Taptapadi: Massive Task Gone Wrong

By Praveen Lulekar

Let’s look at Taptapadi like an academic project for a film student. The professor tells you to create a film that shows all the camera angles you’ve learnt, cast lead actors that are ‘still learning’ (so that you can master the skill of extracting acting) and of course, create it before the term end. As a tip, he also tells you to select a story that is fool proof, may be by a good writer. In a stroke of passion, instead of the more film-suited novels of Chetan Bhagat or Ravinder Singh, you directly get your hands on Rabindranath Tagore. You didn’t notice the professor’s raised eyebrows that had everyone from Satyajit Ray to Rituparno Ghosh, who touched Tagore so thoughtfully, in retrospective.

Director Sachin Nagargoje’s first directorial attempt is about this massive task going wrong. The film is based on Tagore’s short story Drishtidaan and contradicting the above hypothesis, Nagargoje might have been really influenced by its richness. Meera (Veena Jamkar), who has lost her mother as a child, grows up at her paternal aunt’s house and inevitably falls for cousin Madhav (Kashyap Parulekar). After an awful ruthna-manaana scene, that intends to give a little twist as well as increase the depth of their relationship, the two get married. After long songs and love- making scenes (yes, Bengali films finally show an influence), we get to the main topic – Meera loses her eyesight. It is the husband’s mistake as Madhav, a medical student, tries his own medicines on Meera. The guilt casts a long shadow on his life as well as their relationship.

On paper, this is a fantastic story. It has all the shades of human nature, the internal struggle of relationships and the era (pre-independence) plays a role as Madhav considers having a second wife (Shruti Marathe). Even the screenplay has almost done its job – it tries to raise characters through dialogues, like Madhav’s stubborn and egotist nature comes through his constant scornful language. But all this is ‘as intended’. What actually happens is an average actor (Parulekar) can’t get even his speech right. He never convinces – be it his love, his guilt or the futility born out of it, nothing is conveyed. It is a pity that such a rich character fails in such a way.

Jamkar tries hard but she gives her character a creepy psycho-like appearance, augmented by the shaky camera, which highlights the chaos of the character more than its pain. Like Madhav, Meera is also full of complexities, but a linear display of the extremes, backed by background details, would have made it acceptable. Marathe’s character has that linearity, but she gets lost in the unnecessarily explored social angle of religion and women (important, but irrelevant). The sad part is that actors, no matter how incomplete the character sketches are, do not give their hundred per cent. Neena Kulkarni, as Madhav’s ‘you should marry again’ aunt, shows how it is done.

An important characteristic of Tagore’s short stories is their pace. Within a few sentences, the master could change the course of the story and shift to a new phase of his characters’ lives. These transitions are challenging for a film-maker and Tapatadi fails miserably in handling them. It is only a voice-over that tells us that Meera’s first baby was stillborn before the couple shifts to Pune and resumes life happily. The same happens when Meera turns blind, she wholeheartedly forgives her husband and the burdened Madhav dedicates himself to her care. The next phase shows him aloof and tired of it. The in-between phases, so important, are absolutely absent. They come beautifully in Tagore’s description, but cinema demands a visual explanation – if not descriptively, then through little nuances.

Nothing hurts like one good scene in a bad movie. It tells you what the film could have been. With a soulful song at the background, a sequence shows the lonely Meera waiting for Madhav in her bed. She hears the vehicle come, the engine stops but the restless Madhav steps back into the car and Meera hears the engine coming back to life. She quietly weeps – saang tujhi pokli kadhi bharnaar manaa. (O heart, when will your emptiness be filled). Emptiness is pretty much what you feel after the film.

m4m says: Watch at your own risk 

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Reliving the Olden Times

Taptapadi, a new Marathi film is inspired by Tagore’s short story Drishtidaan

Nachiket Joshi

Taptapadi, a Marathi period film inspired by Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore’s short story Drishtidaan will release on March 28 across Maharashtra.  Taptapadi marks the debut of Sachin Nagargoje as a director.  

“Wholesomeness and simplicity in Drishtidan and Rabindranath Tagore’s writing inspired me to make the film on such an issue,” explained Nagargoje. “The story of the film is based on eye donation and it explores the shades love and relationships. One can enjoy this movie with the family,” he added.

The story of the film takes place in the period of 1940s and it is adapted into Marathi for the film by director 

Nagargoje himself. He has also co-written the dialogues for the film with Madhugandha Kulkarni. Kashyap Parulekar, Veena Jamkar and Shruti Marathe are the lead actors of the film. Neena Kulkarni, Sharad Ponkshe, Ashwini Ekbote, Ambarish Deshpande and Rahul Vaidya are also part of the cast.

According to Nagargoje, Taptapadi is technically more challenging because it is a period film and its cinematography, art direction and costumes will take the audience in yesteryears. Santosh Sarankar has done the cinematography whereas Devdas Bhandare has done the art direction for the film. Dhanashri Tiwarekar and Rahim sheikh have designed the costumes for the film.

The duo Sumit Bellari and Rohit Nagbhide have composed the music for the film whereas Vaibhav Joshi has penned the lyrics. Sawani Shende and Swapnil Bandodkar have sung the songs of the film.

Taptapadi will hit the theatres on March 28 all over Maharashtra.

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An Unscripted Dialogue

In the last session of the Arbhaat Short Film Club for this year, Umesh Kulkarni interviewed Nagraj Manjule and the rest just followed…  

Praveen Lulekar

Umesh Kulkarni and Nagraj Majule in conversation

For a film buff, it was an occasion close to something historic. Though that might be a hyperbole, it was more than just exciting to see these two locked in a conversation on stage. Both faces of today’s Marathi cinema, but with completely different sensibilities as film-makers. The questions were short, precise and packed with sincerity, while the answers were elaborate, in a deliciously raw tongue and spiced with self-mocking humour. What connected them was a common passion for cinema; cinema that is at a time realistic and artistic – as tickling as Deool and as haunting as Fandry.

In the 12^th and last session of the Arbhaat Short Film Club for this year, Umesh Kulkarni interviewed Nagraj Manjule. The stage was that of the National Film Archives of India (NFAI) on March 6. After a warm felicitation by Samar Nakhate, Manjule invited his colleagues on stage with peculiar descriptions for each one and team Fandry then shared their experiences. Kulkarni could establish a quick connect with Manjule when he asked about the struggle while making his first film to the latter. He did not forget to mention that it is a struggle, “even I have faced”, before he put the question.

Manjule was spontaneous and detailed. “I had completed M. A. in Marathi, and then wasted a year thinking what to do next. Since I could think of nothing, I started with M. Phil. – something to do, when there’s nothing to do,” he quoted as the audience burst into laughter. There were several failed attempts to clear NET/SET before his friend Mithun Chaudhary (Assistant Director of Fandry) took him to Ahmednagar for a course in Mass communication. “Mithun took all the lost, left out people there,” commented Manjule, again tickling the audience.

The details seemed funny now, but a hurt in Manjule’s tone told that it might have been mighty difficult then. “Days in Nagar (Ahmednagar) were difficult,” a wry note slipped among the laughter he generated. Manjule fondly remembered that Chaudhary taught him many technicalities of script writing. “I used to write scripts like a story,” he mentioned with a smile.

Pistulya, his National Award winning short film, generated confidence in him. “It was Umesh Sir who told me, at this very venue, to send it to the National Awards,” said Manjule. Kulkarni was curious about the reflections of Manjule’s personal life in Fandry. In an answer that wasn’t just about his film, Manjule explained his learning process, which underlined the preconceptions we bear about cinema.“Umesh Sir’s Girni and Mithun’s Compulsory Helmet were the first short films I saw. Watching international cinema, I understood that films can be beyond kutte, kamine and badlaa. Lot of details in mainstream cinema started to hurt me. For instance, it never showed me the real side of Dalit life. There was a character named Kachra in Lagaan, who has a broken wrist. They never showed how it was broken, what was his background. They only used it for the spin bowling twist,” he said.

Team Fandry in Conversation with Umesh Kulkarni (extreme left)

Coming to a more specific answer, Manjule mentioned that Fandry was a rearrangement of reality. “It is my story, my father’s story. It is the story of how we get torn in extremes in the process of living,” he said. About the process of scripting the film, he said that he had written the script in one go. About the message it gives, he spoke with a pinch of sarcasm – “I have told a story. Message is something we compulsively derive out of it.” But the funniest quote was reserved for Somnath Awghad, the Jabya of Fandry. Answering a question about why he was so reluctant to do the film initially, he said, “I was doubtful if this man is really a director.”

The conversation was interrupted as it was time up at NFAI. The audience was left unsatisfied as a consequence. Arbhaat Short Film Club showed Rajesh Jala’s documentary Children of the Pyre before the interaction and also felicitated director Pushpendra Singh, whose film Lajwanti (The Honour Keeper) has been selected for the Berlin Film Festival. The club plans to start again after a short break with documentaries.

Fandry will receive many more honours in future. A recent one is that of Aamir Khan praising the film. Kulkarni, made a telling comment in his sincere way about it – “We should remember that Fandry has not become great because someone praises it; it is beautiful and hence people are drawn towards it.”  

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Yashwantrao Chavan : A Sad Compromise

by Praveen Lulekar

I had two important cautions in my mind before watching Yashwantrao Chavan – Bakhar Ekaa Vadalachi. First, being an ardent admirer of Director Dr. Jabbar Patel’s all the previous works, I did not want to be biased. Second, I wanted to see the film only cinematically – the story it told and how it told, without any extra-narrative context. In the course of the film, both my vows collapsed. On screen, an extremely disappointing piece of art seemed to compromise its integrity through political inclination. It either paints history conveniently or chooses incidents that forcefully carve out a god out of its hero.

Written by senior journalist and author Arun Sadhu, the film is a biopic on eminent politician Yashwantrao Chavan, Maharashtra’s first Chief-Minister and union minister of different portfolios. It traces his life and times from 1912 to 1984 – his childhood, youth (played by Om Bhutkar) and adulthood (Ashok Lokhande), the last stage expanding into many stages. There are many aspects to discuss about the film; three broad points stand out – Chavan’s ideological battle in the pre-independence era, his role in the Sanyukta Maharashtra agitation and the overall character built-up of the protagonist.

The most gripping part of the tale is Yashwantrao’s participation in the freedom struggle. Through meticulous recreation of the era (art and costumes – Sham Bhutkar and Mohan Ratnaparkhi), an intense ideological battle is raised here – between socialism, Gandhism-Nehruvian ideology and Manvendra Nath Roy’s humanism. Impact of Bhagat Singh’s hunger strike in jail and the consequential death of Jatindranath Das are also shown effectively. This struggle catches the crux of the dilemma of any common karyakarta in the freedom movement. It reaches you in flesh and blood through Bhutkar whom you are bound to carry home. The dilemma is however never resolved logically – it is true that Chavan had his doubts about socialism, but why did he ultimately accept Gandhi-Nehruism never becomes clear. It comes with a random explanation that ‘it became clear after the Second World War that this was the right way’.

Ashok Lokhande as Chavan, Lubna Salim as Venutai

 Many leaders from the era meet you – S. M. Joshi, Acharya Atre, Acharya Bhagwat, Morarji Desai and so on. All these are important faces of the Sanyukta Maharashtra agitation. This is the most controversial part of Chavan’s political career; he was subjected to aggressive criticism in this period. The film ‘honestly’ puts this forward. What it intelligently does is raise Atre as more of a caricature, bound in gimmicky animations. Purpose: ridiculing the opponents. This period also portrays Chavan as a religious Nehru follower, which was true. But it also portrays him as an idealistic, emotional leader whose only bold characteristic you can derive is that of a party loyalist. The treatment remains locked in the confines of his personal life, a full-fledged political narrative never really emerges.

The fact that Chavan’s stand on united Maharashtra was ambiguous is left as it is. Both, loyalists and opponents would have differing opinions on this period. But it hurts you when his real work – as the CM of Maharashtra is never seen. His vigorous efforts to unite western Maharashtra with Vidarbha and Marathwada, his policy decisions never come into picture. What comes is his tremendous admiration for literature and terribly failing attempts to find an allegory for his persona with Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, Shirvadkar’s Natasamrat and even a false accused in Tendulkar’s Ghashiram Kotwal. Dr. Patel really loses the grip and purpose when he shows footages of the latter two without any context. His safe references to the emergency make it a sad compromise.

The strength of the film is its editing (Nitin Rokde) and music (Anad Modak). In vast chapters, they maintain the pace and flow. A commendable job is also done by Shivdas Ghodke (casting) and Vikram Gaikwad (make-up), who create Yashwantrao out of Lokhande, an average actor. He is ably supported by Lubna Salim (Venutai, Chavan’s wife), Meena Naik (Vithabai, his mother) and others, who justify Chavan’s greatness more than the lead actor. 

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‘Yashwantrao is a Deep and Different Thought’

The film written by veteran author Arun Sadhu and directed by celebrated filmmaker by Dr Jabbar Patel set to release on March 14

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By team m4m

Yashwantrao Chavan, beyond a person, is a deep and different thought. It was a huge challenge to create this biopic, veteran filmmaker Dr. Jabbar Patel summed up his experience of directing the upcoming film Yashwantrao Chavan – Bakhar Eka Waadlachi. Dr. Patel, along music director Anand Modak and others, was present in Pune on Saturday, March 8. The film, written by senior journalist and author Arun Sadhu, will hit theatres on March 14.

The biopic covers life and times of Chavan from 1912 to 1984. It features television actor Ashok Lokhande as Chavan, while theatre actor Om Bhutkar plays the young Yashwantrao. Lubna Salim plays the character of Chavan’s wife, Late Venutai. Nana Patekar, Satish Alekar, Supriya Vinod, Rahul Solapurkar and Benjamin Gilani make up the rest of the cast among others. Alekar and Bhutkar were present on the occasion.  

“It is difficult to handle a variation in the same genre. I did Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, a film of the same genre, in a different style. I wanted to tell this tale in a different manner,” said Dr. Patel. He went on to explain the various facets of the film including the technical, musical, content related and research oriented. 

“Krushnakaath, Yashwantrao’s autobiography, is a very lyrical one. Through various other materials – interviews, books on him and a photo-biography, we found out many aspects of his life. There was music, wrestling, love for theatre…everything in his life, but more prominently, there is poetry. We thought the story could be told using a lot of music,” said Patel.

Elaborating on Sadhu’s contribution, Dr. Patel said that he is someone who has seen the era of Chavan. “His important qualities are that he has an acute political sense and is extremely neutral in his point of view,” he said. 

Modak, sharing his experiences, said that the music tries to capture sensitivities of the leader. “We have tried to build up a musical collage to show the richness of Yashwantrao’s character,” said Modak. 22 songs were recorded for the film, out of which 16 feature in the film’s CD.

 Songs are written by Late Kavi Vinayak Karandikar, N. D. Mahanor, a ghazal by Mir Taqi Mir, a poem by Marathi poet Kusumagraj and as a special feature, ovya (traditional verses) by Chavan’s mother Vithabai Chavan. The singers include Shankar Mahadevan, Ravindra Sathe, Anand Shinde, Nandesh Umap, Aarti Ankalikar, Vibhavari Joshi and Urmila Dhangar among others. “Composing music for the film was very fulfilling experience,” said Modak.

The film has been produced by the Yashwantrao Chavan Pratishthan, Mumbai, presented by the Government of Maharashtra and distributed by Essel Vision. Sane, Business Head of Essel Vision, said that film is important in many contexts. “We are releasing the film in more than 250 theatres across Maharashtra. This is a special celebration of Yashwantrao’s birth anniversary which is on March 12. We believe the film will connect across all age-groups and sensibilities,” he said.       

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Hello Nandan: A Realistic Thriller

The young team of Hello Nandan talks about the film as it is all set to release on March 14

team m4m

Hello Nandan, is a story of a man who loses his cell phone and consequently faces series of unusual situations while he goes looking for it. The film that promises to be a realistic thriller with doses of dark comedy will release on March 14 as announced by the cast and crew on March 10 in the city. The film is directed by Rahul Jadhav and stars Adinath Kothare in the lead role.

“We are so attached to our phones that when we lose it, we lose a part of our memory as well. The protagonist of this film also faces a similar situation, when he loses his phone and ends up encountering various social issues,” said Jadhav, who is a renowned cinematographer and has worked in about 27 films.

Talking about handling both responsibilities of camera and direction, Jadhav said, “It was very important for me to not let the cinematographer in me overshadow the director.” His previous work as a cinematographer includes films like Haapus, Mala Aai Vhaychay and Ideachi Kalpana.

“Nandan Dixit is a man who follows his heart. A painter by profession, he is whimsical and does not comply with the rules of society without questioning them. It was a genuine character,” said Kothare who plays protagonist Nandan Dixit. Along with him, Devendra Bhagat (Diggi-anatogonist) lyricist Kedar Shardul and Music Director A.V. Prafullachandra were present at the press conference.

While describing the music of this film, music director Prafullachandra said, “Music is the soul of the film. Composers typically choose to leave thrillers musically blank, I wanted to treat this film differently and fill it with contextual music.” The album also features singer Amitraj Sawant and lyricist Guru Thakur.

The film also stars Mrunal Thakur as female lead and boasts of senior artists like Nina Kullkarni and Anant Jog. Hello Nandan has been produced by Reenu Ohlan and Navin Ramnani of Knock Knock Entertainments. 

Check out the Official Trailer of Hello Nandan

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Dhag: Honest Story-telling

Praveen Lulekar

A story can be narrated in a number of ways. Most familiar among them – implied and direct. What we saw a few weeks ago, in Fandry, was a film that told everything quietly, through its camera angles, the silence between characters and a host of symbolisms. Dhag is a simplistic narrative that tells everything in detail, explicitly. It is the classic form of story-telling where there is a space for every aspect of the story, in fact, story is its mainstay. As a viewer, the most important factor is that it affects you by hitting at the right places.

Dhag is the story of the Masne family that is, by caste, in-charge of the cremations in the village. Each member stands for an alternate approach of looking towards the paradoxical profession. The head Shirpa (Upendra Limaye) has accepted it but is suffering silently. He has developed his own philosophy of not being scared of death now, but of life. His suppressed agony incarnates full-fledge in his school going son Kishnya (Hansraj Jagtap), who is openly critical of the work. The mother Yashoda (Usha Jadhav) is practical about it – she is too busy in household chores to burn in philosophy, but plans to educate her children and drift away from the profession in future. But unlike the son, she is not in a hurry .Lastly, the pious grandmother (Suhasini  Deshpande) considers the work holy and silences any rebel with the fear of a shaap (curse).

The beauty of the story is that none of the view is ‘the’ truth. Everyone is correct with respect to their age and beliefs, but that puts them in contradiction with each other. What emerges prominently among these tussles is that between the father and the son. It is portrayed brilliantly with the son’s outbursts and the father’s silence. The writers (Shivaji Patil, Nitin Dixit) show maturity when they do not make the boy’s anguish arbitrary. It is backed by events, and the dialogues capture a child’s mentality perfectly when he repeats those very words which were used to abuse him. Dialogues also play a role in the thematic integrity when even the proverbs are relevant to the profession. Tula mautilaa bolawala hota, tu baravyala yetoes (I had called you for the cremation, you’re coming on the twelfth ritual day), Yashoda says to her son when he is late to get the milk.

The irony of earning a living off the dead is the central thought of the story. It protrudes time and again through the content – a song kunaache saran, kunaache maran,kunachi bhakar,  for example, is written exceptionally well (lyrics – Shiv Kadam). The background music (Sunil Kaushik) might be over the top for lovers of subtlety. But the overall mood of the film allows a space for it. The treatment also hides the technical rawness for a first time watcher. The camera work, to say the least, is basic. But there is logic in it to raise the complete picture inclusive of the surroundings. Actors interacting in the background while blurred hens eat grains in the fore gives you feel of the village life. There are no fancy scene transitions; gloomy lighting might also be a problem to a casual viewer.

The heart and the honesty of the film is its strength. It is brought out precisely by the actors. Limaye, in particular, has lived the character through mannerisms more than anything else. You will remember each of them for their ease. Child artist Jagtap also deserves a special mention for his consistent and memorable character. It is through him that we see and feel the film. Dhag is story-telling that we have grown up watching. Don’t miss this!

     

m4m says: A Must Watch

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'Dhag' changed my Life Completely

As the highly acclaimed Marathi film Dhag releases on March 7, lead actor Usha Jadhav speaks to m4m about her work experience and the National Award

Nachiket Joshi

A simple girl from Kolhapur went to Mumbai with nothing but a zest to fulfill her dreams. Her struggle constitutes of a cameo in Madhur Bhandarkar’s Traffic Signal, short films like Gaali, Gubbare and Mumbai Trilogy, a few ad films and a television serial.

Marathi films have given her the real breakthrough. Usha Jadhav has finally arrived with Dhag. Her portrayal of the protagonist Yashoda in the film won her the Best Actress trophy at the National Awards 2013. She gets candid with m4m about her films, her new projects and her experiences of working in the industry.

Dhag is your first Marathi film, how were you cast in it?

There was no such process behind the selection of Dhag. It was a casual meeting at a random coffee shop between me, Nitin (Dixit – writer) and Shivaji Lotan Patil (Director) where I was cast as Yashoda. Vishal Gaware (producer) also confirmed my role afterwards. Besides Upendra, whole team was totally new for me, but I enjoyed working with them.

And then the National Award for Best Actress; what was the feeling?

It was unbelievable at the first instance. I never expected National Award for my first full fledge role. It changed my life completely. People started recognizing me as an actor. Directors started offering me roles directly (without audition). Bhootnath Returns is one of them.  

So you have maintained the track record of getting movies without giving the auditions.

(Big laugh) I am fortunate enough to get the movies without auditions. Madhur sir (Madhur Bhandarkar) gave me breakthrough in Traffic Signal without auditioning me. The same continued in Dhag and now Bhootnath Returns. I worked with Nitesh Tiwari (director of Bhootnath Returns) before in Kaun Banega Crorepati’s promotional advertisement. He has seen my work in short films like Gubbare and Gali. I think my work induced him to pick me for the film. (Laugh again)  

What after Dhag and Bhootnath Returns?

Right now, I am looking for a good script and role in Hindi as well as Marathi. I don’t want to be typecast as ‘Marathi bai’ in Hindi films; that is why I have refused many roles.  Going further I want to maintain variety in my work. 

Release date of Dhag has been postponed nearly by a year. What are your feelings and expectations from the film?

I am excited about the release and am eagerly waiting for the response of the audience. Fingers are crossed. And yes, the postponed release date will not affect the box office performance of the film. I would say people are waiting for the film and will surely love it. 

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Dhag: Story of a Tragic Irony

The National Award winning film will finally release on March 7

team m4m

Dhag is the tragic irony of a family that becomes happy when a death happens in the village, said director Shivaji Lotan Patil explaining his film. The national award-winning film is based on the plight of a lower-caste family in-charge of the cremations in the village.  It is all set to be released on March 7, across Maharashtra.

Cast and crew of the film addressed the press in Pune on March 1. Actors Upendara Limaye, Usha Jadhav, Suhasini Deshpande, producer Vishal Gaware, script and dialogue writer Nitin Dixit and music director Adiramachandran were present on the occasion. Patil, however, could not be present due to prior commitments.

Talking about the storyline, Dixit said that a caretaker family at the Dombivali cremation centre inspired him to write the story. Explaining why the setting was shifted to a village, he said, “The pathos of a family doing such work is felt with more impact in a rural background.” Limaye was drawn into the movie because of the strong story and Dixit roped him into the project. According to the former, the film is a rebel story of a teenage boy, who dreams to break the barriers of an unjust socio-economic situation. 

The film has won National Award for Best Actress (Jadhav), Best Child Artist (Hansraj Jagtap) and Best Director (Lotan Patil). It also received four Maharashtra State Awards. Jadhav, who is starring in her first full-fledged role, said that she was accommodated warmly by the experienced unit. “The director was very precise with his paperwork. He explained every detail of my role elaborately,” she added. Jadhav was previously seen in cameos in Hindi films Traffic Signal and Striker.   

The film was set to release last year, but got delayed. “We are confident that the postponed release date will not affect the film’s box office collection. It will make good impact on the audience as it has done on the critics,” expressed Gaware.

Dhag will hit the theatres on March 7 across the Maharashtra.     

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