‘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.
‘Mala Aai Vhaychay’ – A Thought provoking film
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Rating: na
Presenter: Samruoddhi Cine World Writter, Director & Producer: Advocate Samruoddhi Porey Camera: Rahul Jadhav Music: Ashok Patki Singer: Kunal Ganjawala, Vaishali Samant Cast: Urmila Kanitkar, Stacy Bee, Aiden Barkely, Samruoddhi Porey, Vivek Raut, Sulabha Deshpane, Suchitra Bandekar Movie Review by: Ulhas Shirke |
“The mother loves her child most divinely, not when she surrounds him with comfort and anticipates his wants, but when she resolutely holds him to the highest standards and is content with nothing less than his best.” But, Samrruddhi Porey’s new Marathi film ‘Mala Aai Vhaychay’ ( I want to be a Mother) goes much beyond this thought, with a punch line, ‘A child gives birth to a mother’. In this film, the vibrant advocate turned director has dealt with the delicate issue of surrogate child and his mother, who actually gives birth to him.
Yashoda( Urmila kanetkar)a poor woman living in a village, is chosen by an NGO to be a surrogate mother for a model- Mary (Stacy Bee) who comes from a foreign country, in search of a healthy mother. When Yashoda is explained about the procedure, she agrees to be a surrogate mother for Mary, as she wants to spend towards the medical treatment of her daughter, who is handicapped.
When it is discovered in the check up during the sixth moth that the child to be born may be born with some handicap, Mary leaves back home, after making arrangements with an orphanage by paying a huge sum. She also instructs Yashoda, to hand over the child to an Orphanage. Yashoda is upset with this strange behaviour of Mary and she suggests the social worker at the clinic( Suchitra Bandekar)that she would take care of the child, even if born with handicap.
But, the child born to Yashoda turns out to be a normal child. The kid( Madhav) with brown hair and blue eyes grows up in the village and speaks Varhadi Marathi. Whenthe child turns four,in comes Mary to take back her child. What happens thereafter is a drama, but it concludes with happy ending. There is no legal battle as expected. Perhaps, it was an amicable settlement over the issue of custody of the child, in such a delicate situation.
‘Mala Aai Vhaychay’ does have a strong issue about a Surrogate child, well presented by Writer- director Ms. Samrruddhi Porey, in her debut film. But, she has also tried to support thismain theme with certain other issues like suicide of farmers and issues related to women folks. In the process, she has consumed a little more time than required. There is a character of Ganpat (Vivek Raut),who initially flirts with Mary and later maries his beloved from village. Though this character has performed extremely well, his parallel story consumes a little more time. The director herself has enacted the role of a farmer’s wife, who commits suicide to invite the attention of the country that it is not only the farmer who commit suicide, but it could be his wife too and she too deserves a compensation. It would have been better, if irrelevant parts were omitted to focus on the main theme.
But, looking at her approach and sincerity to deal with this so called true story, she certainly deserves a pat on her shoulder to make this sensible thought provoking film that too in Marathi. Her selection of artistes is good. Both Stacy Bee as Mary and Aiden Barkely as Madhav have lived up to the expectation of the audience, though it was their debut too. Other artistes in the cast like Sulbha Deshpande, Suchitra Bandekar, Samrruddhi herself, her two daughters Shruti & Shreya have supported well. But, it is Urmila Kanetkar in the role of Yashoda, who impresses the most with her extra-ordinary acting skills. She had as many as four most difficult scenes, which only an experienced and matured actress would have done; but young Urmila performs with authority. Music score and background music goes well with the village backdrop. Cinematography by Rahul Jadhav is good and so is the art direction by Santosh Phutane.
To make a film on this subject and that too in Marathi, certainly requires guts; but Ms. Samrruddhi Porey has marketed the film well, covering English media too, which is generally neglected by Marathi films. After ‘Shwaas’ we did have two films, ‘Pratisaad’ and ‘Aaghaat’ based on medical science; but, this one is different, as it deals more with emotions of a surrogate child and mother. With ‘Mala Aai Vhaychay’ Marathi cinema has opened the doors for sensible thought provoking films, which would be universally accepted