Farzand (फर्जंद)

"Farzand (फर्जंद)"

Watched Marathi movie "Farzand (फर्जंद)"". It's written and directed by Digpal Lanjekar. Produced by Anirban Sarkar. Music by Amitraj Sawant. The film features Chinmay Madlekar, Ajay Purkar, Mrunal Kulkarni, Meunmayee Deshpande, Neha Joshi, Sameer Dharmadhikari, Ankit Mohan and Prasad Oak. The movie runs for about 2.5 hours. This film was released in June 2018.

Shivaji had to relinquish Panhalgad (Panhala) in his truce with Mirza raje Jaysingh. He also had to run away from Panhala losing many men to enable his escape. Panhala had thus been thorn that  hurts Shivaji. He commissions Kondaji Farzand for the mission. Kondaji takes the challenge of capturing and winning Panhalgad with a force of just 60 men. 

What is Farzand's plan? Will he succeed? Will Bahirji Naik help him? What will Swarajya lose to win this fort?

Director has chosen a very very interesting and inspirational but short story to make a 2.5 hour long movie. Consequently he struggles to fill the spaces. The movie is too long. It focuses on the win rather than how it was achieved. Movie only shows that they scaled an unscalable cliff to get to the enemy. But their war strategy is missing. How they overcome the numerical inferiority using darkness is not shown. Having heard the story from the great Babasaheb Purandare, I can't imagine the story without famous shout of "Ganim ganim, Daga daga". Last part of the final act of war between Kondaji and Beshak Khan actually looks funny rather than intense and Villain doesn't look menacing. 

Ankit Mohan (Farzand) is handsome, well built and has ample opportunity to display his six packs. However, occasionally he lets slip non Marathi accent. Murunal portrays a tired and docile Jijabai. Chinmay's Shivaji is more pensive and contemplative than inspirational. Mrunmayee plays image breaking character of Kesar well. Ajay Purkar as Mama makes an impression. Neha Joshi has finally got a small but meaningful role, as Kondaji's wife, which she plays very well. Sameer Dharmadhikari in a negative role of Beshak Khan is impressive throughout the film except the last scene (fir no fault if his). But the one who steals the show is Prasad Oak as Bahirji Naik. He portrays multiple characters convincingly. His get-ups and beating is impeccable. 

Music is ok. You remember one or two tunes after the movie for some time. Cinematography is good. Night time scenes are taken well. I would have liked to see more outdoor scenes of Mawle scaling the cliff. Make up is very good. 

Sets, though grand, look like sets rather than real deal. Right from Sinhagad to Raigad to Panhala, sets look like sets. Doesn't give the authentic feeling. 

Editing is sloppy at times. Kesar's last fight is not shown properly. When she opens the locks, no one is shown coming out. In one scene camera pans out from Raigad palace out to show the entire palace and then entire top of Raigad showing people doing their chores, but when the shot fades out the people vanish first, letting audience know that this was a special effect.

This movie does not meet the expectations. Had this movie been 30 min to 45 min shorter, it would have become crispy and more appealing.

Not a must watch. 

Chintoo 2: Khajinyachi chittarkatha (चिंटू २: खजिन्याची चित्तरकथा)

"Chintoo 2: Khajinyachi chittarkatha (चिंटू २: खजिन्याची चित्तरकथा)"

Watched Marathi movie "Chintoo 2 (चिंटू २)". Directed by Shrirang Godbole, and produced by Shrirang Godbole and others. Screenplay Shrirang Godbole and Vibhavari Deshpande. Music Saleel Kulkarni. It stars Shubhankar Atre, Rumani Khare, Suhani Dhadphale, Ved Rawade, Animesh Padhye, Harshad Rajpathak, Nishant Bhavsar and Satish Alekar. The movie is about 1 hour 50 minutes long and was released in 2013.

Chintoo and his gang of friends  (Wanarwede sena) are bored of vacations and are looking for an adventure. Colonel kaka offers to take them for a camp in jungle. Chintoo finds an artefact in the lake and gets a whiff of a hidden treasure. The gang decides to find it. 

Where will they start? Will Colonel kaka allow? Is there a treasure? Are there bad guys? Can the kids find the treasure?

The story is light, bordered with mystery. Since its a kids movie, nothing serious happens. To spice up the things there are three baddies. However, they are used more for creating laughter than making the movie intense. Director does well in extracting acting from kids.

The locations and sets are first rate. The ancient mysticism is authentically created with some artistic liberty. The movie sets and locations remind you of  movies like Indiana Jones, Lara Croft etc.

All the kids act well. Especially Shubhankar and Suhani. Veteran writer Satish Alekar is pleasant, though he looks loving grandpa rather than Colonel kaka. Subodh and Vibhavari have 3 minutes screen space and can't even be called guest artists. 

Songs are good. Some you remember even after movie. But they are too many. For a movie about treasure hunt 5-6 songs is an overkill. 

Character of Chintoo caught imagination of Maharashtra through newspaper cartoon strip. Since then Chintoo is a household name. This is second movie of the series, although, I have not watched the first. 

A movie kids should watch.

Arunoday (अरुणोदय)

"Arunoday (अरुणोदय)"

Watched Marathi movie "Arunoday (अरुणोदय)". This film is directed by Partho Sen-Gupta, a French national of Indian origin. He has also written the screenplay. It's a formal co-production of India and France. Music is by Eryck Abecassis. It stars Adil Hussain (Joshi), Tannishtha Chaterjee (Leela), Ashalata Wabgaonkar (Radhabai), Chinmay Kambli (Babu), Isha Amlani (Naina) and Gulnaz Ansari (Komal). The film runs for about 1 hour 20 min and released in 2014.

Inspector Joshi (Hussain) is a morose lower middle class man. His daughter, Aruna, went missing at the age of six never to be found. His wife became mentally unstable by this shock. Joshi keeps chasing shadows in rain with his gun drawn while getting wet. He keeps coming to Paradise bar during his shadow chases and thinks he may find his daughter there. 

There is a side story of the dancing girls and how small girls are first brought and then groomed to become bar dancers. This house of girls is controlled by madam Radhabai (Ashalata).

This is an art movie. The story happens in Mumbai and entire story (except the last scene) happens at night and during continuous rain. Rain and darkness represent gloom and hopelessness. Arunoday (Sunrise) represents hope, new beginning. 

This movie is a blend of fact and fiction. The blend is so authentic that even when the movie ends, spectators can't decipher what was fact and what was fiction. Whether Paradise bar was real? Did Joshi really visit it? Did he see his daughter? Although there's a happy ending to the movie, one doesn't know if it really happened or it was only in Joshi's imagination. 

Hussain is presented in a different getup with big moustaches. It took me some time to recognize him. He plays the haunted father convincingly. Ashalata is in a counterintuitive role of a madam and does justice to it. Others are ok.

Keeping with the mood of the movie, music director has composed eerie music. The locations are carefully chosen and look authentic. 

This film has won awards in Durban international film festival,  Imagine film festival and Filmfest Munchen.

Watch of you like the art film genre. Otherwise, give it a miss.

Firebrand (फायरब्रॅन्ड)

"Firebrand (फायरब्रॅन्ड)"

Watched Marathi movie "Firebrand (फायरब्रॅन्ड)". It's written and directed by Aruna Raje. Produced by Purple Pebble Pictures. The film features Usha Jadhav, Sachin Khedekar, Rajeshwai and Girish Kulkarni in the lead roles. The film was released on 22 February 2019 on Netflix.

Sunanda (Usha) is a Firebrand lawyer in family court with a zeal to obtain justice for ladies in distress. Madhav Patkar (Girish) is her husband and best friend. Sunanda has a past and it keeps coming between their relationship. One day Divya Patel (Rajeshwari), wife of a self made businessman Anand Pradhan (Sachin), comes to her seeking divorce. 

Will she fight Divya's case? What will be the result? Will she be able to overcome her demons? How?

Usha Jadhav, never heard of her earlier. An average looking lady acts well & does justice to the role. Girish is fantastic. He plays the role of loving husband who is very patient and understanding, and even confused in the end. Rajeshwari plays the spoilt and hypocrite, divorce seeking wife well. Sachin plays the caring husband perfectly, as usual. But his actions towards end are out of sync with the character he builds up. 

The story is interesting. Director has handled an important social issue through this movie.  She handles the movie well and makes an impression. Director has used foetal position to project insecurities effectively. However, I have some objections. Director shows Sunanda's assistant disembark from wrong side of the car. Some continuity issues (She is wearing Bindi while brushing, but it vanishes when she comes our of bathroom). Director brings in Dalit angle. This is not in sync with the story and has no relation to the story. It appears like a parasite. 

Why does Anand come to Sunanda's house? Why does he offer to do massage? Would one do massage to a lady one barely knows and would the lady get it done? Although I understand what the director wanted to convey, the way she conveys it is very unconvincing. It remains the biggest flaw of the movie. She should have used the character of Freddy instead of Anand for this scene. If she had made this scene convincing, it would have been a superb film. 

Two songs are decent. One of them (incha incha..) lingers in your mind after the movie for a while. This movie has bold scenes and one can't watch it with entire family. 

Worth a watch.

Ek hajarachi note (एक हजाराची नोट)

"Ek hajarachi note (एक हजाराची नोट)"

Watched Marathi movie "Ek hajarachi note (एक हजाराची नोट)". Directed and produced by Shrihari Sathe. Screenplay Shrikant Bojewar. Music Shailendra Barve. It stars Usha Naik, Sandeep Pathak, Ganesh Yadav and Shrikant Yadav in main roles. The movie is about 1.5 hours long and was released in 2014. Rekha Kaku recommended this movie to me. 

Usha Naik is a widow whose son committed suicide. She works as house maid and manages to survive in her village. One day a politician comes to their village and distributes 100 rupee notes. Hearing about her son, he gives her 4 notes of one thousand rupees. She decides to put it to good use by purchasing a few things, that she wanted for long but could not afford, in a nearby town. There she faces various hardships, some hilarious, some serious. 

What hardships does she face? Will the money finally make her happy? Can she buy what she desires? How does she spend thousand rupee note?

The story starts on a lighter note showing the village life but it also has a sad border of her son's suicide. When she decides to spend the thousand rupee note, situation becomes hilarious because no one has a change for such a big amount. But then comes a twist and the mood of movie suddenly turns from light to sombre and serious. From this point on the movie becomes intense. 

How the system exploits poor and how police and politicians treat poor people like animals is depicted realistically and it makes your blood boil. The poor have little choice and just want to save their skin. They become a toy in the hands of powerful. Poor can't digest big money. There are vultures all around. It's a tragedy. 

Usha Naik, a yesteryear heroine, plays the role of old lady to perfection. She brings to life a lady who has suffered a lot but has not lost her spirit and who is good natured. Sandeep plays her neighbour who is like a second son to her and does justice to his role. Ganesh Yadav suits as a politician. Shrikant Yadav plays the cop. His negative role is so effective that you start hating him. 

Direction is very good. Director establishes the basis and background, then proceeds to introduce the subject (thousand rupee note), then moves to lighter difficulties caused by the notes and then handles the serious subject. The transition is natural and progressive. He has done a commendable job. He scores final point with the way he ends the movie. This ending is fantastic and I could not think of a better ending. 

A very good movie. Must watch.