“I am a director’s actor” – Ajinkya Deo

31 May, 2014 Ullhas Shirke

He has been in the acting field for almost three decades now. But he has maintained himself very well. Having been blessed with a good height and fine personality, he still invites all your attention, while on screen. Ajinkya Deo is still going strong and has been receiving good offers, well suited to him. Recently, we saw him in out of the box Marathi film ‘Shashi Deodhar’ , while he also appeared in Anil Kapoor’s popular action TV serial ’24’.

Whatever characters Ajinkya has played so far, were with total conviction. At present, his new film ‘Bhatukli’ is all set to release on 13th June and Ajinkya is playing the central lead character of a successful businessman, who feels detached from his family members, comprising of three children and wife. This film is produced by Sagar Ballary (director of Bollywood film ‘Bheja Fry’ ) and directed by his assistant Rohit Joshi, who has also written the story of this film.

It was a pleasure talking to this talented actor, who spoke about his present assignments and his commitment to this filed. Excerpts from an interview.

Q: Just saw the first look of your forthcoming Marathi film ‘Bhatukli’ and you have a very good role. Can we say, it’s a comeback film for you?
A: I would not say that this is a comeback film, as I have recently done a film ‘Shashi Deodhar’ and four more films of mine, will also be released by end of this year. But, surely, I would call it a big role in this film, to test my ability, as an actor.

Q: You always say that you are a director’s actor. Can you elaborate on it?
A: Yes, I still hold that statement. As an actor, I always believed to prepare myself with the dialogues from the script given to me. And, when I go to the sets, I leave myself to the director and do as he wants me to react to every situation. This has helped me to perform differently, every time. It has also helped me to learn new things, playing different characters.

Q: That is indicative, with your performance playing different characters in films like ‘Ringa Ringa’, ‘Jetaa’, ‘Dubhang’ and ‘Shashi Deodhar’. Isn’t it ?
A: Yes, you are right. And, you would have noticed the director through these characters played by me, besides my own performance.

Q: Why did your films like ‘Jeta’ and ‘Shashi Deodhar’ didn’t do well, in spite of their good scripts?
A: It is very difficult to find audience in large number, immediately after the film’s release, unless the film is marketed well by big production or distribution companies.

Q: What are the other projects, you are associated with ?
A: I am doing ‘Natee’ with Tejaa Deokar, which revolves around the life of an actress. I am playing the character of a director in this film, which has grey shade. The film is directed by Yogesh Pawar. There is ‘Raakhandar’ a big period film, where I am playing Khandoba. I am glad that I am playing this role.Then, there is ‘Salt, Pepper Aani Prem’ directed by Rahul Jadhav, which is a different film. One more film I am doing, is also totally different for Marathi viewers, almost on the style of ‘Delhi Belly’. So, they are all different and challenging roles for me. All these films are likely to be released by end of this year.

Q: Now, looking at the character of Shrikant Deshmukh you play in ‘Bhatukli’ , which has some relevance to everybody’s life in today’s materialistic world. But, still, the emotional bond is very strong among Maharashtrian families. How do you describe the love and affection of your own parents showered upon you, even after you have yourself turned a responsible father.
A: Sometimes, that emotional attachment is more than required. But, that’s our way of living. All the parents are always concerned about their children. Even after being liberal with my own children, sometimes, even I behave like that and show more concern towards them. Luckily, my son is more understanding; and knows what is good and bad for him. He is just back from Canada and now with us. I also have a daughter and I love them all.

Review

‘Dubhang’- an action filled family social

11 November, 2011 Chetana Gavkhadkar Panchal

Rating: na
Producer: Shankar Mitkari
Director: Mahesh Kothare
Music: Bapi Tutul
Lyrics: Shreerang Godbole
Cast: Adinath Kothare, Urmila Kanetkar, Ajinkya Deo, Sonali Kulkarni
Movie Review by: Ulhas Shirke

For the past 25 years, since he turned a director, Mahesh Kothare has been offering quality films in Marathi. No wonder, he has given box office hits. He brought a number of innovations in the technical quality of Marathi films; like introducing the anamorphic format (Cinemascope) through his film ‘Dhadakebaaz’. It may be recalled that he brought Dolby Digital sound to Marathi Cinema with the film ‘Chimni Pakhara’. He made the first Marathi film ‘Pachadlela’ with Digital Special Effects and later turned out to be the first Marathi Film Maker to produce Sci-Fi films. This time, with his latest film ‘Dubhang’, there was something special in the form of Dolby Digital 7.1.

Written by Abhiram Bhadkamkar and the Screenplay by Shekhar Dhavlikar, ‘Dubhang’ (division) revolves around a youngster Rohan Jadhav (Adinath Kothare) who has only one ambition, that is to win nationals and represent India at the Olympics to win a Gold. Like any other young upcoming sportsperson in India, Rohan too struggles in his life. On one side he has to make his coach (Bharat Dabholkar) happy by devoting full concentration to his game and on the other side, his beloved Vishakha (Urmila Kanitkar) is being forced to marry a NRI. So, Rohan takes a quick decision and elopes with his girlfriend, with the hope that his uncle would help him. But, that does not happen. His principled wife, suggests him to be self sufficient and prepares herself to take up a job.

The next few moths are real test of their patience, when it’s time for his wife to deliver a child. Rohan becomes tense, with the worry of managing a third one. However, his friend- Tapshya (Nilesh Sable) and Vishakha’s aunty (Seema Deo) extend moral support to the young couple. But, destiny has something else in store for the couple. When, one night Vishakha is rushed to the hospital, another couple (Ajinkya Deo and Sonali Kulkarni) also walk in there in a posh car. The delivery of both the females take place around the same time with both of them taking their own time to recover. It is during this time, that the big industrialist Sachit (Ajinkya Deo) and Rohan enter into a secret deal.

Both the couples live happily thereafter. In fact, Rohan’s life changes completely with a bungalow and and a car at his service. He also helps his friend in return , who is need of a loan for renovation of his hotel. With luxurious living and all the blessings in the form of new sponsor for his game, Rohan works hard to achieve his ultimate goal; but feels the guilt within him. Finally, he decides to reveal the truth to his wife. But, the wife does not take it in the right spirit and she leaves him and takes shelter at her aunty’s place. Now, Rohan has no other option but to break the deal, inviting more trouble for self. The clever director, however knowing the pulse of Marathi audience well , decides to conclude with happy end in the climax.

Going with his tradition, Director Mahesh Kothare has presented a form of entertainment with a difference. He has used this theme based on a Malyalam film, but converted it into a cinematic format suited to Marathi audience. Since this film was to decide the future of his son, he took all possible efforts to project him as young hero with an appeal. This also being the first film for the two good friends in real life now all set to get married next month, it also needed to work their chemistry well through the lead characters they played. In that respect, Mahesh Kothare has succeeded in his mission and the two youngsters have lived up to his expectations with superb performances. With his cute face supported by talent, Adinath should turn a chocolate hero in Marathi film industry.

One expected good performance from Urmila; but surprisingly Adinath also did equally well in most of the emotion filled scenes. Afterall, acting is in his blood. Ajinkya Deo, in that role of an industrialist does very well . His acting is worth watching in the climax. Sonali Kulkarni is at ease like a professional actress in those limited scenes, while Seema Deo, Sunil Tawde, Vijay Chavan, Ganesh Yadav perform their small roles effectively. Among youngsters, Nilesh Yadav and Aarti Solanki have little scope; but they do their jobs well. The other two friends are just namesake, with one of them trying to imitate Tushar Kapoor style of comedy. Music is just okay, with Mahesh using his favorite parody style in one of the songs. Photography is good and so is the editing work. Produced by Shankar Mitkari (Sai Shankar Films) with the sponsorship of Future Generally, the film, has turned out to be an action filled family social. Now, it all remains to be seen, how the Marathi audience is going to welcome this film and the new pair.

Interviews

Mahesh Kothare – Giving a lift to Marathi Cinema

1 October, 2011 Shweta Khot

It was sometime during 1969 that a child artiste with the name of Mahesh Kumar grabbed a meaty double role in Bollywood film ‘Raja aur Rank’. Not many knew that he was a Maharashtrian. Mahesh played a young Prince with authority in that age with confidence. He had many good stars to support him in this film. Popular Dancer and actress from South -Padmini and late Sanjeev Kumar were very much part of this film. The film was a hit at that time for its presentation and popular songs. Besides ‘Raja Aur Rank’, Mahesh also played memorable roles as a child actor in ‘Chhota Bhai’, ‘Mere Laal’ and ‘Ghar Ghar Ki Kahani’. Few years later, he was seen playing an adolescent in Rajesh Khanna and Sharmila Tagore film ‘Safar’. He played a perfect collegian and younger brother of Feroze Khan , who played a parallel role in this film.

Later, when he studied in Mumbai’s Wilson College, it did not take much time for him to mature as a hero and find roles in Marathi films as a young handsome hero. Simultaneously, he also performed in Gujarathi films. After playing a hero for some time, Mahesh soon produced and directed his own films. Till today, he has dedicated himself as a film maker with perfection on technicalities , knowing his job well, as a director.

Mahesh Kothare
As a successful hero and director through his own productions since 80s from ‘Dhumdhadaka’ to Pachadlela’, Mahesh Kothare has offered all quality films to entertain the Marathi audience. He almost knew the pulse of Marathi audience. And his talent came as a blessing to Marathi film industry in 80s. Mahesh has succeeded in bringing a number of innovations especially in the technical area of Marathi films and has been instrumental in bringing Dolby Digital sound to Marathi Cinema with the film ‘Chimni Pakhara’. He made ‘Pachadlela’ in 2004 – the first Marathi film with Digital Special Effects. He also made his identity as the first Marathi Film Maker to produce Sci-Fi films.

The good news is that his latest directorial film ‘Dubhang’, Produced by Shankar Mitkari, has
received the sponsorship from Future General India Ltd. This film is based on the backdrop of Boxing, where the hero of the film (played by his own son Adinath) has a mission in his life to participate one day in the Olympics and win a Gold medal for the country. While speaking to Marathi Movie World, Mahesh said that the subject of this film was in his mind for the past few years and had even talked to popular actors like Shreyas Talpade and Reitesh Deshmukh to play the lead; but, somehow the idea didn’t work. Finally, he found his hero in his own son-Adinath , who had turned mature by the passage of time to fit into this lead role. “It was almost like the role was waiting for him” he said.

Mahesh is very excited to speak about his new film ‘Dubhang’. “It may sound like Bollywood’s ‘Dabang’, but the meaning of both the films are different. In fact, I was asked to change the title of my film by the makers of ‘Dabhang’, when they came to know about it. But, since I had registered it much before, I had to convince them that it carried a different meaning. You will find lot of twists and turns in this film , with a story that you haven’t heard of before in Marathi and Hindi films.

Actually, I have taken the idea from a Malyalam film, which was shown to me by my friend. So, I took the proper rights from them but finally gave a different look to the film. Fortunately, all my artistes responded very well and Adinath in particular playing an aspiring boxer, has fulfilled all my expectations. There is a love story angle to this film, with the girl in his life standing by his side during the time of crisis. My first scene itself begins with Urmila’s marriage to a stranger against her wish and Adinath elopes with her,” he added.

Speaking about the lead pair Urmila and Adinath, Mahesh was high praise for the girl and her talent. “Urmila is a talented actress and I have seen her potential through her previous film. Adinath turned out to be a perfect match for her.” All that Mahesh had to say that both had developed a good chemistry between them. “I had seen them coming closer during my previous project ‘Shubhamangal’ in which she was a leading lady and Adinath was my assistant in direction. Now, you will witness their actual love story happening on the screen,” he concluded.

News

Adinath lived up to my expectations in ‘Dubhang’ – Mahesh Kothare

22 September, 2011 Shweta Khot

Mahesh Kothare is back with a bang. His directorial film ‘Dubhang’ is all set for Diwali release, almost taking on Shahrukh Khan’s ‘Ra One’. At a press conference held in Mumbai on Wednesday evening, the popular Marathi film maker made official announcement of his film’s release and offered a first look of ‘Dubhang’ to the media persons. “For a long time this theme was in my mind and I thought, it was a right time to launch Adinath in a big way. I am glad that he has lived up to my expectations,” said the confident looking director, in his short n sweet speech.

The film is produced by Shankar Mitkari and has received the sponsorship from Future Generally India Ltd. Mr. Arnab Malik, Chief Marketing Officer, Future Group; said that his company found the philosophy of this film matching with their way of communication. While Urmila thanked Mr. Mahesh Kothare for considering her for this role, Adinath Kothare called this film’s role as a great experience to remember lifelong. “It was a great time working with all these experienced people like Ajinkya Deo, Sonali Kulkarni, Ganesh Yadav and others besides my father,” he added.

Ganesh Yadav appealed to all to make it a habit to watch all Marathi films. “Marathi films need your valuable support and I am sure you will all watch this film at your nearest theatre with your entire family,” he added. It was very difficult to guess the theme of the film from few clippings shown on the occasion; but after the function, Adinath made it very clear that it was a different type of love story with the backdrop of boxing. “The hero of this film is very ambitious of representing India in the Olympics and win a Gold medal for his country. It is his journey to achieve his goal in life,” he clarified.

It was diector Mahesh Kothare, who after the function praised all his artistes for their individual performances. I am glad that Adinath and Urmila are working together. Their actual chemistry cooked during the shooting of ‘Shubhamangal’ when Adinath was assistant director. I was a witness to that. Now, you will find the results on screen,” he remarked while talking about their affinity towards each other. “This film is full of twists and turns and you will find the story completely different and new to the audience. At present, I don’t want to reveal the relationship between Adinath’s character and Ajinkya Deo’s character, as it will take away your interest before watching this film . But, I am sure, you will all enjoy every moment of this film,” he concluded.

The film’s story and screenplay is written by Shekhar Dhavlikar, while music is composed by Baapi Tutal. The film’s star cast comprises of Adinath Kothare, Ajinkya Deo, Urmila Kanetkar, Sonali Kulkarni, Seema Deo, Dr. Sharad Bhutadia, Nilesh Sable, Aarti Solanki, Sunil Tawde, Vijay Chavan, Ganesh Yadav and Bharat Dabholkar.

News

Adinath- Urmila together in ‘Dubhang’

8 February, 2011 Shweta Khot

After making his debut as a hero through ‘Ved Laavi Jeeva’, Adinath Kothare, son of Mahesh Kothare will now pair with Urmila Kanetkar in a new film ‘Dubhang’ which is being directed by Mahesh Kothare. This film, which is a family social, is produced by Shankar Mitkari. Besides this young pair, another pair of Ajinkya Deo and Sonali Kulkarni will also be part of the star cast. The script is written by Abhiram Bhadkamkar and Shekhar Dhavlikar.

Shooting of this film is presently in progress in and around Kolhapur. Music by Bappi Tutul and and cinematography by Sanjay Memane are the other credits of the film.

Interviews

“I was always passionate about dancing”- Urmila Kanetkar

19 March, 2007 Shweta Khot

“Dance is a delicate balance between perfection and beauty.” If you are a good dancer, acting becomes much easier. Many film actresses possess this ability, but they don’t get an opportunity to combine both together. Today, not many roles in films or on television are meant for actresses with dancing skills. In Marathi films in particular there are few songs or no songs and the only item number is performed by a guest artiste. On television, When we watch the dance reality show ‘Ekapeksha Ek – Apasaras’ on Zee Marathi channel, we do notice some of the finest acting talents performing different forms of dance. One of them, a strong contender for the crown, is obviously Urmila kanetkar. Marathi Movie World caught up with Urmila to know about her objectives and passion in life. The modest and talented young actress spoke freely, giving a brief account of her career.

Passionate about dancing, Urmila who has learnt her classical dancing from Ashatai Joglekar and Archana Joglekar is pursuing her MA in Kathak. Being a graduate in Sociology and Anthropology from Mumbai’s St. Xavier’s College, she makes good use of these subject background while performing different characters. We have seen this happen in popular TV serial ‘Asambhav’ and recently released film

Urmila is an intense actress, who gets quickly into her character to give her best, no matter whoever is there on the opposite side. For her, the camera lenses are her close observers. With her expressive eyes, she has many a times emoted so well. It will not be surprising to see her win the best actress award in most of the prestigious awards to be declared soon.

With her recent success through the role of Yashoda in ‘Mala Aai Vhaychay’, Urmila has established herself as a complete film actress. This author backed role has certainly given her the required exposure to reckon her among the best actresses in Marathi film industry. She was just waiting for a role with Gavran accent and the role of Yashoda came to her at the most appropriate time. Only few years ago when she made her TV debut through ‘Tujhya Veena’ and into films through ‘Shubhamangal Savadhaan’, her talent went unnoticed, as the kind of roles she played were not very prominent. But, then the role of Shubhra in ‘Asambhav’ brought a big change in her career. Through this role, she had an opportunity to present two different characters from different eras and that came to her advantage.

In ‘Asambhav’ Urmila learnt a lot under the direction of Satish Rajwade and she does attribute all the credit to him. “Performing in ‘Asambhav’ was almost like taking acting lessons from Mr. Rajwade,” she quips. Urmila doesn’t forget Sangeet Kulkarni, because of whom she got her first break in ‘Tujya Veena’. For her entry into films through Mahesh Kothare’s film ‘Shubha Mangal Sawadhan’ she says that it was on the basis of her audition that she was selected. But, her selection for the role of Yashoda in ‘Mala Aai Vhaychay’ was her real luck. The director was very keen on finding someone of the caliber of Smita Patil. But, when she noticed the talent in Urmila, she openly admitted that she had found her Smita in Urmila.

“Dancing has always been my passion and I always wanted to perform my own solo shows in different forms. When I presented my first ballet few years ago, I said to myself that one day, I would present a form of dance with variety into it. Luckily for me, today I have got a platform through ‘Zee Marathi’s reality show ‘Ekapeksha Ek- Apsara Aali’. But, here it is in a competition form,” says Urmila.

Her acting career which is now shaping well , Urmila attributes all the credit to her parents Shrikant and Nilima Kanetkar. “It is because of their support that I could enter this field and today they are with me to encourage at my every step,” she adds.

Having signed another film of Mahesh Kothare, Urmila is now starring with his son Adinath in ‘Dubhang’ which is a love story. Having already declared Adinath as her Valentine in real life on the Valentine’s day this year, their chemistry seems to be blooming in real life. Now, it remains to be seen, how it works in the film ‘Dubhang’. Shooting of this film is in progress. But, there are few more films like ‘Thenga’, ‘Thodi Khatti Thodi Meethi’ and ‘Khel Mandla’ in the pipeline. In all, year 2011 is going to be a good time for Urmila, having made a good beginning of this year with a an outstanding performance in ‘Mala Aai Vhaychay’.

She has also displayed her dancing talents in the popular reality dance show ‘Ekapeksha Ek-Apsara Aali’ and is considered to be a favourite in this competition. Talking about this show, Urmila admits that there is a big competition from other artistes, who are also good performers. “Many a times, I get tensed up during the show, as I have other commitments also. It is like running from one set to the other to give my best. It is hard work, but, I am enjoying every moment,” she concludes.

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