Anandi Gopal Review: An Inspiring Tale of Ambition & Dreams!

• Review: Anandi Gopal (2019)
• Director : Sameer Vidwans
• Star Cast : Lalit Prabhakar, Bhagyashree Milind, Geetanjali Kulkarni, Yogesh Soman
• Screenplay : Karan Shrikant Sharma

Quick Viewpoint: Sameer Vidwans has beautifully created a world that is less about the backdrop & more about the humans of the pre independence era. He succeeds in telling us the inspiring story of India’s first female doctor!

What Works? 

• Anandi Gopal craft wise is one of the most superior films made in Marathi that are set in a different era. Yet as said earlier the film’s focus isn’t on the backdrop of that era or the overall British rule over India. Especially the camera work by Akash Agrawal maintains that personal feel in the film.
• The character arc of Gopalrao Joshi (Lalit Prabhakar) is so mindfully created that we understand the minute changes his character goes through because of the situations that he is put into. He is throughout believable as a person who can be both strong and weak in different scenarios.
• Bhagyashree Milind as Anandibai Joshi has given a sublime nuanced performance. Again because just like Gopalrao’s arc her character too is beautifully sketched out making us understand both the revolutionary, confident woman & the child that she was before.
• The film doesn’t over dramatize or underplay the difficulties that Anandibai & Gopalrao had to face to make their dream a reality. Every conflict that is show in the film & the way it is shown is very much believable. Hence we are throughout by their side routing for their dream to come true! And when it does it becomes an emotionally rewarding closure for us.
• Never does the film ever distract itself from it’s main narrative. I mention this because there was clearly scope for the film to indulge itself in the freedom struggle or the other social problems. The film wholly stays personal & specific.

What Fails? 

• Though Lalit Prabhakar shows sparks throughout his performance here & there, overall his performance remains inconsistent. Many a times his limitations to function only at two emotional extremes hampers the nuances the performance demanded at some occasions.

Final Verdict: ‘Anandi Gopal’ is a film that is a must watch for the inspiring tale of a woman who had the guts to work hard for achieving her goal/dream in a completely unfavorable situation & her husband who had the vision for a different society in India.

Rating: 4/5