‘Jhing Chik Jhing’ – finds solution to Farmer’s Issues
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Rating: na
Production: Cogito Entertainment (I) Production Producers: Shishir Kulkarni, Shireesh Raut, Harini Kalmur, Pushpank Gawde Story, Screenplay, Dialogues, Director: Nitin Nandan Camera: Amlendu Chaudhary Editing: Raj Surve Lyrics: Shreerang Godbole Music: Rahul Ranade Cast: Bharat Jadhav, Dilip Prabhavalkar, Madhavi Juvekar, Sanjay Mone, Chinmay Kambli, Arti More Movie Review by: Sandeep Hattangadi |
Many films have been made on the pathetic state of farmers in Maharashtra, but Nitin Nandan’s ‘Jhing Chik Jhing’ is a fine piece of cinema that throws light on the burning issue. The film not only highlights the reasons behind farmer’s suicides but also offers a solution to the problem.
Mouli Bhoir(Bharat Jadhav) is a small Vidharba farmer, who has two acres of not so fertile land but tries hard to get out of the debt trap by growing cotton which is not of good quality and which he has to sell to the co-operative sector for a far lesser price, which hardly suffices the daily square meal for him and his family- wife(Madhavi Juvekar) , daughter (Arti More) and son Shyam (Chinmay Kambli).
Shyam is a bright boy, but circumstances and poverty make him a rebel. His teacher (Sanjay Mone) has high hopes from him and encourages him to think positive in life and achieve his ambition to become a big man like a doctor. But his father’s debts land them in dire straits and the creditors make things difficult for them to survive. The mortgage on his house and land forces Mouli to take the drastic step of committing suicide by poisoning the entire family.
But, the children overhear the plan of their parents and like the ‘Children of Heaven (Majid Majidi) style try to gather the Rs.10,000 needed to square the debts off. Shyam enters into the sack race competition at school sports, which promises him a prizes worth Rs.10,000(which is actually Rs.1000 for the event) but Shyam unaware of this, tries hard and wins the race.
His sister too tries to borrow money from a boy who loves her, but fails. Shyam at the prize distribution ceremony refuses to accept his prize of Rs.1000 and demands Rs.10,000 in front of the entire school and the local leader.
The leader kindly lends an ear to Shyam’s parents suicide pact and with the help of the philanthropist (Dilip Prabhavalkar) in the village admonishes Shyam’s parents and promises them to lend money and government support for organic farming, which is the only answer for a good crop.
The film ends on a happy note but making the viewers shed tears at the sad state of the farmer, who is a victim of the vicious circle of the lender and the due interest.
It is a pity that in our country, the farmer, who provides food to the needy people remains hungry himself and is at the mercy of banks, money lenders, marketing co-operatives, and false claims of insecticide providers.
The performances in the film and the direction has been lauded universally, especially the young Chinamay Kambli who is a natural and exceptionally brilliant and Bharat Jadhav, who was earlier known only for his comic antics. His serious portrayal in the film is an eye opener and he rightly deserved the State Best Actor Award. Madhavi Juvekar as his wife Manda is amazing.Aarti More as the daughter gives a good account of herself. Dilip Prabhavalkar as the ‘kavi cum organic farmer’ is effective. Sanjay Mone’s cameo is clap worthy. Uday Sabis is menacing. The other parts in the film fit the bill. Amalendu Chowdhary’s cinematography is rightly subdued without any brightly lit frames or colors or any razzle dazzle angles. The camera follows the protagonists Shyam and Mouli.
The music by Rahul Ranade is in tune with the mood of the film and the lyrics by Shrirang Godbole are in good verse. The editor Raj Surve deserves a mention for the smooth transitions. In all, ‘Jhing Chik Jhing’ is a good film.
‘Pratisaad- The Response’ holds on to the truth
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Rating: na
Producers: Dr. Vijaysinha Amarsinha Nikam Co-Producers: Dr. Suchitra Nikam, Dr. Manish Nikam Ex-Producers: Y. D. G. Films ( Amey Lagwankar ) Director: Yogesh Dattataraya Gosavi Concept: Dr. Amarsinha Nikam Screenplay: Gautam – Tejas Music: Rohit Nagbhide Cast: Sandeep Kulkarni, Kishore Kadam, Neelam Shirke, Anand Alkunte, Siddheshwar Zadbuke, Jayant Savarkar, Suneel Tawade, Pragati Joshi, Nlilambari, Pratibha Date… Movie Review by: Ulhas Shirke |
‘The tongue has no bone and it wiggles more against the celebrities than the common man.’ The more you are popular and a celebrity, you are bound to be targeted by your opponents by way of criticism. This is a common observation and the success of homeopathy treatment and their practicing doctors are no exception to such controversies.
Today, Marathi films are coming up with new ideas based on realities in life and the audience is ready for it. ‘Pratisaad-The Response’ the latest released film has come out with a revolutionary theme, which has been converted into a full length feature film by director Yogesh Dattatray Gosavi. In fact, it is the first film in the world on the backdrop of Homeopathy treatment and its success. Moreover, the film is based on a real life story of practicing Homeopath – Dr. Vijaysinha Amarsinha Nikam, who is also the producer of this film.
In the film, Dr. Aditya ( Sandeep Kulkarni) , a leading Homeopathy practitioner with his full fledged hospital, is challenged by a phone call in the midst of a live TV interview series. The caller – Sarjerao (Kishore Kadam) accuses him of using fraudulent means of treatment and the TV host on the suggestion of his Programme producer, flares up the issue by asking Dr. Aditya to react on the media reports quoting Homeopathy as ‘fake science’. Needless to say that the media furore follows, giving a new twist to this debate for higher TRP’s..
The law soon steps in and you find a Police officer investigating the case, on a complaint received from Sarjerao. In comes Ms. Renu( Neelam Shirke) posing herself as Journalist and she too carries her investigation, much to the satisfaction of the doctor, who at that point is feeling dejected by such allegations, in spite of his sincerity to his profession. His motivation at that stage is also his better half (Nilambari) who keeps on reminding him that ‘Truth always wins’. Finally, Dr. Aditya wins his battle, when Ms. Renu reveals the truth in a climax, during the second part of the live TV show.
The overall effort of the director to present this theme has been good. Very cleverly, he has tried to focus on the Doctor-Patient relationship i.e. more than treating the disease, the medicine treats the patient. The screenplay also highlights the role played by a committed doctor to convince effectively the close relative of the patient and that is the real strength of the film. After all, it is the attitude of the patient’s relatives that is to be handled well. However, in this film, in spite of his best efforts, the doctor fails to convince an adamant Sarjerao, for obvious reasons, which are disclosed at the end of the film.
‘Pratisaad-the Response’ is a path breaking film, which not only creates awareness about the treatment of Homeopathy but also goes beyond the traditional therapy, revealing certain facts. Sandeep Kulkarni as Dr. Aditya is very impressive. Watching his emotions in that climax scene at the TV studio, while admitting how much of faith his wife had in him, clearly proves his class. Kishore Kadam, another talented actor has supported him well in the role of Sarjero. Neelam Shirke as Ms. Renu, does an excellent job, with a good support coming from other artistes. All the hospital scenes have been captured well. One background song has been used at the appropriate place. Editing work is satisfactory. Photography is good, but there are too many close ups in the film and those repeatedly used are of the male TV host for no particular reason. Barring that lapse, the film is well presented with the hope of getting international recognition for dealing effectively with an universal theme.
‘Target’ designed for youth audience
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Rating: na
Producer: Jagdish Unecha, Rakesh Unech Presenter: J. K. Movies Director: Vivek Gore,. Rajesh Kolam Camera: Sandeep Patil Choreographer: Umesh Jadhav Music: Abhijeet Kawthalkar, Jeetendra Kulkarni Cast: Sanjay Narvekar, Ankush Chaudhari, Siddharth Jadhav, Swapnil Joshi, Kranti Deddkar,Tejaswini Pandit, Smita Gondkar, Vinay Apate, Sanjay More Movie Review by: Sandeep |
J. K. Movies new marathi film ‘Target’ is an action filled political thriller with a dose of youth angst. The story is about five idle friends Sanjubhai (Sanjay Narvekar) who thinks he is a ‘bhai’, Anky(Ankush Chowdhary) a builder’s son, who is a skirt chaser, Swapnil(Swapnil Joshi) -politician Vishwasrao’s (Vinay Apte’s) son, who is disillusioned with his father, the Home Minister of the state finding no time for his family,Sattar( Siddharth Jadhav)- a meat shop owner’s son with a penchant for the handycam and Paddy (Bhushan Kadu) -a pizza delivery boy.
These boys become friends with three girls played by Kranti Redkar, Tejaswini Pandit and Smita Gondkar after a lot of minor tiffs. Once, they attend a rave party in a farmhouse in a jungle, where a cop (Vivekanand Gore) tries to arrest Swapnil for drugs possession but then all the friends run helter shelter in the jungle and then they see a child sacrifice being performed in the jungle and then chance upon another boy who is kidnapped.
They rescue him but the bad guys are after them and whether they survive in the jungle and get the villains into jail and solve the ‘sacrifice’ mystery is the plot of the film.
The film moves at a brisk speed once the characters are established and the adventures captured in the jungle are really thrilling. Director duo Vivekanand Gore and Rajesh Kolan give the film a kind of ‘LOST’ series look and those umpteen teen campus drive-in movies that were a rage in the US in the 80’S. The political angle is a much repeated track.
The performances by the artistes are good, especially Kranti Redkar and Sanjay Narvekar. Swapnil Joshi plays a serious type of role with conviction. The cinematography by Sandeep Patil is slick, especially the jungle sequences. Cameos by Vinay Apte and Sanjay Mone are impressive. The item number by Manasi Naik was unnecessary.The music by Jeetendra Kulkarni and Abhijeet Kavthalkar is not up-to the mark.
The editor Sarvesh Parab could have used more pace in the first half. In all, the film will appeal to the youth and is good for a lazy evening hangout, when you need the air-conditioned ambience of a multiplex.
‘Kon Aahe Re Tikde ’- offers good entertainment
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Rating: na
Presenter: Cat n Mouse Entertainment Pvt. Ltd., Abhay Shevade Production: Ambika Pictures, Dipak Bhosale Director: Tanagi Ghadge Story, Screenplay, Dialogues, Lyrics: Arvind Jagtap Music: Chinaar Mahesh Camera: Surendra Sinh Cast: Dr. Mohan Agashe, Subodh Bhave, Sharad Ponkshe, Sunil Godse, Mangesh Saatpute, Smita Tambe, Arun Kadam, Mangesh Desai, Shubhangi Gokhale, Hemangi Kavi, Bharat Ganeshpure… Movie Review by: Sandeep Hattangadi |
Marathi films are known for their comedy content but very few films can be really called total entertainers filled with comedy. However, Cat –N-Mouse Entertainment’s ‘Kon Aahe Re Tikade’ is a zany comedy which can be termed as one in the category of good entertainment.
The story of the film revolves around Shirke family, who still live in the kingly eras of the Maratha history. The chief of the family- Jhunjharrao Shirke (Dr.Mohan Agashe) is one such ‘historical’ monument who is fighting with the authorities and his step brother Balasaheb(Sharad Ponkshe) to regain control of ‘Veergad fort’ which he considers as his family possession. Jhunjararao has already spent a fortune on lawyers and his ancestral property is dwindling and so is their royal lavish lifestyle with only one servant- Kumar (Bharat Ganeshpure) who is paid by the Shirkes with pieces of their land and other princely objects like the royal sword, in return of his services.
Jhunjararao has one son- Malhahrrao(Subodh Bhave), who is an artiste(a painter) and is a happy go lucky person. But, his father has vowed not to arrange his marriage until he gets ‘Veergad’ back.
But, Fate intervenes and Malhararo falls in love with Devaki (Hemangi Kavi) at a marriage ceremony of her brother. They promptly get into bed before marriage and within a month Devaki declares that she is pregnant. What follows thereafter is a roller-coaster of amusement with every character in the film misunderstanding the other. The real pregnant person, however remaining a mystery, which finally turns into a ‘comedy of errors’
Devaki’s father(Mohan Joshi), their maid Savita (Smita Tambe), her politician brother Udayrao (Mangesh Desai) and his wife (Suhas Paranjape) are all part of this drama and most of the comedy part is situation based with funny dialogues .
The film is ably directed by Tanaji Ghadge and is well scripted by Arvind Jagtap. The performances are good from all, with Dr.Mohan Agashe putting in a stellar performance as Jhunjarrao Shirke. The shy but flexible Malharrao Shirke has been portrayed in his own style by Subodh Bhave. Hemangi Kavi looks simple but good and acts well. Mangesh Desai, Mohan Joshi, Smita Tambe,Sharad Ponkshe, Bharat Ganeshpure , Suhas Paranjape, support well. Shubhangi Gokhale as Mrs.Shirke is impressive. Arun Kadam as a watchman and Vijay Patwardan as a doctor, are hilarious cameos.
The title song is sung well by Hrishikesh Kamerkar and composed well by Chinar-Mahesh. The cinematography by Surendra Singh is brightly lit with the interiors of the ‘wada’ and the ‘fort’ captured well. The editing by Rupesh Patole succeeds in the film, to get that required momentum for the film. In all, this film is a good entertainer.
Marathi Film Anandi Anand Review
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Rating: na
Presenter: Phenomenal Group Producers: N. K. Shih Director: Purushottam Berde Story & Screenplay : Purushottam Berde Lyrics: Sandeep Khare Music: Dr. Salil Kulkarni Cast: Anandraj, Priya Bapat, Rajan Tamhane, Latika Gore, Chinmay Kolhatkar, Vikram Gokhale, Suhas Joshi, Mohan Joshim, Vandana Gupte, Mangesh Desai, Paddy Kamble, Akshya Bhingarde, Sumit Pawar, Swamini Wadkar Movie Review by: Ulhas Shirke |
‘Anandi Anand’ directed by Purushottam Berde is now running into fourth week in Mumbai and that certainly invites the attention of those who missed this film during the first three weeks after its release that almost coincided with big banner Hindi films. It is a simple tale of a young girl Anandi – a college drop out; who prefers to live with her Grandparents in a picturesque village in Konkan, rather than migrating to US with her parents. The reason being simple; she does not approve the present system of education and also hates the modern city lifestyle. Instead, she prefers to educate herself with traditional values from her grandparents, learning music and spending most of her time with nature along with a group of few friends in the neighborhood.
When time comes closer for her arranged marriage to a US returned youngster – son of a music company owner, she flatly refuses the proposal; but, at the request of her beloved grand parents, she agrees to marry this boy on certain conditions. The boy, who is highly impressed by her voice, is very keen on using the same for his next assignment. After marriage, Anandi moves to Mumbai. But, the nature loving girl, not happy with city environment, goes into depression and is advised to return back to her village, on the advice of the doctor. With few moments of ups and downs, she finally sings for her husband’s own music album. With happy ending, Anandi and Anand reunite. Priya Bapat, Vikram Gokhale, Suhas Joshi in Anandi Anand
Director Purushottam Berde, has paid more attention to show the contrast between a busy city lifestyle and a village with natural beauty. How could a person used to living a free bird’s life in an open environment, be happy in a cage type of flat system? He has specifically hinted at the life within four closed walls, restricted to dinner table and television. Also the excessive noise and air pollution on the streets, which would annoy any peace loving person, has been shown in a tricky manner. There are other similar issues, he has tried to emphasize through the film’s script. But, he has used an outdated ploy to show Anandi and her friends harassing and scaring Anand and his friend, during their first visit to their village. Barring such few scenes, the film has been presented well.
Magnificent Outdoor photography at beautiful locations of Konkan, particularly Pawas & Mhavalange off Ratnagiri; supported by good music by Dr. Salil Kulkarni, adds extra flavour to the film’s script. Priya Bapat as Anandi is highly impressive as she gets a lifetime role Playing the central character. Very good support comes from popular co artistes like Vikram Gokhale, Suhas Joshi ( who play her Grandparents), Mohan Joshi, Vandana Gupte, Rajan Tamhane, Comedians – Mangesh Desai, Paddy and others. The hero- newcomer Anandraj, however is a mismatch into the cast. Moreover, in the company of all versatile actors around, he was only exposed, though he wasn’t that bad. It is surprising that the director with solid stage background, could not find a newcomer suited for that role of a foreign returned youngster; if at all they wanted a newcomer. If there was any other talented youngster in his place, the film would have been a hit, with the help of other positive points.
Realistic but incomplete ‘Wavtal’
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Rating: na
Presenter: Aragade DS Entertainment Producer: Balasaheb Argade-Patil Exe. Producer: Nitin DInkar Shelar Director: Shivaji Lotan Patil Story: Anant Samant Screenplay, Dialogues: Nitin Dixit Cast: Ashok Samarth, Tejaswini Pandit, Vinay Apate, Mukesh Tiwari Movie Review by: Ulhas Shirke |
Marathi films are opting for more and more realistic and bolder subjects, which is certainly a welcome change. The latest released film ‘Wavtal’ has been shot on the backdrop of post Babri Masjid demolition riots, that rocked Mumbai. Based on the novel ‘K-5’ written by Anant Samant, ‘Wavtal’ narrates the tragic tale of a newly married housewife, who becomes a victim of the sudden break out of violence in Mumbai.
Ms. Mankar (Tejaswini Pandit) is on a visit to Mumbai along with her husband from Konkan district of Maharashtra and the couple arrive as guests at CM’s bungalow. Needless to mention that her father in law and CM are having their close political connection. After the check up at a clinic, while the couple is returning back home, their car travels through the lane affected by riots and they are attacked by a group of terrorists who beat up the husband and kill the driver. Ms. Mankar is abducted by the leader of the attackers- Rehmat Khan (Mukesh Tiwari) who takes her to his hideout and uses her as his keep. He tortures her so much by inflicting injuries on her feet that she is restricted to bed only for his sexual pleasures.
When Rehmat Khan plans all his terrorist activities with the help of influential people in public life, the helpless woman is a mute witness. She does make an attempt to escape with the courtesy extended by the servant who attends to her, but she does not succeed.. When the pre plan of major riots is foiled by the police, with raids carried out all over Mumbai, Rehmat khan manages to flee to Pakistan leaving behind Ms. Mankar in the custody of his colleagues, who are advised to bring her along with them via Rajasthan border . Ms.Mankar who is carrying the child of Rehmat Khan in her womb, delivers the baby at the hideout of terrorists in a remote border village of Rajasthan.It is only when a Border security force team led by K-5( Ashok Samarth) on a tip off from a villager, raid their hideout and kill all four terrorists, she is rescued and brought to the camp hospital.
Then begins the formality to make her speak about the terrorists with whom she lived almost for a year. Ms. Mankar agrees to reveal everything only in presence of the hero who rescues her. So the Commandant ( Vinay Apte) persuades the commando K-5 and gets all the information from the woman. When the time comes for the woman to return home, the Commandant receives a letter from her father-in-law about their inability to accept her. He also receives an order from his chief to send the woman to a rehabilitation centre at Delhi. K-5 who is proceeding on leave to his home town, is given the job to drop her at Delhi . But, he takes her to her home only to remind her father-in law about his duty. But, when he sees no hope, he himself proposes her to accompany him to his own house.
The film ends with happy ending, which is predictable but it fails to fulfill the desire of Ms. Mankar who while talking to K-5 expresses her last wish to kill Rehmat Khan. And that wish remains unfulfilled, as being a helpless woman she cannot on her own take up a battle for the head of a terrorist who shatters her life. Instead, she has to satisfy herself for having got the most courageous man to support her and her child in the rest of her life.
Produced by Balasaheb Argade- Patil and directed by Shivaji Patil, the film does succeed in creating a realistic horrifying incident in the life of a woman but nowhere in the film her character is offered the courage to defend herself. The film only narrates the pathetic tale of a woman instead of inspiring the audience. At one point of time, the director does give an indication that she may once again come across Rehmat Khan while she and k-5 are shown waiting at the deserted platform in Rajasthan village, to board the train. It would have been better, if the film had shown his return and K-5 killing him in the climax.
Looking at the performances of the artistes, they have all done well. But, the script has given more importance to Ashok Samarth playing K-5. His interactions with his Commandant – Vinay Apte and the woman’s father –in-law Sunil Shende, clearly indicate the importance given to this character. There is no doubt that he has played his role well. Mukesh Tiwari’s character has also been given unnecessary importance for all those cruel acts. Tejaswini Pandit has given a wonderful performance but her character is shown helpless throughout the film. The technical areas of the film are well managed. Photography is too good, especially the locations shot in Rajasthan. Background sound effect is also good. There is not much scope for music but the background score is good in few sequences. The film is realistic, well presented but still looks incomplete.
‘Irada Pakka’ – One more brainchild of Kedar Shinde
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Rating: na
Production: Meghe Entrtainment Pvt. Ltd. Director: Kedar Shinde Screenplay: Nimish datt Dialogues: Iravati Karnik Lyrics: Ashvini Shende Music: Nilesh Moharir Cast: Siddharth Jadhav, Sonalee, Mohan Joshi, Smita Jaikar, Kamlakar Satpute, Shalaka Pawar… Movie Review by: Kashmira Pawaskar |
In today’s busy lifestyle the main problem with most of the married couples is the ‘communication gap’, which creates lot of issues in their life. This is one of the common reasons why divorce rates are increasing day by day. And this is what Kedarh Shinde is trying to explain the audiences through his new light hearted romantic comedy movie ‘Irada Pakka’.
It’s a story about a couple Rohit (Siddharth Jadhav) who owns a Software Company and Aadhya (Sonalee Kulkarni) a pre-school teacher. They are bored of having their married life being very goody -goody with full of love and romance. And so one fine day they decide to fight with each other for a week, so that they could add a little spice into their life. This spice gets too hot after a week’s time, as they get into trouble by fighting continuously. This ultimately leads to a situation, where both of them actually decide to go for divorce. So the story is pushed till the end, to show how they come out of this trouble to be a happy couple.
The beginning of the movie is inspired by the opening scene lifted from a successful Hollywood movie ‘Mr.and Mrs Smith.’ It does create suspense in the minds of viewers who are surprised to see this kind of scene in a comedy flick. Some part of the film even reminds of Kedarh‘s previous film ‘Yenda kartvya Aahe’, which also has a similar story revolving around newly married couple. But, as predicted, it’s totally Kedarh’s movie. The movie can be very well remembered for its amazing cinematography, especially used during the songs.
Siddharth Jadhav has worked very hard and has given full justice to the role with the support of Sonalee Kulkarni, whose character of being a lovely innocent wife, makes a notion. The other characters of the movie have also given their best. They are : Smita Jaykar as Aadhya’s divorced and independent mother , Kamlakar Sathputhe who plays the role of a ‘bhai’and Mohan Joshi as Aadhya’s father.
Music for this film is provided by a young duo Nilesh Moharir & Pankaj Pushkar and their song ‘Bhijun Gela Vara’ leaves behind good impression. The USP of the film is a song at the end of the film, featuring 21 celebrities with Ramdas Padhye, Atmaram Bhende, Shreyas Talpade & others on the Lyrics by Ashwini Shende & Sumati Wankhede. Also the art direction is superior, in comparison to other marathi movies.
‘Second Inning’ mocks the existing system
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Rating: na
Presenter: Naani Film Production Producers: Mohan Parab, Rasik Salla Director: Mohan Parab Story & Screenplay: Mohan Parab Cast: Madhav Abhyankar, Sunil Godbole, Vidyadhar Joshi, Shashikant Gandhe, Mahesh Udeshi, Dinesh Hingu, Savita Malapekar, Ashok Shinde, Jyoti Joshi, Kamalesh Sawant, Master Jay Parab Movie Review by: Ulhas Shirke |
We are all aware of the worsening law and order situation in our country. More so, our TV news and newspapers have been updating us about the Politician- criminal nexus and helpless attitude of our Police department, when it comes to offering justice to common man. Over and above that our Judicial procedure takes somewhere between 5 to 20 years to decide over a case. Such court battles can even take few more years, if the convict appeals to higher court. In the recent past we witnessed a sensational Bollywood film ‘Wednesday’ throwing light on a similar situation, giving a clear hint as to what may happen if a common man takes the law into his own hands out of frustration.
‘Second Inning’ a marathi film from the makers of ‘Shwaas’ has also tried to show the power of well educated senior citizens, when it comes to taking on the corrupt system. It is a simple theme, but handled very effectively in an action packed thriller. After watching a crime taking place in front of their eyes, a group of well educated senior citizens unite together and lodge a complaint against a criminal turned politician at the Police station. However, experiencing the hand in glove game involving Politician-Police- Criminal nexus, they get into an act to mock the corrupt system. How they implement their plan is all that film maker Mohan Parab has presented through this sensible film. Now, whether it is a mockery of our system, only the intelligent audience can decide.
The film initially begins with a casual approach with opening sequences, introducing few characters and their links with each other during morning walk at a park. But, one sudden happening in the screenplay, gives a complete twist to the script. The director has intelligently used the central character of Mr. Sadashiv Gore, a retired judge (Madhav Abhyankar) to lead this group of protagonists with a mission. He is provided support of the characters like Doctors and other experts in their respective fields. There is no point in revealing the modus operandi, but their courageous act certainly inspires the audience from all age groups to come in the open and fight injustice; be it corruption at public places, threats issued by local goons or terrorist activities taking place in your city.
‘Second Inning’ has been released all over Maharashtra, including Mumbai along with two other films involved in heavy publicity. But, the makers of ‘Second Inning’ strongly believe in their creation and hence are banking on ‘word of mouth’ publicity. During the past month, they had arranged special shows for NGO’s and social workers as part of their promotion campaign to create awareness about the existing reality in the society. In fact, this film is a good lesson to learn for politicians and law makers, to understand the power of common man. Today, the common man has already one tool in the form of Right to Information Act and if this is supported by the methodology adopted by Mr. Sadashiv Gore in this film , it will surely open the eyes of our law makers.
Mohan Parab, who produced a sensible film like ‘Shwaas’, has directed this film very well. Madhav Abhyankar plays the retired judge turned Robinhood, exceptionally well. All others in the cast have supported well, including Dinesh Hingoo, who makes a special appearance. There are many real life characters in the film who speak in Hindi and Gujarathi, though the film is in Marathi. In all, ‘Second Inning’ is an eye opener.
‘Kshanbhar Vishranti ’- A friendly romantic film!
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Rating: na
Presenter: Shree Autographs Films Producers: Sandeep Shinde, Maulik Bhat Story & Director: Sachit Patil Camera: Sanjay Jadhav Lyrics: Guru Thakur Music: Hrishikesh Kamerkar Cast: Bharat Jadhav, Sachit Patil, Siddharth Jadhav, Sonalee, Maanava Naik, Pooja Sawant, Kadambari Kadam… Movie Review by: Sandeep Hattangadi |
Sachit Patil’s ‘Kshanbhar Vishranti’ is a Marathi version of Farhan Akhtar’s classic ‘Dil Chahta Hai’ based on friends, with the setting changed from Goa to Alibag. Ritwik (Sachit Patil) returns from US due to a job loss, in wake of recession in the IT sector. He reunites his old friends Vishnu (Siddharth Jadhav), Avya and Ravya together for a trip to Alibag, where he owns a bungalow which is on the verge of sell.
The film then takes a cue from Shakti Samanta classic ‘Kashmir Ki Kali’ plot, where the caretaker Appa (Bharat Jadhav) has turned this bungalow into a hotel for tourists.
Appa is very apologetic to Ritwik and Ritwik is kind enough to forgive him. However, Appa is disheartened to know that the bungalow is being sold to a businessman rich enough to turn into a swanky joint. There is a sub-plot of romance between the four friends who woo the bungalows inmates, Neha (Maanava Naik-Appa’s niece), a micro-biology student turned singer (Sonalee ), a fashion designer (Pooja Sawant), and an MBBS student (Kadambari Kadam).
Soon, you find them sing tuneful songs on the beautiful beaches and other scenic locations shot beautifully with dazzlingly lit frames by cinematographer Sanjay Jadhav.
There is a lot of comic ad-libbing between the friends and their girlfriends and they finally decide to get hitched. But the bungalow situation is finally solved on Appa’s plea to Ritwik, who decides to run the hotel himself with Vishnu and Appa as his partners and turns down the offer of the buyer.
The film is incredibly beautiful at first look at and all the actors especially the girls woo the camera in style with camera friendly looks. Siddharth Jadhav is the pick of the actors providing the much required laughter. Sachit Patil looks handsome and is as good a director besides being an actor. Among the girls Maanava Naik and Sonalee Kulkarni are good. Bharat Jadhav is reliable as ever. Shubhangi Gokhale, Jayraj Nayar ,lend good support. The debutant actors have tried hard to impress.
Late Amit Pawar deserves a special mention for his snip-snap editing. The lyrics by Guru Thakur have been composed well on the music of Hrishikesh Kamerkar, especially the ‘Holiday’ and ‘Bavraa’ songs. Rajesh Bidve’s choreography also deserves a special mention as he has utilized the natural beauty of Alibag and Revdanda very well.
In all, this ‘Autograph Films’ presentation produced by Sandeep Shinde and Maulik Bhat is certainly worth a dekko!
‘Lalbaug Paral’ – Realistic but Vicious
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Rating: na
Presenter: Dar Motion Pictures Producer: Arun Rangachari Director: Mahesh Manjrekar Screenplay: Jayant Pawar, Mahesh Manjrekar Music: Ajit – Sameer Cast: Satish Kaushik, Siddharth Jadhav, Ankush Choudhary, Veena jamkar, VIneet Kumar, sameer Dharmadhikari, Sachin Khedekar, Kashmera Shah, Ganesh Yadav, Karan Patel, Shashank Shende, Seema Biswas Movie Review by: Ulhas Shirke |
One man’s nightmare is another man’s dream. The closure of Mills in Mumbai was a nightmare to lakhs of workers, but it turned out to be a dream for the owners, who sold their land making crores of rupees out of it in such deals. It was a big game played by Mill owners those days, with the support of government. Not much of attention was paid by the media , which only blamed the adamant Union leader for holding on to his demands.
28 years after this tragic happening in the lives of those lower middle class families, today a film maker dares to describe the inside story and aftermath. ‘Lalbaug Parel (Zhali Mumbai Sonyachi) directed by Mahesh Manjrekar projects various characters, based on the original script of Jayant Pawar, which highlights the consequences of this social issue, totally ignored by the Government. No wonder, after release of this film, the government has started taking steps towards rehabilitation of the mill workers and their families.
The film begins with a scene where a real life script writer (Ankush Chowdhury) showing his old house to his girlfriend from the terrace top of a multi story tower and narrating the tragic story of his family in the flashback. The audience is then taken back to 1982, to show how the shrewd Mill owners with the support of Government played their cruel game to exploit the poor mill workers. Mahesh Manjrekar as a film maker goes into all required details to highlight the after effects of the strike. He has skillfully shown the Politician- Mill worker nexus for the closure of mills; but has failed to define the role of the adamant Union leader, who was equally responsible for this indefinite strike.
The director has paid more attention on the spread of underworld network with the young children of these jobless Mill workers turning towards crime. He has also focused on the simple lifestyle of these Lower middle class people living in chawls those days. As a director, he has done a commendable job to place before the audience the reality, capturing many emotion filled scenes. However, in the process he has shown too much of bloodshed on the screen. At the end of the film, the character of Speed breaker who turns a sharp shooter moves scot- free (in the present time) after killing his own friend in front of his family members at a public place and then shooting point blank the son-in-law of the mill owner along with his security guards, in his plush office.
Looking at the performances of the artistes, Seema Biswas plays the role of Mother with simplicity, paying more attention on her body language. Shashank Shende as Mill worker –father, is a perfect choice. Both Sachin Khedkar and Vinay Apte as Union leaders do well ; but surprisingly the character of the Chief Union leader –Doctor, does not get much of scope, considering the major role played by him in the controversial strike. Satish kaushik as Mama in the neighborhood, borrows the voice of Mahesh Manjrekar for this Marathi version, while Santosh Juvekar dubs his voice for Karan Patel, who plays Naru -the younger son of this mill worker, who later turns a sharp shooter. Actually, Santosh would have been a perfect choice for this character. Siddharth Jadhav as Speed breaker ( His character name), plays the son of a Union leader in his own style.
Actress Veena Jamkar plays an important character of Manju- the daughter of the Mill worker. She plays her part with total commitment . Kashmira Shah plays Mami – wife of Satish kaushik. Her sex appeal has been used for a different reason in this film to create that cheap humour. Sai Tamhankar has been a waste in that small role of a flower vendor. Kishore Pradhan and Sameer Dharmadhikari look very natural as Mill owners. Music does not have much scope in this film backed with a serious theme. In all, ‘Lalbaug Parel’ is a good, realistic and hard hitting film except for the violence part, which has been stretched too much in few sequences.