Khairlanjichya Mathyawar: An Amateur Tribute

By Praveen Lulekar

A scene from Khairlanjichya Mathyawar

It’s very difficult to criticise a bad film with good intentions. But Khairlanjichya Mathyawar is really bad; the intentions – good but naive. Like an amateur college skit, the actors, the script, the direction try to enact every scene with their own understanding. At the end of every bit, you say, ‘okay, this is what they were trying to convey. Pass.’ The intensity, the seriousness and the terrifying cruelty of the original incident, from which the film draws inspiration, get mellowed down. You end up not in laughter, not even in disappointment but a deep anxiety for a better tribute or analysis for the horrific incident.

The film makes clear in the beginning that this is a fictitious story. No, it does not even say ‘based on true events.’ Somehow, though the title of the film itself is such a huge indicator, we have to accept this premise. It tells the story of the Parasmanges, a Dalit family living ‘outside’ the village of Khairlanji, Bhandara district. Sujata (Kishori Shahane), mother of three and wife of a drunkard husband, is made the protagonist. An aggressive lady, she raises her voice against everything wrong in the village. One such incident – over allowing a road through the Parasmange farm for the local Goddess’ procession, lands the family in a tussle with the Patil (Anant Jog), the feudal lord of the village. A host of baddies attack, molest and kill the family barring the head Babulal (Tukaram Bidkar).

The biggest drawback of the film is the actors. While Shahane gives it everything and Jog and Milind Shinde play with habitual villainy, the rest of the cast is a huge letdown. The film is narrated in flashbacks and begins with Babulal sitting beside four pyres. His sorrow and his agony never comes to fore through Bidkar. You are not hit with the intensity first up. Things keep getting worse – actors do not know what to do with their hands, how to focus with their glances, taking stance, consistency of characters and a lot of basics. The actors as the Sarpanch’s assistant and a male friend of the family’s college-going daughter are exceptionally bad! It’s a pity that some of the best dialogues (by the film’s standards) are mouthed by the latter.

The process probably stems from a bad screenplay and immature direction (Raju Mehsram). As dialogue writer, Meshram seems to have had some flashes of brilliance; in a marriage scene with an upset groom demanding dowry, Sujata says – ‘...is it for this that Babasaheb (Ambedkar) fought for us.’ It touches you for a moment. But the social tragedy of a Hindu Goddess’ procession stamping through a Dalit’s farm never evolves. The camera, which captures images of the Buddha so beautifully, keeps wandering aimlessly otherwise. There are unnecessary low angles and the crude panning distracts.    

The best bet of the film is its music – both background and the soundtracks. Songs by Anand Modak have the power to move you. The script also successfully brings forth how easily male egos are damaged when a woman challenges them. But the rape scenes in the end summarise the failure. Neither their unnecessary long span nor the overt nudity makes it intense. It just compels you to look away from the screen. That, surely, should not be the aim of any filmmaker! 

m4m says: Watch at your own risk

Posted in: