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Rating: 4/5 Genres:  Biopic, Drama Censor: UA Duration: - Studio / Presenter: Siddhivinayak Cine Vision Producer(s):  Bindiya Khanolkar Director: Anant Mahadevan Story: Based on the Book ‘Mee Vanvasi’ by Sindhutai Sapkal Cast: Tejaswini Pandit, Upendra Limaye, Jyoti Chandekar, Neena Kulkarni, Suhas Palshikar, Charushila Sable, Ganesh Yadav, Jaywant Wadkar, Pranjal shetye Movie Review by: Ulhas Shirke

The film which has been creating waves at various film festivals in India and abroad, has been welcomed in Maharashtra on the first day of its release. Its universal theme is not only appealing but also touching the hearts of those who admire self-sacrificing service to the society.What more can one say about a film, which got standing ovation after its screening at the National theatre, London ? In fact, this film had a three show premiere at this festival recently. “Mee Sindutai Sapkal (मी सिंधुताई सपकाळ)” based on the autobiography of well-known social worker Sindhutai Sapkal, is a biopic directed by Anant Narayan Mahadevan, a Journalist turned Bollywoood actor and film maker.

The film’s story begins with present times, with Ms. Sindhutai Sapkal traveling for the first time by an airplane on her way to US on an invitation from a Maharashtra Sahitya Mandal based there. Sitting next to her as a co -passenger on the long journey is the director of the film. During the first half of the film, Ms. Sindhutai recollects her past with strange experiences with every small moment during the journey, while in the second half, she narrates her fight for survival, while addressing the elite audience in US.

 “Mee Sindhutai Sapkal” is a sensible film, strictly following the worst incidences in the life of the noble social worker and at the same time highlights her fight for survival. There is a lot to learn from this biopic, especially at a time when we all are living in a materialistic world. Here is an example of a woman, who has seen the worst poverty, yet feeds the other deserted children out of what she has gathered for her own child. It also reminds one and all about the sacrifice a mother has to make when she lifts the responsibility of all the deserted children around, as if they were her own children.

Very efficiently the director has captured every delicate moment in this film, that relates to the actual happenings in the life of the selfless social worker. The well structured Tejaswini Pandit, Sindhutai Sapkal dialogues strike timely in that well presented screenplay. Watch that mother and daughter relationship during the childhood of Sindhutai, when she is known as Chindhi . The father visiting his daughter’s place after her marriage and admitting the guilt of not offering her further education and the husband returning to Sindhutai, during old age, realising his mistake. They are all master pieces.

The film clearly hits out at the exploitation of women in the male dominant society, especially in the rural sector. “Education, is the key to progress,’ is all that the film goes on to say. No matter, you have limited education, but making an effort to see that other deserving get the same at the most appropriate time in their life, is the biggest need of the society. And, you need strong mothers like Sindhutai. Well suited music to every situation and good cinematography gives a more respectable look to the film.

It is for the first time that Mother and daughter combination of Jyoti Chandekar and Tejaswini Pandit have played the role of older and younger Sindhutai and it gave an impression that both of them had totally devoted themselves to this character. Upendra Limaye asyoung Sindhutai’s husband is very special and so is Suhas Palshikar, who plays her father. Neena Kulkarni in her small but effective role does a good job. Rest of the cast has supported well. The film will certainly take Marathi cinema to a greater heights.