• Review: Mumbai Pune Mumbai 2 (2015)
• Director: Satish Rajwade
• Producer: Mirah Entertainment and Everest Entertainment
• Writers: Satish Rajwade and Ashwini Shende
• Cast: Swapnil Joshi, Mukta Barve, Prashant Damle, Savita Prabhune, Asawari joshi, Suhas Joshi, Mangal Kenkre, Vijay Kenkre, Shruti Marathe
• Music: Avinash-Vishwajeet
• Genre: Drama
• By: Keyur Seta

Rating : 2.5/5

Review:

It is normal to have high expectations from the sequel of a film as loved as Mumbai Pune Mumbai. But it is almost impossible to recreate the magic of something as great as the 2010 film.

At the same time though, one would, at least, expect a decent amount of satisfaction from Mumbai Pune Mumbai 2. Unfortunately, that doesn’t happen. Although the film has enough elements for the target audience and the fans of two lead actors, it falters on the story level.

Mumbai Pune Mumbai 2 continues from where the first film ended. Gautam (Swapnil Joshi) and Gauri (Mukta Barve) are deeply in love with each other after spending a day together. Hence, they have decided to get married. Even their respective parents are very pleased with the alliance. Both families share an excellent rapport.

Soon, Gautam and Gauri get engaged. However, in the midst of such positivity, something out of the blue takes place, which threatens to tear the happy couple apart. Will their love succeed in standing tall against such testing times? Or does their love lags behind in something?

There is no doubt that Mumbai Pune Mumbai 2 is made by keeping the family audience in mind. The film succeeds in this task till some level. There are enough family moments in the form of lighthearted conversations and scenes where characters are excitedly preparing for an important marriage. Swapnil and Mukta’s pairing is obviously plus factor. Avinash-Vishwajeet’s music too tilts towards the positive side. ‘Saath De Tu Mala’ is the best of the lot.

Mumbai Pune Mumbai 2 is by far the first sequel that has a completely different theme from its first film. But this is not a problem here. The problem is the main point that takes the story forward. It is just unconvincing and it also makes one of the two characters appear silly. It is impossible to ignore this point because the entire film is based on it. And its consequences and the culmination (which is anybody’s guess) too are far from satisfactory.

Although the content doesn’t give much of a chance for the DoP to experiment, he has done a fair job. The story does appear more like a daily soap. But, thankfully, the background score doesn’t give that soapy feeling.

It is a pleasure to see Swapnil Joshi and Mukta Barve opposite each other yet again. Both have once again come up with pleasing acts. And like always, they complement each other very positively. This time, they were required to do something very different from the first film.

The film has a host of supporting actors in the form of Savita Prabhune, Asawari joshi, Suhas Joshi, Mangal Kenkre, Vijay Kenkre and Shruti Marathe and they all have provided decent acts.

Overall:

Mumbai Pune Mumbai 2 is just an average affair, which is not what one expects from the film. However, due to the popularity of the franchise and the leading pair, it will score big at the box office. The presence of Katyar Kaljat Ghusli and the Bollywood biggie Prem Ratan Dhan Payo won’t be able to stop it.

The post Review: Mumbai Pune Mumbai 2 – Only for Swapnil & Mukta fans appeared first on MarathiStars.

• Review: Katyar Kaljat Ghusli (2015)
• Director: Subodh Bhave
• Producer: Essel Vision
• Writers: Purushottam Darvekar, Prakash Kapadiya
• Cast: Sachin Pilgaonkar, Subodh Bhave, Shankar Mahadevan, Amruta Khanvilkar, Mrunmayee Deshpande
• Music: Pandit Jeetandra Abhisheki (original score) and Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy
• Genre: Musical
• By: Keyur Seta

Rating : 4/5

Review:

A musical saga filled with numerous outstanding songs can gain acceptance even if the overall content falls in the above-average category. But this is not the case with Subodh Bhave’s Katyar Kaljat Ghusli. The film excels in every department and turns out to be a treat for your senses.

Katyar Kaljat Ghusli is based on the Marathi musical play of the same name. The story takes place in the pre-independence era in Vishrampur, Madhya Pradesh. Pandit (Shankar Mahadevan), a master in classical singing, has been a Rajgayak at the King’s court. As a reward for being a Rajgayak, the king decides to present him a royal dagger (Katyar).

Pandit comes across Khan Saahab (Sachin Pilgaonkar), a singer of a different gharana, at another village. Bowled over by his talent, he suggests Khan Saahab to migrate to Vishrampur so that he earns a decent living. After migrating to Vishrampur, Khan Saahab gives and outstanding performance during a jugalbandi with Pandit. However, the King declares Pandit the winner. This is just the start of Khan Saahab’s frustration. Later on, a young aspiring singer (Subodh Bhave) becomes an important part of Khan Saahab’s enmity with Pandit.

Normally, a musical film deals with subjects like romance or some serious drama. But KKG is a rare music-oriented film whose subject is a mixture of one-upmanship, betrayal and revenge. The writer has blended each of these aspects naturally with music through a intelligent, fast moving script. The duration of 2 hours and 41 minutes doesn’t appear lengthy at all.

The film is Bhave’s first as a director. But he has handled the film like a pro. There is a long list of scenes that leave behind a mark. In fact, it won’t be an overstatement that his next directorial venture is keenly awaited.

Music is the soul in this genre. So, the music just has to be impressive. But what the composers have achieved here is pure excellence! The tracks lead you to a trance.

The film also triumphs in the technical aspects. You can’t help but notice the artistic abilities of the DoP. The background score and editing too are praiseworthy.

The film does have few incidents in the second half that are questionable. On one or two occasions in this half, the going gets a bit dull.

Lastly, the performances take the film few notches higher. Sachin Pilgaonkar surprises you with his brilliant act as Khan Saahab. This is easily one of his career best acts. Subodh Bhave once again excels by showing a lot of dedication.

Shankar Mahadevan makes an impressive acting debut. His acting skills are on display in the latter part. Amruta Khanvilkar, Mrunmayee Deshpande and Pushkar Shrotri are good in supporting roles.

Overall:

Katyar Kaljat Ghusli is an overwhelming musical saga. The film will do well at the box office despite the presence of Mumbai Pune Mumbai 2 and Bollywood’s hugely awaited Prem Ratan Dhan Payo.

The post Review : Katyar Kaljat Ghusli – Treat for your senses appeared first on MarathiStars.

• Review: Than Than Gopal (2015)
• Director: Karthik Shetty
• Producers: Om Ganesh Production
• Writer: Karthik Shetty
• Cast: Milind Gunaji, Milind Gavali, Vivek Chabukswar, Suzanne Bernert
• Music: Amit Shetye
• Genre: Drama
• By: Keyur Seta

Rating : 1.5/5

Review:

In director Karthik Shetty’s Than Than Gopal, child actor Vivek Chabukswar’s convincing act as a visually challenged moves you. Unfortunately, apart from this aspect, the film gets everything else wrong. It turns out to be a case of a noble concept messed up.

The film centers round the adolescent Gopal (Vivek Chabukswar). He is visually challenged since birth. That’s not his only tragedy though. Four years ago, his parents passed away in a road accident. Ever since that incident, he has been staying at an orphanage in Mumbai. Despite such major issues, Gopal is mature enough to take life positively and be cheerful most of the times.

He decides to stay at his maternal uncle’s (Milind Gunaji) place in the same city for his summer vacations, much to the disappointment of the latter. For the outside world, his uncle is a social worker. But in reality, he is not only a fraud but also a womanizer. He shows utter carelessness towards Gopal despite his condition. Just then, a struggling painter (Milind Gavali) enters their chawl and becomes a Godsend angel for Gopal.

There is no doubt that Than Than Gopal has noble intentions. It makes a point that a visually challenged person can carry out any task in the world provided he is given proper motivation and support. The film also makes an appeal for eye donation. But noble intentions aren’t enough to make a good film.

The praiseworthy basic plot is executed poorly through some wayward screenplay, amateurish dialogues and unconvincing presentation. The writer takes the entire first half just to introduce characters and their psyche with almost no story development. Although the tale finally moves ahead positively later in the second half, the waywardness continues. This part also offers some unintentionally hilarious moments. The biggest one is the behavior of news reporters.

There are also issues with the characters of the uncle and Gopal. The uncle’s selfish and fraudulent ways are irritating, especially the way he leaves his visually challenged nephew to fend for himself alone. Gopal is shown to be someone who has achieved wisdom at a small age. But in between, he keeps on behaving immature and silly, which appears weird.

Coming to the technicalities, the DoP has taken some creative shots. As far as the music is concerned, none of the songs are worthy of taking home.

Vivek Chabukswar has received the National Award for Best Child Actor for his performance in this film. Looking at his act, he deserves this honor. Playing a visually challenged character and at the same time displaying starkly opposite emotions can be draining for any qualified actor. The flaw in his characterization doesn’t affect his performance that much.

Milind Gavali gets to play a lovable character and he makes it look believable. On few occasions though, he overdoes. Milind Gunaji doesn’t impress. His character sketch is also responsible for this. The actress playing a foreigner lady provides a decent act. However, making her speak in Marathi doesn’t work.

Overall:

Despite a heartwarming act by Vivek Chabukswar, Than Than Gopal doesn’t impress due to the content. The absence of proper marketing and publicity will work against it at the box office.

The post Review: Than Than Gopal – Noble concept, bad execution appeared first on MarathiStars.

• Review: Khwada (2015)
• Director: Bhaurao Karhade
• Producers: Chitraksha Films
• Writer: Bhaurao Karhade
• Cast: Shashank Shende, Bhau Shinde, Anil Nagarkar, Prashant Ingle, Surekha, Yogesh Dimbale, Rasika Chavhan
• Music:Rohit Nagbhide
• Genre: Drama
• By: Keyur Seta

Rating : 3.5/5

Review:

Rural flicks are a regular feature of the modern-day Marathi cinema. Such films shouldn’t be confused with the not-so-realistic village stories explored by Bollywood. Instead, these films are based in the extreme interiors of Maharashtra, areas that hardly or never receive any mainstream media coverage. So, naturally, these stories remain untold.

Debutant director Bhaurao Karhade’s Khwada continues the legacy of poignant rustic flicks offered by Marathi cinema. It is a film that shakes you with the plight of certain individuals but at the same time make you experience an uncompromising piece of hard-hitting cinema.

The film revolves around a family of shepherds containing Raghu (Shashank Shende), his wife (Surekha) and two sons, Balu (Bhau Shinde) and Panda (Prashant Ingle). The family is forced to live a nomadic lifestyle in search of graze for their sheep after their land is taken away by the authorities.

Balu is passionate for bodybuilding and wrestling. His family gets him engaged to a girl and he too falls for her. But in addition to their ongoing land case, the family faces another problem after Ashok Patil (Anil Nagarkar), the ruthless landlord, starts harassing them. How long will the family silently keep bearing atrocities?

Like various films of this genre, Khwada (which translates into ‘obstacle’) doesn’t follow a conventional storyline or narrative. The idea is to get the viewer submerged into an almost unknown world and the film achieves that hands down. You tend to forget the outside world as you realize that such a society exists in the India of today. Needless to say, this is achieved through some skillful writing and presentation, which is mostly evident from the symbolisms used.

Khwada suddenly changes gear and gives a strong statement in the climax. It also leaves behind some serious questions. In fact, the contribution of the ending moments is very high in providing the overall impact. This is because, during few instances, the narrative keeps on dragging. Such a film should have ended much before 119 minutes. This will limit its reach to some extent.

It is commendable to see the technical aspects like cinematography (Veerdhaval Patil), editing and background score rising high despite a very low budget. The music is used limited and rightly so.

Looking at the performances, it is difficult to believe that the actors are actually acting. Shashank Shende is once again flawless. Bhau Shinde not only perfectly fits the character of a bodybuilder, he shows some mature acting skills. He converses mostly through smiles and expressions effortlessly. Anil Nagarkar is outstanding as the ruthless landlord. You love to hate him. Prashant Ingle, Surekha and the rest of the actors add to the goodness.

Overall:

Khwada is an uncompromising, hard-hitting piece of cinema. The film, which has won Special Jury and Best Audiography at the National Awards, is a must watch for those who prefer unconventional stuff. But with the lack of proper hype and publicity, it won’t have a smooth ride at the box office.

The post Review: Khwada – Uncompromisingly realistic appeared first on MarathiStars.

• Review: Rajwade and Sons (2015)
• Director: Sachin Kundalkar
• Producers: Y M Deosthalee, Atul Kulkarni and Sachin Kundalkar
• Writer: Ajay Tamhane and Pravin Kamle
• Cast: Atul Kulkarni, Sachin Khedekar, Mrinal Kulkarni, Satish Alekar, Jyoti Subash, Siddharth Menon, Alok Rajwade, Mrinmayee Godbole, Krutika Deo, Pournima Manohar, Rahul Mehendale, Amitriyan Patil, Suhani Dhadphale.
• Music: Debarpito, Adrian D’souza, Tejas Modak
• Genre: Drama
• By: Keyur Seta

Rating : 4/5

Review:

It is vital for every society to adapt change in the changing times by putting aside regressive or orthodox beliefs that limit individual progress. But, as per an old saying, charity begins at home or family. And when it comes to family, the issue of generation gap plays a major hurdle to change.

Filmmaker Sachin Kundalkar has presented such a changing process of a family with regards to generation gap in Rajwade and Sons in a thoroughly heartwarming manner. It is an intelligently crafted saga that is an achievement for modern day Marathi cinema.

Rajwade and Sons is based in Pune and it focuses on a big and rich joint family of Rajwades, who are into jewelry business since generations. The senior-most member, Rameshrao (Satish Alekar) has the final word with respect to the personal and professional lives of his sons (Sachin Khedekar and Atul Kulkarni), their wives and children. Nobody dares even think of going against his decision.

The family shifts from its traditional wada to a modernly furnished luxurious apartment. Despite the major change in their residence, Rameshrao’s orthodox values continue to rule. Belonging to the generation of today’s era, his grandchildren wish to live their lives as per their own wishes. The story also focuses on Rameshrao’s youngest son, Vikram, who had run away years ago and has never returned.

Going by the synopsis, the film appears like an age-old joint family saga, seen mostly in daily soaps. However, that isn’t the case whatsoever. Despite having a joint family tale of orthodox versus modern, Rajwade and Sons is in every aspect a new-age saga, be it storytelling, presentation, dialogues, symbolism or behavior of characters.

Such similar goodness was also seen in Kundalkar’s last work, Happy Journey. And like that film, this one too presents a series of deep questions and thoughts that are not spoken. But what makes the film work the most is the mature manner of handling the issue of generation gap and, later on, its solution. Anyone belonging to this part of the world would be able to see him or her numerous times in some character or the other.

The film lacks any major drawback. The reaction of the family members towards a pleasantly shocking situation and the lack of footage given to Rameshrao at the end, are few minor issues.

The music (Debarpito, Adrian D’Souza and Tejas Modak) suits the genre with songs ‘Tagmag’ and ‘Mokale’ being impressive. Although DoP Arjun Sorte doesn’t get much scope to showcase his skills, he has captured the film well. The background score, as per the un-melodramatic content, is minimal and it works that way.

As writer and director, Kundalkar has also succeeded in giving proper importance to everyone from such an ensemble cast, which is a very challenging task, and made them deliver fine performances. Sachin Khedekar and Atul Kulkarni live up to their images of quality performers. It is a pleasure to see both sharing frame for the first time. Satish Alekar remarkably lives the character of an orthodox and rigid senior citizen.

Amitriyan Patil is a surprise package though. He gets to play an excellently sketched character and does complete justice to it. In the role of Rameshrao’s grandchildren, Siddharth Menon, Alok Rajwade, Mrinmayee Godbole and Krutika Deo are perfect. Godbole, especially, makes good use of the opportunity. Mrinal Kulkarni, Jyoti Subhash, Rahul Mehendale also succeed and so does the child actor Suhani Dhadphale.

Overall:

Rajwade and Sons is a triumphant family saga of the changing times. Due to the family appeal and the content, the film will be a winner at the box office.

The post Review: Rajwade and Sons – Gentle Revolution appeared first on MarathiStars.

By: Keyur Seta

The news about the biopic on the late Gopinath Munde, titled Sangharsh Yatra, is doing the rounds since few months. But not many details have been disclosed about the movie till date.

So, here is Raju Baji, Vice President of the BJP Chitrapat Union, the producers of the film, sharing more details about Sangharsh Yatra.

When did you think of making a biopic on the late Gopinath Munde, Sangharsh Yatra?

We started shooting from April this year. We didn’t think of the biopic when Mundeji passed away because, obviously, our state of mind wasn’t such then. But later on, we thought that as he has done a lot for us and others, his name should stay immortal. When we were thinking as to how we can give a fitting tribute to him, we thought that making a film on him is the best option. People should know his good deeds. Our intention is to show his life struggle, work, his thoughts, the condition of his parents, etc.

Normally, biopics are made years after a personality passes away. But in this case, you have come up with a biopic quite soon after the passing away of Mundeji.

We were eager to showcase his life struggle to the people. That’s the reason why we started working on it soon.

Will the movie focus on his life since childhood or only his political career?

We will be showing his entire life, right from his childhood days. The film will portray real incidents from his life, exactly the way they happened. We discussed a lot with his family about the various instances from his life about what exactly he did for the society, even when they were not in power. Likewise, we researched and made the film. We have made a biopic like a biopic.

Any close friends of Mundeji that you have focused on?

Yes, we have. Mundeji, Pramod Mahajan and Vilasrao Deshmukh were the closest of friends, right from the college days till the time they entered politics. We have focused on this aspect too.

Mundeji played a big role in the satta parivartan in 1995. So, have you also shown any opposition leaders in the film?

Yes, we have shown opposition leaders. The film will surely feature Munde saheb’s role in the satta parivartan and how it happened.

What was the reason for zeroing down on Sakar Raut as the director?

The thing is that we have no such experience in films. I am only the Vice President of the BJP Chitrapat Union. As far as Sakar Raut’s selection is concerned, I have personally seen him work on the sets of his films, Hatke Love Story and Shivya. His film Kalakaar is already released. After seeing his work, I felt he would be able to handle a biopic well. He is also my close friend. There are other capable directors too, but it is good to give preference to our close friends for such a project. It is all about fate.

How was the experience of working with Raut’s Team SR?

Sakar has a completely young team. They do such beautiful work, without any greed for money. They work wholeheartedly. I have observed them on sets.

This biopic is for a noble cause. So, are you also concerned about the film’s box office success?

We have left that completely on Sakar. As I said before, we don’t possess much knowledge in this arena. We are totally dependent on Sakar. We feel whatever he is doing is good.

The post Biopic on Mundeji is a fitting tribute to him: Sangharsh Yatra producer appeared first on MarathiStars.

• Review: Daagadi Chaawl (2015)
• Director: Chandrakant Kanse
• Producers: Mangal Murti Films and Sai Pooja Film and Entertainment Production
• Writer: Ajay Tamhane and Pravin Kamle
• Cast: Ankush Chaudhary, Makarand Deshpande, Pooja Sawant, Sanjay Khapre, Yatin Karyekar, Kamlesh Sawant
• Music: Amit Raj
• Genre: Drama/ Action
• By: Keyur Seta

Rating : 3/5

Review:

Marathi cinema audience is regularly exposed to mainstream Hindi films. Therefore, the subject of underworld isn’t novel for them by any means. So, if you are making an underworld movie in today’s era, it is vital for it to have something new to narrate.

If not this, there has to be some high quality entertainment. Debutant director Chandrakant Kanse’s Dagadi Chawl turns out to be a one-time watch affair for it offers some fast-paced entertainment.

The film is based in Mumbai in 1996, an era when the underworld had a strong hold in the city. Suryakant Shinde aka Surya (Ankush Chaudhary) is a brave young man staying in Mumbai’s famous B.D.D Chawl. He works in a garage and is satisfied in his small little world. When the beautiful Sonal (Pooja Sawant) moves in to their chawl, Surya falls for her and vice versa.

However, Surya’s simple and perfect world turns upside down when he gets into a tussle with a group of goons. Although Surya makes them bite the dust, his troubles just begin. The men belong to the powerful and utterly ruthless gangster-turned-politician, Daddy (Makadand Deshpande) of Dagadi Chawl. Will Surya be able to survive against such a mighty evil force?

Dagadi Chawl is basically a realistic underworld tale but it is narrated in an entertaining manner. The fast-paced screenplay with regular action sequences and twists in the form of betrayals make sure you are glued to the screen. There is a nice balance maintained between realism and commercialism, although on some occasions, like the climax, the focus tilts more towards the latter.

The film can also boast of some stylish presentation, aided by some sleek and sharp editing and powerful background tunes. Aniket Khandagale’s camerawork too falls in the positive category. The era of 1996 is created in a fairly successful manner. Except on few occasions where tall skyscrapers are visible, which didn’t exist even 10 years ago. From the music, the Ganesh Visarjan song ‘Morya’ is enjoyable.

The film as a whole, however, doesn’t rise up to the expectations. The flashback period is not only lengthy but also predictable most of the times. This predictability works against the film the most because, as mentioned before, the audience has been exposed to such underworld sagas numerous times in masala Hindi films. Plus, the one incident that changes the life of Surya is also a tried and tested one.

Ankush Chaudhary is having a splendid run currently. He continues it with his believable act here as Surya. He juggles between being soft-hearted and angry with ease. But Makarand Deshpande is the most striking. He isn’t shown indulging in evil activities as it wasn’t needed. His small little glance is enough to generate terror. The actor playing DCP Khan puts on a convincing show.

Pooja Sawant does what is expected from the ‘heroine’ in such genre of films. Sanjay Khapre and Yatin Karyekar, as Daddy’s most trusted men, play their respective characters properly. Kamlesh Sawant is getting stereotyped as a ruthless cop. But, taking nothing away from him, he plays the character to perfection.

Overall:

Dagadi Chawl is for those who enjoy underworld action sagas. With the hype and the presence of Ankush Chaudhary, the film is expected to do well at the box office.

The post Review: Dagadi Chawl – Underworld entertainment appeared first on MarathiStars.

• Review: Vakratunda Mahakaaya (2015)
• Director: Punarvasu Naik
• Producers: Bohra Bros and Alumbra Entertainment
• Writer: Yogesh Vinayak Joshi
• Cast: Vijay Maurya, Naman Jain, Shashank Shende, Prarthana Behere, Rishi Deshpande, Jayant Sawarkar & Usha Nadkarni
• Music: Sanket Naik and Sanrakshan Kini
• Genre: Drama/ Thriller
• By: Keyur Seta

Rating : 2.5/5

Review:

Due to the changing times in Marathi cinema, unconventional or experimental films are doing the rounds quite regularly these days. Debutant filmmaker Punarvasu Naik’s Vakratunda Mahakaya is another addition to the list.

But the bigger question is whether the film manages to impress and do justice to the genre. The answer to this falls in the affirmative but not in entirety. It is a one-time watch saga for the appreciators of unconventional cinema.

The film is about a toy Ganesh idol. Although it looks like an ordinary idol, it is certainly not because a bomb has been placed inside by a terrorist group. One of the members of the group (Vijay Maurya) is assigned the task of placing the idol inside a Ganesh temple. He somehow manages to do that.

However, things go horribly wrong after a poor kid (Naman Jain), who lives on the streets, gets hold of the idol. In no time, the kid gets deeply attached with it. On the other hand, the terrorist struggles to lay his hands on the idol. Circumstances ensure that the idol gets passed from one random person to another. Will the terrorists succeed in their evil mission?

The title Vakratunda Mahayaka suggests that the film is a religious one about Lord Ganesh. Although the God’s characteristics are featured here, the content is nowhere near to a religious film. It is an unconventional thriller with regular dose of humor; at times dark humor. The new-age visual narration with subtext and quirky humor are right out of the books of Anurag Kashyap, who is one of the producers. These factors keep you interested most of the times.

But given the subject and the interesting first half, the film should have achieved a lot more. The first half generates excitement. But the build-up hardly leads to further story development as the idea just keeps on dragging. The serious issue of a terror attack is treated casually with the motto of the terror group also being unconvincing. Also, the extra-marital affair sub-plot was unnecessary.

Some impressive work in the technical arena plays a large role in helping the film achieve a new-age status. Mitesh Mirchandani impresses throughout with his creative camerawork. The editing and background score too deserves similar praise. There is only one song in the form of the Ganesh Aarti, which is notable and suits the situation.

Naman Jain, the child actor, proves his talent in a role that was challenging. Vijay Muarya is very natural in the role of the terrorist. As per the need of his character, he succeeds in speaking through expressions. Usha Nadkarni, once again, is impressive and likeable. The actor playing co-terrorist also leaves behind his mark. Prarthna Behre, in the aforementioned extra-marital subplot, gets noticed despite playing a cameo.

Overall:

Vakratunda Mahakaya is a one-time watch unconventional thriller. The film’s chances at the box office lie in the urban areas mostly.

The post Review: Vakratunda Mahakaya – One-time watch unconventional saga appeared first on MarathiStars.

Not many people would know that wife of Maharashtra’s Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is a qualified singer. Not just that, Amruta Fadnavis is now all set to make her commercial singing debut in the movie Sangharsha Yatra.

She has rendered her voice for the title song of the movie, which was recently recorded at Mumbai’s Yash Raj Studio. The film is a biopic the on the late BJP leader, Gopinath Munde and is directed by Sakar Raut and executed by his Team SR.

The filmmaker also has a couple of more movies in his kitty: Shivya and Hatke Love Story.

This is not the first time that a singer is making a Marathi film debut in a movie by Team SR. Earlier, Abhijeet Bhattacharya had debuted through their film Kalakaar while Palak Muchhal, Nakash Aziz and Armaan Malik in Hatke Love Story. Although Javed Ali has sang in their film Shivya, it wasn’t his debut.

The post Wife of Maha CM makes Marathi film debut appeared first on MarathiStars.

• Review: Vaajlaach Paahije (2015)
• Director: R Viraj
• Producers: Channel U Entertainment
• Writers: Parag Kulkarni and Bal-Amol
• Cast: Bhalchandra Kadam, Chinmay Udgirkar, Girija Joshi, Rajesh Bhosle, Aarti Solanki
• Music: Madhu Krishna and Praful Karlekar
• Genre: Comedy
• By: Keyur Seta

Rating : 1.5/5

Review:

A number of people associated with comedy films have agreed that making the audience laugh is the most difficult challenge. Hence, comedy is said to be a serious business. Films like Vajlach Pahije: Game Ki Shinema continue proving this theory right. In an attempt to pay tribute to the late Dada Kondke, the film turns out to be a wannabe laugh-riot.

Vajlach Pahije tells the story of two best friends Yash (Rajesh Bhosle) and Raj (Chinmay Udgirkar), who are struggling filmmakers. After having worked in the production team of few Marathi films, they are desperately searching for that one producer who would give them their big break as directors. They come in contact with the crazy film producer, Bhau Damdar (Bhalchandra Kadam).

Bhau is a pervert, always on the lookout to ‘enjoy’ struggling actresses through casting couch. He agrees to give break to Yash and Raj with the condition that they should provide a good-looking actress for his carnal desires. The two friends agree and they find the beautiful struggling actress, Supriya (Girija Joshi).

Among the various problems with the film, the biggest one lies with the basic plot itself. Yash and Raj are decent and honest individuals. So, why do they agree to Bhau’s filthy demand? More importantly, why should the audience have any sympathy for them? Similarly, it becomes difficult to enjoy the dark humorous side of Bhau for the kind of pervert he is. There are sympathy issues with the character of Supriya too.

However, even if you ignore these issues for the sake of comedy, there isn’t much in store for you. The paper thin story is told through a screenplay that lacks flow with some forceful and over-the-top comedy. To be fair, the film contains some genuinely funny moments but they are not enough to override the aforementioned many negative points. Plus, the abrupt climax makes you wonder as to how the film ended.

The music is also nothing much to talk about. The technical aspects like cinematography and editing can also be described in the same way. The background score is inconsistent. For example, when a scene transforms from comic to serious, the comic tune continues playing in the background.

Bhalchandra Kadam’s comic talent provides some respite. He has carried the responsibility well. Rajesh Bhosle provides a mature act. Chinmay Udgirkar has talent but he is unnecessarily made to mimic Shah Rukh Khan throughout the film. Plus, he doesn’t do it that well. In the role of the female lead, Girija Joshi is decent.

Overall:

Despite some hilarious moments, Vajlach Pahije: Game Ki Shinema is just a wannabe laugh-riot.

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