Katyar Kaljat Ghusli - Music & Magic Interwoven

Katyar Kaljat Ghusli is the movie you need to watch to get a taste, a flavour, an initiation into the richness of Marathi Theater. This movie, rich in music, that it inherited from the 40 year old play, complimented by some brilliant acting, dialogues and direction is an absolute treat to watch.

Back in early 90s, my father had bought a cassette which had compilation of Pandit Vasantrao Deshpande's songs who had played Khan Saaheb's role in the original play. I loved the songs but then I had only heard Khan Saaheb's versions but that ensured I headed to the cinema hall to see this movie.

It ensures the dagger of music is drawn deep into your mind. What a terrific movie this is that I am fumbling for words in this post. The music is still playing in my head.

It starts with this brilliant Ganpati bhakti geet, "Sur Niragas Ho" by Shankar Mahadevan.

The movie tells a tale of 2 maestros competing for the position of the Kingdom's top singer and the King's Dagger. Both are almost equal but there is only one winner. The competition turns sour with rising ambition of one of them and then the drama unfolds.

The story is set in the 19th century in the pre-Independence era. The King, Queen and the Darbaar are excellent with the debates, the discussions and a prevalent sense of upholding justice. The acting is of the highest caliber here. 

In this star-studded affair, Sachin Pilgaonkar stands out as Khan Saaheb - a fantastic singer who deserves accolades for his singing but a vain and arrogant man. His performance is something I have never seen before from any actor. He deserves every award that can be given for acting. And don't dilute it by categorizing acting - hero, support, villain... - his performance is the best performance that can be!

Shankar Mahadevan as Panditji is stellar and so is the director-actor Subodh Bhave as Sadashiv. 

I have special praise for the supporting cast - Amruta Khanvilkar as Zareena, Mrunmayi Deshpande as Uma, Pushkar Shrotri as Kaviraj, Sakshi Tanwar as Khansaaheb's wife and the King and the Queen.

Subodh Bhave, the director-actor of this movie, makes me immensely proud. He has been a key contributor to the decade old rise of the Marathi art - cinema, theater or TV. I look up to him for more such artistic creations. I am sure he and his team will not disappoint us.

Before you leave this page.... don't miss to hear these 2 versions of the immortal song "Ghei Chhand Makarand." As a child I had only heard Khan Saaheb's version. For the first time in the movie did I hear Panditji's version (which is the first in this youtube video). As the song completes, I had goosebumps, a tear in my eye and my throat choked. Such is the power of great singing. And great singing is all that this movie is about.

I urge you to go to the nearest cinema hall to enjoy the movie in its fullest. 

Killa Movie Review in Marathi.

वादळी समुद्र ज्याच्या लाटा आपल्याला क्षणात आत आत ओढत नेतो.

साधा खळखळणारा समुद्र ज्यात तुमचे ध्यान लागते…

शांत असा समुद्र जो तुम्हाला विचार करायला लावतो, आयुष्याबद्दल, मृत्युबद्दल. माणसाचं जगणं हे या समुद्रासमोर किती नगण्य आहे ह्याची प्रचीती त्या समुद्रसमोर बसलो कि येते.

आणि पाउस, समुद्राच्या जोडीला, मुसळधार, अगदी छातीत धडकी बसेल असा पाउस.

मनाचा आणि हृदयाचा किल्ला जिंकणे किती सोपे किंवा किती कठीण असते हे मी काय सांगू तुम्हाला? आपल्या आपल्या किल्ल्याचे योद्धे हि आपणच आणि रक्षक हि आपणच.

अशा या असंख्य पैलू सांभाळणारा आणि अतिशय सुंदर कथा सांगणारा हा नवीन सिनेमा किल्ला.

चिन्मय काळे आणि त्याची आई पुण्याहून गुहागरला बदली होऊन येतात. चिन्मयला ते सगळ आधी नकोसं वाटतं. हळू हळू तो मित्र बनवतो. ते गाव, तिथला किल्ला, समुद्र त्याला जवळचं वाटायला लागतं. त्यात त्याची साथ देतात ते त्याचे नवे मित्र - बंड्या, ओंड्या, उम्या आणि युवराज. काय मैफिल जमवली आहे इथे या चौघांनी!

पण हे सगळं मी इथे काय सांगू?

अप्रतीम अशी कोकणची पार्श्वभूमी, तिथला हिरवागार परिसर, समुद्राचे वेगवेगळे अवतार… सगळं एकदम मनमोहक आहे. मराठी सिनेमा हा एक वेगळे उच्चासन गाठतो आहे. वळू , नटरंग, देउळ, काकस्पर्ष असे कित्येक सिनेमे गेल्या काही वर्षात आले. किल्ला या यादीत अगदी पुढे बसेल.

ह्या चित्रपटाचं दिग्दर्शन जितकं कौतुकास्पद आहे तितकच कौतुक ह्यातल्या कलाकारांचं आहे.
अमृता सुभाष ने साकारलेली चिन्मय ची आई अविस्मरणीय आहे. चिन्मय, त्याच्या एकट्या पडलेल्या मुलाची भूमिका सुंदर रंगवतो. आणि त्याचे मित्र - बंड्या, ओंड्या, उम्या आणि युवराज - चिन्मयच्या शब्दात "एकदम भारी!"

आणि हा सिनेमा हॉल मध्ये बघा. टी व्ही वर यायची वाट बघू नका.

किल्लाचे ट्रेलर

Killa - A movie that wins the fort of your heart.

Roaring stormy sea with waves that will consume you - body and mind.

Business as usual sea sending in uniform waves just enough to let you concentrate yet not let you get hypnotized in its rhythmic work ethic.

Quiet and calm sea that makes you ponder... about life and death... about the infinitesimal chance a man has if the sea decides to consume you.

Rains, incessant and merciless, by the stormy sea to compliment the sea's fear with intimidation.

All by the massive fortresses. Fortresses by the sea, in the sea, in the protagonist's mind, in his mother's heart.

Killa, the new Marathi film, breaks new ground in telling a fantastic story. The story tells us how a young Chinmay Kale tries to win battles with himself. The result is brilliant and mesmerizing.

The story begins with Chinmay's mother, who has recently been widowed, getting transferred from Pune to Guhagar, a village. Chinmay is angry and upset. Loss of father coupled with, what he considers, being ostracized, is too much for him to bear. He struggles. He then discovers new school, new friends - Bandya, Ondya, Yuvraj and Umesh. He discovers.

The movie hypnotizes you with stunning visuals of the beautiful coastal region of Konkan. The verdant canopies that cover the roads, the fort by the sea, the sea itself create a fantastic canvas where this lovely piece of art is executed. The background music perfectly pulls you in the story.

And the actors light up the canvas extremely delicately. Amruta Subhash as the young widow, fighting her battles and trying to handle a growing son, gives a riveting, sombre and understated performance. The young Archit Deodhar in Chinmay's role gives a riveting performance. He is quiet, mature beyond years, trying to cope up with the fears and shadows of past and present. He reminds you of no one else for he creates his own character. His friends are fantastic and very important to the movie, especially Parth Bhalerao as mischievous Bandya and Gaurish Gawade as the egotistical Yuvraj.

For me, there is a poignant scene between Chinmay and a fisherman that stands out.

The direction by Avinash Arun is just perfect to bring these elements alive in Killa. The name is a metaphor to the moats from the minds that get conquered.

This is a movie you should see on the big screen near your home. Go and drown yourself in the beautiful Guhagar.

Here is its trailer...

Kaksparsh - Movie Review

Sunday evening went viewing the new film Kaksparsh.

Kaksparsh - the title translates as the Crow's Touch - people with knowledge of Hindu customs would identify this with a custom that happens after the death of a person. This is probably the Golden Era of the Marathi Cinema. Having seen Deool, Natrang, Valu in recent past.... the addition of Kaksparsh is a welcome addition.

Mahesh Manjrekar breaks new ground by reciting this haunting tale of love and sacrifice on the big screen. So power packed is the impact of this story that the scenes and dialogues keep coming back to your mind hours after you have left the theatre. Before this, there was English Patient that left such a haunting memory in my mind.

Coming to the movie, it starts in, I think, 1930s and goes on till early 1950s. The movie is set in verdant Konkan region of Maharashtra. The backdrop of the village, the customs, the clothes, the local involvement with freedom struggle, boat travel and other such things set up the tone of the movie.

The story starts with a tragedy striking a newly married couple of Mahadev and Uma, where Mahadev dies on his first night after his wife Uma reaches puberty. Mahadev's elder brother, Hari, is a well known and respected elder of the village. He breaks tradition and protects Uma from being forced to tonsure her head as a widow as per the customs of the time. Not just that he becomes inaccessible to opinions on how to treat Uma. He is authoritarian and does not allow any decision to be taken by anyone when it comes to Uma. This lasts for almost 2 decades and each development in family, the village only puts the entire village and us, the viewers, confused and perplexed about his motives. The denouement is perfect, if you have the guts to digest such a story.

The critical question this movie asks is about relationships and marriage. The movie tries to explore the topic of existence of love and how it manifests between two individuals. I must say, it is a very difficult topic and has been brilliantly handled by Mahesh Manjrekar.

Now the actors - Sachin Khedekar has delivered the performance of his lifetime. I easily put this in the ना 

भूतो ना भविष्याती category for him. He is astonishing as the hardnosed, principled, unshakeable Kartaa purush of the family.

Ketaki Mategaonkar and Priya Bapat both as the young widow, Uma, deliver stellar performances. With so little dialogue your way, both these ladies have shown rich expression through eyes and body language.

The supporting cast is also very good and completes the story - the villagers, a local villain, Hari's freedom fighter friend, and his family members.

Go watch it, but only if you want a serious treatise of a difficult topic.

Trailer:

Deool - Marathi Movie Review

The brilliance of Deool lies in the direction,brilliant dialogues delivered with panache and superlative acting. Actually nothing is amiss in this movie. No weak links at all.

Marathi cinema is moving ahead and brilliantly. There is a line in Deool where Dilip Prabhavalkar speaks out his dilemma about faith and modern belief. That is the gist of this movie. Where do we draw the line?

The first half is brilliant background building of the small village or खेडं  and its people. There is a leader, a wise man, a simpleton, their wives, their mothers, mother in laws and so many others who create a beautiful village.

A simpleton Keshav's viewing of incarnation (or is it a dream or an illusion) turns the village upside down.
While Keshav is steadfast in his faith, the rest of the village loses it for this sole chance of turning their village into a rich religious place! It is easy for me to state in a single line what the story is about, but it is the cast that creates the magic on the screen.

Nana Patekar and Sonali Kulkarni are brilliant as the chief couple of the village. Dilip Prabhavalkar as Anna is subtle and gentle in speaking the truth. But the movie belongs to Girish Kulkarni as Keshav. The subtle message is unmistakable.

The technicals of the movie are also amazing, the photography is magical. A small serene village where the moonlight is bright, the scene is magnificent.

Go see the movie right away. If possible go to the closest cinema. Do not miss this movie.

Trailer here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfzctPCpb2A

Harishchandrachi Factory - Movie Review

My blog has been on a breather for a month almost. I have moved to Mumbai and hence the break. 


Well, I saw Harishchandrachi Factory in the intervening period and I must say it is one of the best movies ever made. Why I say so?


Look at the topic - How was the first movie in India made? 100% documentary material. And what do the movie makers do? They do magic!


They make a 100% entertaining package that has loads of 24-carat comedy and information. It does not dilute the challenge that Phalke had to overcome in his endeavour to bring "Drama on the screen".


So it begins with Phalke and his son going to a movie screening in British Mumbai. And they are mesmerised. Then begins the story of Phalke's restless mind in getting cinema to India. His family stands by him and he is shown as a loving husband and father. But he is a crazy innovator.


In that he almost loses his eyesight, people call him a lunatic, he sells of most of his property, he moves to a remote suburb (if you know Mumbai well, listen to the behind the back comment about Dadar made by Phalke's neighbour and you will know what I am saying :) ) and other such incidents.


Then there are the challenges of convincing people about lending money for his creative work, travelling to London (and finding vegetarian food there), bringing back the equipment, finding actresses for the lead role and so on.


It is all magical. You are transported back by a 100 years. The production is fantastic - Mumbai has never been shot so beautifully. The lines are very very witty. The actors, especially Phalke's family, have done a fabulous job. 


And interestingly, as you laugh at the comic lines or things happening on screen, you start realising how difficult it must have been for Phalke to make a movie at a time when it was not even a concept. So what could easily have been a serious documentary or a movie that is more on the offbeat track, the movie makers have produced a fine entertaining comedy that makes sure you are engrossed in making of the first movie of Raja Harishchandra!


This line of Ashok Kumar from Mr. India is somewhat similar, "Imagine telling Emperor Akbar that you can talk to anyone in the world on telephone!"


And I recommend this movie to even those who do not speak/understand Marathi. The whole movie is self-explanatory.


Rating - 4*.
Link to IMDB site