Ani... Dr. Kashinath Ghanekar

"Ani... Dr. Kashinath Ghanekar"

Watched Marathi movie "Ani... Dr. Kashinath Ghanekar".

This film is directed by Abhijeet Deshpande and stars Subodh Bhave as Kashinath Ghanekar, Nandita Dhuri as his first wife,  Anand Ingle as Vasant Kanetkar, Mohan Joshi as Bhalji Pendharkar, Sonali Kulkarni as Sulochana, Prasad Oak as Prabhakar Panshikar, Sumeet Raghavan as Dr. Lagu and Vaidehi Parshurami as Kanchan.

The movie starts from Kashinath being foremost dentist and a struggling actor and takes us through his first superhit play,  his first dalliance with films,  his second superhit play, superstardom, affair with Kanchan, legendary rivalry with Dr. Shriram Lagu, hubris, excesses and downfall, second dalliance with films, marriage to Kanchan and final comeback. 

Casting is excellent. Subodh, Anand Ingle, Prasad Oak, Sonali Kulkarni, Sumit Raghavan, Mohan Joshi etc. are all established actors and do justice to their roles. 

Direction is excellent too. To retain the audience interest for the duration of film, that is a biopic, is not easy. Director manages to walk the thin line and come out victorious. First half is very interesting. Second half is interesting but a bit slow. This film is based on the biography titled 'Nath ha maza' by Kanchan Ghanekar.

Subodh Bhave has proved his versatility and excellence many times over. Here he proves himself again. New face Vaidehi also plays smitten Kanchan to perfection. With her beauty and acting we should see her adorn lead roles in near future. 

Editing could have been better. The last scene should have been a bit earlier and the length of movie should have been about 20 minutes shorter. 

Marathi movie industry has come off age and has come out of the shackles of comedy. It bodes well for the art and business. INterval cinema now had substance and the subjects are varied and carefully chosen. This shift has brought audience back to Marathi cinema. The fact that I could watch this Marathi movie in a theatre in Abu Dhabi speaks volumes. 

Those who have not seen Kashinath Ghanekar in person should see the movie and those who have should see it too. 

Recommend watching.