Rating: ★★★ Studio/presenter: Supremo Entertainment Producers: Shweta Sudhir Snehal Jadhav, Kishor Dhargalkar, Shekhar Pradhan Director: Shyam Swarnlata Dhanorkar Writer: Shashank Kevale Music: Vikas Bhatavdekar, Pankaj Padghan Director of Photography:  Navnit Misar Editor: Anant Kamat Genres: Drama Censor: U/A Duration: 124 Min. Cast: Renuka Shahane, Tushar Dalvi, Aaroh Velankar, Deepali Muchrikar, Avinash Masurekar, Sunil Joshi, Atul Todankar, Meena Sonavane, Abhilasha Patil, Suhasini Paranjpe, Abhishek Deshmukh, Akshay Kulkarni, Pandurang Kulkarni, Ramesh Solanki, Ashutosh Gaikwad. Movie Review by: Ulhas Shirke

Looks like, it’s time for family entertainers, in Marathi films. So, after ‘Rajwade & Sons’, we now find the story of Deodhar joint family, in latest released Marathi film ‘Te Aath Divas’.  In ‘Rajwade & Sons’, we saw a foreign returned stylish Uncle of the children, returning home after so many years; while in ‘Te Aath Diwas’, we find the high profile mother of the young would be bride, returning from abroad, after many years.

With this resemblance, ‘Te Aath Divas’ begins with the marriage preparations of young granddaughter Prajakta (Deepali Muchrikar) of Mr. Deodhar( Avinash Masurekar), head of the joint family. The big family comprises of Prajakta’s father Sudhakar( Tushar Dalvi), her eldest Uncle (Sunil Joshi), youngest Uncle( Atul Todankar) , their wives and their children. Prajakta’s mother Vasundhara( Renuka Shahane) who deserts her, while she was just one year old, to take up a foreign assignment, is returning home, after so many years, only to attend the marriage of her daughter.

Not all , except Sr. Deodhar is happy with the arrival of Vasundhara. But, soon she becomes friendly with all, including Prajakta. With just a week left for Prajakta’s marriage, her foreign returned mother notices unhappiness on her daughter’s face. Finally, she tells her mother that she doesn’t want to marry Shrirang (Aroh Velankar), as she likes Jay, a young budding cricketer, living in the neighborhood. And, the mother assures all the help to her. With so many characters around, the story of the film takes a turn, in the post interval session, to surprise the audience, with happy ending.

The theme of the film itself, is not very suitable to Maharashtrian culture, as it is very difficult to believe that a mother would desert her little baby and husband and leave abroad, on a job assignment, to remain totally detached for several years. Therefore, her returning for her daughter’s marriage, doesn’t indicate any attachment, towards her family.

However, the intention of the filmmaker, has been good, to deliver a simple and timely message. Good performances come from all the important artistes, Renuka Shahane, Tushar Dalvi, Sunil Joshi, Atul Todankar Meena Sonavane, Abhilasha Patil and others. Newcomer Deepali Muchrikar, who has portrayed the role of a confused young girl Prajakta, has impressed on her debut. Young Aroh Velankar (‘Rege’ fame) has played his limited role, showing a lot of maturity, like a versatile actor.

It was nice to see veteran actor Avinash Masurekar in Grand father’s role; but, he and the child artiste Ashitosh Gaikwad have performed, as if they were performing on stage. At least, their style of delivering the dialogues indicated it. This was because, the director hasn’t taken cinematic liberties to make the film more interesting. Most of the film is shot indoors, in the house, except for few outdoor scenes. But, it is only because of the performances and the message delivered by the film, it has turned out to be a wholesome family entertainer.