Reviewed
by Praveen Lulekar
With due respect to its serious consequences, AIDS
is a topic that has been preached about, even in films, in a boring fashion. Be
it the brilliant Philadelphia or a
similar Bollywood attempt Phir Milenge, the
treatment has been ultra-serious. Popat is
a pleasant exception with its well-defined set of characters that find fun even
in grave situations; never compromising on the serious message. Like the
government scheme in the film intends to be, this is ‘awareness through
entertainment’.
What causes AIDS, what are its symptoms, the types
of HIV…all this has reached us through various media. Popat does not intend to acquaint us with the basic facts again; at
least that is not its sole motive. It shows the serious impact of the disease
and how something we assume as ‘fun’ (like not using a condom) causes it. All
this occurs on the screen in a subtle way. A superb opening scene before the
titles shows Janardan (Atul Kulkarni) mischievously romancing with the ‘other’
woman. The lively scene not only indulges you in the film but underlines the
film’s theme in a few moments.The first half is however about the three young
actors. Bakul (Siddharth Menon), Raghu (Ameya Wagh) and Mukund (Ketan Pawar)
are best friends living in a village. Raghu is an aspiring actor and an extra
in films,
Mukund is still a student struggling to clear his 12th
standard and Bakul is an unemployed doing something he calls as a ‘business’.
The three actors establish superb chemistry and some dialogue-less moments
where they communicate only through signals bring a smile on your face. This
half however goes hands down to Menon whose rowdy, come-what-may character
takes control of every situation. One such situation leads to Raghu being
dismissed of his job and the three deciding to make a film themselves. AIDS
becomes the topic of their film as an awareness campaign is going on in the
village. A well-written Pathnatya (Street
Play) about the disease is embedded here.
As the shooting of the film begins, Menon makes way
for Wagh to take control of the proceedings. The second half also sees a swift
transition of the focus of the story on Kulkarni. Wagh does well to portray a
character that is oscillating between romanticism and reality, but his
expressions get over the top on occasions. Menon also loses the consciousness
of the rural accent rarely and some pronunciations occur in the standard
variety. The most consistent player is Pawar whose character is an extension of
the one he played in Shaala. Pawar’s
comic timing makes even the simplest of jokes work.
The backbone of the film is of course the pair of
Kulkarni and director Satish Rajwade. Kulkarni becomes every bit the careless,
showy, adultery-indulging marriage videographer and portrays details like the pettiness
of the character when he doesn’t touch a child affected with AIDS. He also
explores his funny side while shooting of the film in the film with some
hilarious dialogue delivery. It is heartening to see the boys teaching acting
to Kulkarni’s character in these parts.
The real heroes are however Rajwade, his writers and
the cinematographer. The locations are so wisely selected that they establish
the context of the story without wasting time. It is refreshing to see a village
that does not have huts but un-plastered houses with exposed bricks. Each
aspect of the village life – a bullock-less cart, the river side, a heap of hay
serve as backdrop for the scenes captured in poignant frames. The mood is kept
light throughout and crisp editing also keeps the pace alive. But the songs,
though melodious, might serve as obstructions.
Popat
is
a symbol of our understanding of a disastrous disease. Watch it, as it is our
own language of awareness. As Janardan says, we often learn lessons the hard
way. This is probably the most fun way of learning.
m4m
rating: It’s a must watch
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