Rating: na Presentor: Samarth Art Innovatives Producer: Bhooshan Patil, Deepali Samant and Aachal Rane Story, Screenplay, Direction: Uttung Shelar Dialogues: Prashant Loke Cinematographer: Prasad Bhende Music: Sanjeev Kohli Cast: Bharat Jadhav, Sanjay Narvekar, Ashwini Apte, Girish Salvi, Pradeep kabre, Mohan Khambete, Pratibha Goregaonkar, Raju Shisadkar, Santosh Patil, Rahul Kulkarni, Rohan Bhalekar, Satish Pulekar Movie Review by: Ulhas Shirke

Someone has rightly said that there is a fine line between coincidence and fate. Samarth Art Innovative’s new Marathi film ‘Aatapita’ tries to draw this fine line, when Ashutosh (Bharat Jadhav) who dreams of becoming a writer decides to make Nandu (Sanjay Narvekar), the hero of his story. Nandu works in the recovery of loan department of a bank. Writer- director Uttung Shelar who has conceptualized this unusual plot, has however left it to the audience to decide whether the happenings in the film are just a coincidence or it’s the destiny of the person.

‘Aatapita’ is a simple tale in the day to day life of two individuals, presented in a tricky manner to keep the audience on the hold till the climax, when it finally concludes with a surprise. It’s a totally different experience in Marathi films, as such themes are generally observed in Marathi dramas. But, the director has given a better treatment to the plot, using the adaptability of the two excellent actors, who bring liveliness to every scene. Moreover, the dialogues by Prashant Loke, obviously help add a special flavor to the screenplay, which is based mainly on these two characters .

There isn’t much scope for lady members in the film and therefore the so called leading lady Vibhavari (Ashwini Apte) has been included more as a showpiece to play the girl
Bharat Jadhav, Sanjay Narvekar, Aatapita
friend cum would-be of Nandu. It is for this reason, you find her looking different in every scene she is part of. Music too has less scope in this film with three songs placed before interval without any specific purpose. The music director -Sanjeev Kohli therefore through his background music tries to make his presence felt , with the usage of strange sounds, never heard of before and it is very difficult to understand the purpose behind it.

However, based on the overall presentation, ‘Aatapita’ looks more realistic, because it does not deviate from the main plot. There are not many outdoor locations, yet Prasad Bhende captures some best moments through his lenses. With light make-up used on the artistes, he has managed the close-up shots well. The sound quality and editing is satisfactory.

In the film, Ashutosh is shown as an employee of Municipality’s water department, but instead of focusing on his job, the director has paid more attention on his passion for writing. On the other hand, he has shown some strange happenings in the life of Nandu , to support the theme well . There are few fun filled scenes, on the role played by recovery agents and their understandings with the concerned bank’s executive.

Being a character oriented film, both Bharat Jadhav and Sanjay Narvekar have plenty of scope to display their skills at variable situations. Satish Pulekar in his guest appearance offers variety through his limited role. But, it is Girish Salvi, who steals the show. Pradeep kabre is seen after a long time, while many other characters are new faces, but they support well in the cast. ‘Aatapita’ has a bizarre limited tale, but is well presented, to suit the requirements of big screen.