In short, it is all in one contribution of action, saga, friendship, music and revenge.
Best thing about the film, is its well written screenplay by Sameer Vidwans and Kshitij Patwardhan and suitable dialogues by Kshitij, to meet the requirement of the realistic college lifestyle, during that period. But, above all the director Aditya Sarpotdar shows his presence through many important scenes. Watch the scene, where ace swimmer Sachit Patil folding his call letter from foreign university for admission, to support one of the tilting legs of the side table in his house.
This clearly displayed the gravity of the situation, where his father who is in deep trouble in Politics, requiring the support of his son and the son offering the same, through this act. Very cleverly, he has managed to unfold the mystery, in the screenplay. Though he gave a Marathi feel to this film, the two songs have a south Indian flavour. Even otherwise, barring two songs, the music is not very impressive. Perhaps, too many cooks couldn’t match well, with each other. But, the background score is simply fabulous. Good support comes from impressive camera work and sound design.
In the acting department, three actors have shown maturity in their acting, while portraying their respective characters. They are Ankush Choudhary , Sachit Patil and Siddharth Chandekar. All three of them stole the show, displaying diversity . The director has exploited their full potential. Among the females, Sonalee Kukarni has also shown lot of improvisation, in the role of Aditi. Sai Tamhankar suits well in the role of possessive Appu, but her performance is more dependent on the dialogues offered to her. Sushant Shelar and SuyashTilak are convincing, but Pallavi has been wasted in the role of Heena. Not much scope was given to this promising new find actress, who was picked up from the talent hunt programme of 9X Jhakas. Veterans like Kishori Shanane, Ramesh Deo and Sanajy Mone offer good support. But, the ultimate winner is Aditya Sarpotdar. He really stands tall, for his effective presentation style, in this story based and suspense filled film.
‘Lokmanya-Ek Yugpurush’ is an ideal and timely gift for the new year
 Rating: ★★★ ½
Genres: Drama Censor: U/A Duration: 120 mins Studio/presenter: Neena Raut Films, Emmay Entertainment Producer: Neena Raut Director: Om Raut Writer: Om Raut, Kaustubh Savarkar Lyrics: na Music: Ajit-Sameer Cinematographer (DOP): Prasad Bhende Cast: Subodh Bhave, Sameer Vidwans, Chinmay Mandlekar, Priya Bapat Kamat Movie Review by: Keertikumar Kadam |
Through our school text books, we have learned that Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak , led India’s freedom struggle . A committed Journalist, Teacher, Social Reformer, Lawyer, and a dynamic freedom fighter; he was all in one.
Presented by Essel Vision and produced under the banner of Neena Raut Films ‘Lokmanya, Ek Yugpurush’ is a latest Marathi movie, which reminds the thoughts of late Bal Gangadhar Tilak. The movie comments on the socio-political situation in India today, with a Voiceover narration in the beginning of the movie, by Nana Patekar in his typical style. The movie starts with a court scene, where Tilak is being tried and then goes into flashback, to unfold the life and times of Lokmanya Tilak.
So, we find Tilak (Subodh Bhave) returning from Bombay after studying law degree , only to start a school for the local people, with the help of his friend, Agarkar (Sameer Vidwans). Both manage to open New English School. The movie has shown two eras, one being the film’s subject era and the other being today’s time. However, both relate to each other. Makarand ( Chinmay Mandlekar) is a young journalist, who gets fascinated by Tilak’s thinking, after reading books on him, but in the process, ignoring his would be wife- Samira (Priya Bapat Kamat). He becomes more and more idealistic, with the thoughts of Tilak- like, “Swarajya mhanje swakiyanche rajya!”
The film has shown the ruthless ways of British officer Rand , to deal ‘plague’, which hit Poona, during his time. Then, the officer being killed by Damodar Hari Chaphekar with the knowledge of Tilak, is also shown skilfully. The film also elaborates on Tilak’s hard hitting writings against the rulers and justifying Britishers’ killings through his newspaper; which lands him in jail and is sentenced to rigorous imprisonment of six years outside the country in Mandalay, Burma. (1908-1914).
Story by Om Raut & Kaustubh Savarkar is well researched. But, highlight of the movie is its screenplay and dialogues . Art direction (Santosh Phutane) and costume department (Mahesh Sherla) have complimented camera work of Prasad Bhende. Interesting lighting and camera angles add beauty to the frames. Music (Ajit-Sameer) is an asset, as the songs escalate the drama in story telling. Background music is noteworthy. Editor (Aashish Mhatre, Apurva Motivale) and the director have worked beautifully hand in glove and it shows in scene cutting.
Director (Om Raut) makes his presence felt from the very first scene onward. He has merged two time-periods in excellent fashion. Only faltering being, movie should have ended on a high note on, ” Swarajya ha maza janmasiddha hakka aahe, aani to mi milavinarch”, the line Tilak is identified with. Subodh Bhave has marvelled as Tilak. He has used his voice to greater effect with modulations depicting different emotions. Sameer Vidwans as Agarkar is very convincing. Chinmay Mandlekar has promisingly portrayed the thought process of today’s youth . He is well supported by Priya Bapat Kamat. There are many more characters played by actors. Thanks to the makers, for a very good New Year’s gift in the form of ‘Lokmanya, Ek Yugpurush’.
‘Avtarachi Goshta’ speaks about other side of faith
 Rating: ★★★
Genres: Drama Censor: U/A Duration: 120 mins Studio/presenter: Asian Entertainment Producer: Sachin Pandurang Salunkhe Director: Nitin Dixit Writer: Nitin Dixit Lyrics: na Music: Gandhaar Cinematographer (DOP): Nagaraj M.D. Cast: Adinath Kothare, Mihiresh Joshi, Yash Kulkarni, Sulabha Deshpande, Leena Bhagwat, Sunil Abhyankar, Rashmi Khedekar Movie Review by: Keertikumar Kadam |
In the past, we have seen many famous plays and films, opposing blind faith. Recently, there was a film ‘OMG’ which openly challenged the blind faith. Last week released Hindi film, ‘PK’, was also an advanced version of such a plot. And now, the recent Marathi movie Avatarachi Goshta produced by Sachin Salunkhe and director Nitin Dixit , has also tried to make a comment on superstition & miracles, in today’s advanced world based on science.
Set on the backdrop of a small town in Maharashtra, the film shows two school going friends, Kaustubh (Mihiresh Joshi) and Mangya (Yash Kulkarni), living their normal lives, like other children from small towns. Kaustubh being fond of listening to mythological stories from his Grandmother (Sulabha Deshpande), starts believing that after nine reincarnations of lord Vishnu, he is the chosen one for the tenth reincarnation, to end the miseries of mankind on the earth. Mangya, being a strong believer in Koustubh, supports his belief and both start noticing unusual happennings as miracles. Kausthub also starts believing in his superpowers.
Kaustubh’s family, comprising of mother ( Leena Bhagwat), father (Sunil Abhyankar), Grandmother( Sulabha Deshpande) and adolescent sister Shweta (Rashmi Khedekar), are unaware of this development. When Mangya is convinced that Kaustubh possesses the power of God, he encourages him to jump into a pit. In this attempt, Kaustubh fractures his leg. As a result of which, he turns violent against all family members, including Mangya. At this stage, Amod (Aadinath Kothare) the paying guest living with Kaustubh’s family, plays an important role, explaining Kaustubh the coincidental miracles and rationalizes them with convincing examples. Kausthub too realises the futility of his belief.
The limited story is by Nitin Dixit ( Dhag fame); who also has written the dialogues and screenplay, besides directing the movie. Though his screenplay and dialogues are of high quality, they have limitations due to thin story-line. The film however shows promise, with suitable mythological narration in the opening part and achievements of scientists in the credits in the end. The film has become slower in the interior part. Camerawork by Nagraj Diwakar aptly captures the tone of the story and settings, giving it a real and authentic look. Missing love-angle doesn’t give scope to music by Gandhaar, though the songs are good. However, the background music is far better and does justice to the story telling.
Aadinath looks cute and boyish and has delivered ably, what was expected from him, but he has been wasted in the first half. However, in the second half, director has given his character maximum scope. Also, very cleverly , he has shown the one sided love of Shweta towards Aadinath . Supporting cast is extremely good, with names like, Leena Bhagwat, Sulabha Deshpande, Sunil Abyankar, Aashish Vidhyarthi (special appearance). Child actor, Mihiresh Joshi has a central role, which he manages well by displaying various forms of emotions, through different scenes. He has been ably supported by another child artist Yash Kulkarni.
One thing is for sure that as a script writer Nitin Dixit has done a good job. No wonder, the film has bagged nine awards in various categories, at different popular awards and festivals. But, as a director, he needs to work harder.
Socially aware individuals should join ‘Candle March’
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Rating: ★★★
Studio / Presenter: Chanakya Creations, K4 Enterprises Producers: Anjali Thatte-Gawde, Nilesh Gawde Director: Sachin Deo Writer: Sachin Darekar Director of Photography: Raja Satankar Music Director: Amitraaj Cast: Manva Naik, Smita Tambe, Tejaswini Pandit, Sayali Sahastrabuddhe, Nilesh Diwekar, Ashish Kulkarni, Ashish Patode, Chandrakant Lokare Movie Review by: Keerti Kadam |
In everyone’s life there’s a woman, in the form of a mother, sister, friend, wife. But, sadly enough even in 21st century she becomes a victim of abuse, not only in India but worldwide. Every woman has been gifted by god with a special sense, to distinguish the intention of look and touch of the opposite sex, e.g. touch of love, blessing, affection, and also lust. ‘Candle March’, presented by Chanakya Creations, in association with K4 Enterprises and produced by Anjali & Nilesh Gawde, has handled the subject of sexual exploitation, rape in an effective way.
Sachin Darekar’s story is about the incidents of rapes happening around us. He has used real life incidents like Jalgaon Sex scandal, Delhi gangrape, Shakti mills rape case, in the story to create an impact. Shabana (Smita Tambe) is a woman leading her life in a shanty, with her children and an irritable husband (Nilesh Diwekar), whose passion is booze and beating his wife at the slightest provocation. Vidhya (Manasi Naik) is a journalist working for a TV channel, who faces sexual exploitation at every step in her career from her immediate boss. Anurata (Tejaswini Pandit), a professor of Marathi literature in a college, who accidentally happens to save a gang raped victim. She is a scarred victim in Jalgaon sex scandal. Sakhi (Sayali Sahasrabuddhe) a young collegian, who is a rape victim of an acid attack. The story unfolds through these four protagonists, fighting their individual battles of sexual abuse and all four stories get intermingled in an effective way, for a collective fight against sexual harassment and unrest.
Director, Sachin Deo raises hopes right from the first frame of the movie (a dark black screen and baritone voice of Nana Patekar) and manages to hold on to keep the viewers interested in his sincere storytelling. Though the subject is ‘dark’, serious, he, without indulging in titillation, presents the subject without any gimmicks. Very beautifully he has managed to blend the scenes by ending of one scene turning beginning of the next, with splice. In this woman dominated film of four female performers, the Screenplay is so compact that eaTejaswini Pandit, Actressch scene says something and moves on without lingering even for seconds. Dialogues, which are immensely realistic, is the heart of this movie, speaking volumes in a few words. Music (Amitraaj) and Lyrics (Mandar Cholkar) are the soul of this movie and songs do almost 15-20 scenes worth talking in a hard hitting way, except for a romantic number. Background music is an icing on cake, as it lifts the film to another level. Fabulous use of ‘Aalaaps’ depicting pain, passion, plight, torment, sorrow & a variety of emotions, add value to the scenes.
Manava Naik does justice to her role. Sayali Sahasrabuddhe gets better in second half. Smita Tambe impresses with her instinctive expressive face. Superb underplay and tremendous mental strength on a frail frame characterisation is a big plus from Tejaswini Pandit. In a crowded female cast two actors, who leave their mark impressively, are Nilesh Diwekar and Rajendra Shisatkar (as Inspector). Editing, make-up, costume departments too make their presence felt. And Nana Patekar’s opening lines are a treat to experience.
‘Viti Dandu’ – a weapon against ruthless torture
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Rating: ★★★
Studio / Presenter: Ajay Devgn Films, Raj Radha Films Producer: Leena Deore Director: Ganesh Kadam Writer: Vikas Kadam Director of Photography: Shailesh Awasthi Music Director: Santosh Mulekar Cast: Dilip Prabhavalkar, Ravindra Mankani, Yatin Karyekar, Ashok Samarth, Mrunal Thakur, Nishant Bhavsar, Gowhar Khan, Shubhankar Atre, Radhika Deore Movie Review by: Keerti Kadam |
Winner of recently announced MarathiMovieWorld award for ‘Most Awaited Film’ category, ‘Viti Dandu’, is presented by Ajay Devgn Films and produced under the banner of Raj Radha Films by Leena Deore. Viti Dandu, which is an ancient Indian sport, possibly with origin over 2500 years ago,was a popular sports in India, till 60s and 70s.
The story (writtten by Vikas Kadam) of Viti Dandu is about affection between grandfather Daji and grandson Govind taking place in pre independence era, in a remotest village called Morgaon. Daji (Dilip Prabhavalkar) is a peace loving doting grandfather, always throwing protective wings around his grandson Govind (Nishant Bhavsar), mainly because his only son and daughter in law were killed by merciless British officials cruelly, for their involvement in India’s fight for freedom.
The grandfather bears villager’s taunts of being called ‘chamcha’ of Britishers, because he is worried about his grandson’s future in British Raj. Once, while visiting police station, Govind witnesses villagers getting thrashed by ‘Gora’ ( The name used by a revolutionary played by Ashok Samarth in the film,) and he keeps questioning Daji about it. To divert his mind Daji offers to play Viti Dandu with Govind, who loves playing that immensely. While playing, a strongly hit Viti hits a passerby on head, who happens to be the British officer, killer of Govind’s parents. The officer later dies, after suffering severe head injury, due to losing his balance after a hit. Daji panics and to save Govind from Britisher’s clutches, decides to run away, but seeing innocent villagers being beaten up blue and red, confesses to have committed that crime and gets himself jailed.
Govind unable to digest his grandfather being in jail, decides to rescue him with the help of his friends. They attack police officials with Viti Dandu, and are triumphant in the end ( ‘Bachha’ company will love it). Since it’s a pre independence era around 1943, revolutionary movement is also interwoven in the plot.
Director (Ganesh Kadam) has invested complete first half in environment creation and introductions of various characters. Even though having a thin storyline, the director has tried his best to present a sensible screenplay, till the climax of the film, which looks little filmy. The film has four songs and all of them are good, especially a Bharud song which is well composed (Santosh Mulekar), well choreographed, well photographed. Lyrics score points as they help in the storytelling. Background score excels and is effective without being imposing. Art director and costume department have been successful in creating the right time-period (pre-independence and now). DOP (Shailesh Awasthi) has done an amazing job and has beautifully captured the virgin rural beauty thus creating the right amount of required atmosphere.
Though the two main characters hog majority of the film space, there are presence-felt performances by others, like, Mrunal Thakur, Ravindra Mankani, Ashok Samarth. Yatin Karyekar is impactful in revolutionary’s role of Usmanbhai. Child actors Nishant Bhavsar, Shubhankar Atre and Radhika Devre has done a splendid job and wins hearts with his innocence. And, last but not the least, Dilip Prabhavalkar (winner of Best Actor award, announced by MarathiMovieWorld) has time and again been proving his versatility, doesn’t fail you this time too, showing different facets of the character with right amount of emotions.
All in all, a neat, clean movie, with picturesque locations and of course, Bollywood superstar Ajay Devgn as presenter.
‘Elizabeth Ekadashi’ a creative film with a difference
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Rating: ★★★ ½
Studio / Presenter: Essel Vision, Mayasabha Productions Producers:Nittin Keni, Nikhil Sane & Madhugandha Kulkarni Director: Paresh Mokashi Writer: M adhugandha Kulkarni Director of Photography: Amol Gole Music Director: Anand Modak Cast: Shrirang Mahajan, Saili Bhandarkavthekar, Pushkar Lonarkar, Nandita Dhuri, Vanmala Kinikar, Chaitanya Badve, Durgesh Badve – Mahajan, Chaitanya Kulkarni, Ashwini Bhalekar, Anil Kamble Movie Review by: Sanskruti Bhatkar |
Director Paresh Mokashi’s first film ‘Harishchandrachi Factory’ was acclaimed nationally as well as internationally and had won many prestigious awards. He has now returned back after a gap of five years, with his second creative film ‘Elizabeth Ekadashi’, which has all the qualities of the world cinema and also has the local feel. This film neither has a regular ‘formula’ of a hero, heroine and villain, nor has a love story between boy and a girl.
The name of the film itself creates curiosity in the minds of the viewers. The three main characters in the film are little children, who are passionate and determined to save their bicycle ‘Elizabeth’. The whole movie has been picturized in Pandhapur, against the backdrop of Ekadashi Vaari, with the real people of Pandharpur and the devotees around.
‘Elizabeth Ekadashi’ , is a story of Dnyanesh (child artist Shrirang Mahajan) and Zendu (Saili Bhandarkavthekar) who are staying in Pandharpur, with their mother (Nandita Dhuri) grandmother (Vanamala Kinikar) and friends Ganya and Kalpit . Dnyanesh is a bright student of his school, who is fascinated with the theories of well-known scientist Isaac Newton and performs ‘Kirtan’s on ‘Saint’ Newton, which is liked by the local people. His family financially struggles a lot after the death of his father. As his mother is not able to pay the loan installments, the bank takes away her Knitting Machine, the source of her earnings; to be returned only after payment of some installments. The family struggles to collect the money for payment to the bank. Dnyanesh who is very fond of ‘Elizabeth’, the bicycle made by his father, strives hard to save her from getting sold, with the help of his sister Zendu and his friends.
Presented by Essel Vision Productions Ltd and Mayasabha, the producers of this film are: Nittin Keni, Nikhil Sane and Madhugandha Kulkarni. The story is written by Madhugandha Kulkarni, who has written the script of TV serial ‘Honar Soon Mi Ya Gharachi’. The screenplay and dialogues are jointly written by Paresh Mokashi and Madhugandha Kulkarni, who happen to be a husband and wife pair. Paresh Mokashi has also written the songs, while the music has been rendered by late Shri Anand Modak. Brilliant Camera work by Amol Gole, suitable costumes designed by Chaitali Dongre, and editing by Abhijit Deshpande have added to the quality of the film.
Best part of this film are the fine performances by all the artistes. For stage artist Nandita Dhuri, it has been a good opportunity, to display her talent, while all the three child artistes Shrirang Mahajan, Saili Bhandarkavthekar, Pushkar Lonarkar have played their roles, remarkably well. The film’s screenplay has universal values, taking into account the struggle of the family, in absence of the head of the family, to keep the fire burning in their house. The film carries a strong message for children of all age group as well as elders. This film is likely to win many awards and is a ‘must watch’ for children and parents alike.
‘Pyar Vali Love Story’ turns ‘A 1992 Love Story’
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Rating: ★★ ½
Studio / Presenter: Dreaming TwentyFour Seven, Cinema Company India and STV Producers: Inder Raj Kapoor, Rekha Jayant Joshi, Deepak Pandurang Rane Director: Sanjay Jadhav Writer: Sanjay Jadhav DOP: Prasad Bhende Music Director: Amitraj, Pankaj Padghan, Samir Saptiskar Cast: Swapnil Joshi, Sai Tamhankar, Urmila Kanetkar-Kothare, Upendra Limye, Sameer Dharmadhikari, Chinmay Mandlekar Movie Review by: Ulhas Shirke |
Few years ago we saw a Hindi movie ‘1942 A Love Story’, wherein we witnessed an impressive musical love story, taking place in the midst of India’s fight for independence. Similarly, in the latest released new Marathi film ‘Pyar Vali Love Story’ , produced by Inder Raj Kapoor, Rekha Jayant Joshi, Deepak Pandurang Rane, we find a musical love story, which is set on the backdrop of 1992 communal riots in Mumbai.
The film takes you on the sets of two ‘chawls’ supposed to be located somewhere in Mumbai. Both these chawls are shown adjacent to each other, one having Hindu and the other having Muslim inhabitants. Aalia (Sai Tamhankar), stays with her parents (Ila Bhate, Nagesh Bhosale) and her brother Kaderbhai (Upendra Limaye), who indulges in street fights at a slightest provocation. But, he always has the strong support of his die hard Hindu friend ‘Pashya’ (Sameer Dharmadhikari). Then there’s a foul mouthed, but still lovable, Nandini (Urmila Kanetkar-Kothare), who is in love with Pashyabhai , and wants to marry him. Kaderbhai, who treats her as his sister, supports her. And soon we see the marriage of Pashyabhai and Nandini taking place.
Amar, (Swapnil Joshi), Pashya’s younger brother, who comes down to Mumbai for the wedding , coincidentally meets his love interest, Aalia, and it is love at first sight for him. Just when romance is budding between them, we notice a twist. Aalia’s father (a police constable) fixes her ‘Nikaah’ with his boss, police inspector, Alam, (Chinmay Mandlekar), who accidentally gets killed on the ‘Nikaah’ day. Kaderbhai suspects, it as a deliberate act by Amar, as he is aware of Amar’s affair with his sister.
Kaderbhai vows to take revenge, which necessitates enmity with his best friend Pashya. In the meantime, Amar and Aliya run away from this riot affected place and take shelter elsewhere. And that widens the enmity between kaderbhai and Pashyabhai. Finally, all of them assemble at one place for the concluding dramatic scene of the film.
The story by Sanjay Jadhav is simple, with a clear intention of presenting intense love story. The Screenplay of the film sometimes gets wobbly, but dialogues are noticeably brilliant at some points. Most of the dialogues are in Hindi, without hampering the process of story telling. Violin pieces used in the background music try to generate romantic atmosphere. The music director trio AmitRaj, Pankaj Padgham, Samir Saptiskar, have tried to make this film more musical; but, only one song ‘Jara jara..’ is impressive. Cinematographer Prasad Bhende has cleverly captured the essence of the 90s. Art direction of Manohar Jadhav is not so impressive, as the sets of the film look average and artificial.
Director Sanjay Jadhav has given a treatment to this film, like any other Hindi commercial movie ,by packing romance, drama, emotions, comedy, fights, song and dance routines, all together. Ila Bhate, Nagesh Bhosale, Chinmay Mandlekar, Sameer Dharmadhikari, have done their jobs effectively. Upendra Limaye should have toned down his facial tissue movements. Urmila Kanetkar-Kothare has turned a scene stealer in the first half. Sai Tamhankar has an exhilarating screen presence and with each film she is turning out to be a still better performer. Swapnil Joshi can easily be called Shahrukh Khan of Marathi films, given the number of romantic films he is featuring in. He has done a swell job using the right amount of emotions.
‘Dr. Prakash Baba Amte – The Real Hero’ is a well presented Biopic
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Rating: ★★★ ½
Genre: Drama, Biopic Producers: Samruoddhi Cine World, Golden Globe Director: Adv. Samruoddhi Porey DOP: Mahesh Aney Studio / Presenter: Essel Vision Music: Rahul Ranade, Aniruddha Wankar Cast: Nana Patekar, Sonali Kulkarni, Dr. Mohan Agashe, Tejashri Pradhan, Sushant Kakade, Bharat Ganeshpure, Ashish Chougule, Vinod Raut Movie Review by: Keerti Kadam |
Each one of us have fantasised about superheroes, some time or the other, as a child or as an adult, to tide over our difficulties in life. A selfless person, whom we may call a social worker, actually has been working for the welfare of tribals in Maharashtra, who were living in inhuman conditions. Son of social activist Baba Amte, who throughout his life worked for rehabilitating people, suffering from leprosy, Dr. Prakash Murlidhar Amte, is a living example of Superhero. Advocate Samruoddhi Porey, national award winning director has come out with a biopic on Dr. Prakash Baba Amte.
Baba Amte (Dr. Mohan Aagashe), who set up ‘Aanandvan’ for rehabilitation of leprosy stricken patients/people, who could not afford medical treatment, takes his family for a picnic to ‘Hemalkasa’, and his elder son, Prakash, gets intrigued by seeing the plight of tribals there. Baba Amte wanted to set up facilitation centre there, but Prakash, a medico by profession, volunteers to go to Hemalkasa for the same, knowing fully well, about hardships to be faced and giving up luxuries of comfortable life. Dr. Manda (Sonali Kulkarni), newly married wife of Dr. Prakash Amte ( Nana Patekar), readily agrees to accompany him, in spite of hailing from a well to do family. In dense forest, infested by Naxalites, neglected by government authorities, they set up, with the help of few dependable associates, a medical centre in huts, where they choose to reside too. Difficulties galore like non-communication; due to alien language, age old tribal customs. But, these super human beings, bring these ‘Aadivasis’ to mainstream and even treat wild animals, as part of their family.
A salute to the producers, for presenting this true story in the form of a mainstream cinema. Thanks to Director for handling this sensible subject with sincerity and maturity. The screenplay, with true life incidents is compact and does not keep lingering. Dialogues are the backbone of this script and lift it to another level. They throw light on realities with subtle humour interspersed. Incidentally, each scene says something, to make you think and that’s a plus. The director is successful in maintaining the required pace in storytelling and with some witty dialogues, this serious subject doesn’t become boring. Music (Rahul Ranade, Aniruddha Wankar) has little importance, but is apt and doesn’t halt the pace of the film. Background score is noteworthy, creating required impact. Cinematography (Mahesh Aney) is engrossing with different angles capturing raw forest beauty. Dr. Mohan Aagashe has convincingly portrayed Baba Amte. Sonali Kulkarni has rendered a sterling performance as Dr. Manda, wife of Dr. Prakash Amte. A loving wife, mother, doctor, caretaker, supporter of husband’s every decision, she moves through the frames with utmost ease.
Nana Pateker as Dr. Prakash Baba Amte towers above everyone and is outstanding. His empowering portrayal of Dr Prakash Amte is, as if he is conveying his own story. To act simple is the most difficult thing and Nana does it explicitly. He has fiddled with humour in an expansive way so that seriousness doesn’t overpower the scenes. He is so perfect. This can be termed as one of his best performances.
All superficial superheroes make way, The Real Hero is here, Dr. Prakash Baba Amte.