Cinema Paradiso- All about Cinema: Indian Marathi Film Movie review

Sunday, September 28, 2014

#Tapaal, Indian Marathi Film Movie review, #JohnsonThomas Rating: * * * 1/2

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#Tapaal(Marathi) Rating: * * * ½ Internationally feted, Heart-touching story of a little boy & a childless couple who adopt him and the endless social discrimination/ostracisation they face in their small village. #MaitreyaMassMedia #PickleEntertainment #NanduMadhav #VeenaJamkar #MilindGunaji #UrmilaKanetkarKothare #RohitUtekar #LaxmanUtekar #Media1PR #GaneshGargote

Marathi film review
Johnson Thomas

Stunningly Evocative

Film: Tapaal
Cast: Nandu Madhav, Veena Jamkar, Milind Gunaji, Urmila Kanetkar and introducing Rohit Utekar,
Director: Laxman Utekar

Rating: * * * ½

‘Tapaal’ is cinematpgrapher(English Vinglish) Laxman Utekar’s directorial debut and it’s a spell-binding one I must say. The film has already been feted and appreciated in several International film festivals and showings and it comes to the theatres in India riding on that Tsunami of appreciation.

The story of a little boy, Ranga Rao(Rohit Utekar)who gets informally adopted by a childless couple and the social discrimination/ostracisation faced by them in their small village. The film is set in a small village, somewhere in the Konkan region, in the year 1977. It dwells with sympathy, concern and understanding on the bond between the little boy and the childless couple, and the social discrimination that they face.

TAPAAL's script writer, creative producer and presenter is none other than Mangesh Hadawale, of TINGYA fame. He creates some very tangible moments strong on pathos and enlivenment.
The performances by all the actors are stunningly evocative- and especially so with young first-timer Rohit Utekar who manages to stun you with his naturalness and amazing confidence.
Laxman Utekar, in his very first directorial effort proves that he has what it takes to go the distance as a director of repute!

TAPAAL had its World Premiere at 18th Busan International Film Festival 2013, South Korea. It was selected in Indian Panorama Section at 44th IFFI (International Film festival 2013) and 9 other International Film Festivals as well. It was also screened at 3rd Eye Asian Film Festival and Pune Film Festival. That's not all. Veena Jamkar bagged the best actress award at South Africa Film Festival. While Rohit Utekar won Best Child Actor Award, Prakash Holkar got the best lyricist award for his emotional composition 'don disanchi sawali ' at the Maharashtra state film Awards.
Johnsont307@rediffmail.com

Saturday, September 27, 2014

#Rakhandar, Indian marathi Film Movie review, #JohnsonThomas Rating: * *

#Rakhandar(Marathi) Rating: * * A mediocre attempt to get the ‘#LayBhaari’ effect at the Box-office, this one tries to invoke #Vithoba accompanied by all the filmy trappings, to do the trick. Ingratiating songs notwithstanding, the piecemeal plotting and the disconnected treatment make the going less than illuminating. #AjinkyaDeo #JitendraJoshi #AnujaSatheGokhle #YateenKaryekar #AnnuupChoudhari #MrunalinniPatil #CineshoreMedia

Marathi Film review
Johnson Thomas

God knows best!

Film: Rakhandar
Cast: Ajinkya Deo, Jitendra Joshi, Anuja Sathe Gokhle, Yateen Karyekar,Annup Choudhari, Satish Pulekar, Master Shreeveer Kadam
Director: Dr. Mrunalinni Patil

Rating: * *

We recently saw ‘Lay Bhaari’ in which an invocation to God brought about the downfall of villains. This ‘Rakhandar’ aims for the same affect. About a simpleton, an orphan, Sadanand Lokre(Jitendra Joshi) who gets informally adopted by a nurse. As her brother. He works for DK(Yateen Karyekar) and is often delayed while going to work due to his inability to say ‘no’ to his ever help-seeking neighbors. A tiff with the manager, Prashant(Annup Choudhari) makes him a little too expressive about his hopes of wedding the boss’ daughter who happens to be returning from Australia a few weeks later. The Boss , on overhearing this, gets enraged and dismisses Sadanand from the job. Sadanand is Khushaba/Rakhandar’s devotee and turns to him in his hour of need. His nurse/sister tells him he has a small cobbler’s stall, a business left behind by his father and Sadanand decides to set up shop there. His first customer is khushaba for whom he makes a pair of chappals. Later on his stall is pulled down for a road-widening project and the Govt allots him a bugger shop which he turns into a shoe shop, He bumps into Madhavi(Anuja Sathe Gokhle) by accident and a few meetings later they are in love. Madhavi happens to be DK’s daughter and DK is not amused and redfuses to give his blessings. The wedding takes place nevertheless and Prashant, DK’s choice of son-in-law is angered enough to plot vengeance. He waits for years before he gets to it though. In the meantime the lovers have a child and they break-up following a misunderstanding over a wish-fulfillment promise.

The story is predictable and follows the same pattern as ‘Jai Santoshi Maa’ where the protagonists are burdened by hardships and the chosen God comes to their rescue everytime- even when the faith wavers. There’s nothing new to the telling. It’s quite clear that the attempt here is to appeal to the audiences by using Vithoba/Rakhandar as a sort of wish-fulfillment genie who steps in with his magic tricks whenever the lead character and chief faithful Sadanand experiences a dip in his life. This sort of simplicfication is likely to appeal to the lay audience in interior Maharashtra- for it also exemplifies ‘hope’ in trying situations. Dr Mruunalinni’s treatment is a little too clichéd and stereotypical of the religion centered wish-fulfillment films. The narrative is patched together in piece-meal fashion. There’s hardly any continuity and the logical flow is affected by the scriptwriter’s attempt to add a surfeit of dramatic events to Sadanand’s life story. Ajinkya Deo as the Rakhandar has an impressive forbearance but his character is nothing more than a caricature and doesn’t allow for any display of emotion. Jitendra Joshi as Sadanand and Anija as madhavi give a satisfactory account of themselves. Ingratiating songs add mass value to a film that appears to be put together in slap-dash, by the numbers fashion rather than as a creative effort. Dim effort this!
Johnsont307@rediffmail.com