• Review : Pimpal (2018)
• Producer : Supriya Sunil Phadtare, Ashwini Sidwani, Arpan Bhukhanwala and Deepak Kumar Bhagat
• Director : Gajendra Ahire
• Screenplay : Gajendra Ahire
• Star Cast : Dilip Prabhawalkar, Priya Bapat, Alok Rajwade, Sakhi Gokhale & Kishore Kadam
• Review by : Abhay Salvi

Rating : 4/5

Pimpal Review (Marathi Movie):

Gajendra Ahire directorial ‘Pimpal’ is one of his rare movies that understands the power of minimalism & inhibits it in & out. Running around one & a half hours, ‘Pimpal’ has a very specific world & an organic structure that doesn’t follow any norms of conventional storytelling usually seen in our films.

Dilip Prabhawalkar plays an old retired man living alone with some assistance from his cook (Kishore Kadam) & his doctor (Priya Bapat). The actual people in his life are probably only these two! But in a virtual world, he is connected to his two sons & their family including grandsons & a granddaughter almost on daily basis. His sons, daughters-in-law & grandchildren all of them seem genuinely interested in the old man through their regular video chats.

There are no distinct caricaturish features assigned to this old man, which makes him more believable! Even Priya Bapat’s character isn’t created like a make-believe movie character, to some extent we feel to be at distant from her real self, which again works for the film. At first, we are allowed to wonder what the film is actually about! Slowly we get into the actual soul of the film.

That soul too is minimalistic just as the approach to the overall making of the film. We have many times heard that it’s depressing for a single old person to survive once he/she loses their life partner. This film goes deep into this feeling, it’s not depressing, neither is it pleasant. It’s a bit of both! It’s a lot like being in love! A bittersweet feeling as they call it! This loneliness is more on the sub-conscious level than in physicality. How can an old man who has a loving family eagerly waiting for his arrival be lonely? One could ask this question? That’s the point in physicality (which also includes the virtual world) he isn’t alone, but in his conscience, he misses the life he had, he misses his wife, he regrets how he couldn’t live his life at it’s fullest when she was with him!

The film doesn’t really have a strategically constructed ‘story’. It just dwells on certain real human feelings & probably the most peacefully lonesome phase in a person’s life. It uses the medium of cinema in actualizing this lonesome atmosphere & we can experience the same through our senses in a cinema hall. Provided we open up our senses & look beyond a ‘story’ & a conventional idea of ‘entertainment’.

This is Dilip Prabhawalkar’s finest performance in a long long time! You couldn’t have anyone else in his part. He is tailor-made for the role & for the film. Priya Bapat too explores a new side of her in the film! Kishore Kadam gels well in the film too. Gajendra Ahire is a passionate Marathi filmmaker who has a habit of disregarding the technical aspects of the medium many times. But here since the film had a minimalist need in every way he has managed to make the film just about perfect in every way. His biggest achievement here is that he has captured the feeling of loneliness through image, sound & the overall atmosphere he creates in the film!

In a way, it works cathartically for those who regret their life decisions & wish they could have given more time to themselves & their loved ones.

Overall:

‘Pimpal’ is a must watch for those who love thought provoking simplistic films! While there are too many options in the theatres currently (including Marathi) ‘Pimpal’ is a clear stand out amongst all of them as it can give some peace of mind to the audiences in the midst of all chaos we are in right now.

The post Pimpal Review: A Cathartic Love Letter to Loneliness appeared first on MarathiStars.

• Movie : Pimpal (2018) | पिंपळ
• Producer : Supriya Sunil Phadtare, Ashwini Sidwani, Arpan Bhukhanwala and Deepak Kumar Bhagat
• Director : Gajendra Ahire
• Studio :
• Star Cast :
  • Dilip Prabhavalkar
  • Priya Bapat
  • Kishor Kadam
  • Vrinda Gajendra
  • Alok Rajwade
  • Sakhi Gokhale
• Story : Chintamani
• Screenplay : Gajendra Ahire
• Music and Background Music : Narendra Bhide
• Cinematography (DOP) : Krishna Kumar Soren
• Editor : Kutub Inamdar
• Art Director : Santosh Suresh Phutane
• Executive Producer : Rohan Shah, Amar Singh and Abhijeet Yadav
• Trailer : Kutub Inamdar and Vaibhav Dabhade
• Promo Sound Design : Roshan K Sharma
• Post Production Design : Amar Singh
• Digital Marketing : Loki’s Studio
• Genre : Drama
• Release Date : 08th June 2018

Synopsis : A retired widower, Arvind, lives all by himself in Pune and is asked by his children to move to the US to live with them. As he begins to pack, he comes across various things that bring back old memories.

Pimpal Marathi Movie Poster/Photos :

Pimpal Marathi Movie Teaser/Trailer :

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• Review : Kaasav (2017)
• Producer : Sumitra Bhave – Sunil Sukthankar
• Director : Sumitra Bhave – Sunil Sukthankar
• Star Cast : Irawati Harshe, Alok Rajwade, Kishor Kadam, Dr. Mohan Agashe,Devika Daftardar, Santosh Redkar, Omkar Ghadi
• Story : Sumitra Bhave
• Music : Saket Kanetkar
• Review By : Abhay Salvi

Rating : 4.5/5

Kaasav Marathi Movie Review :

Earlier this year Sumitra Bhave & Sunil Sukthankar were honored with the most important film award for a film in India the Golden Lotus for ‘Kaasav’. Many film lovers felt they were honored as more on the basis of their phenomenal career as filmmakers then specifically for ‘Kaasav’. I had seen the film at a festival last year & felt maybe it wasn’t their best film. But now in the second viewing I loved the film more. It is probably their finest film!

The idea of using an animal as a metaphor to a different conflict is not new to Marathi films. The best of the lot could be ‘Valu’. Even the other two films of the makers ‘Astu’ & ‘Devrai’ which are also about mental disorders make use of metaphors, though in case of ‘Devrai’ it wasn’t an animal but the Devrai tree. Here the ‘Kaasav’ symbolizes a young boy ‘Manav’ (Alok Rajwade) who is suffering from depression. While watching this film the audiences need to understand that depression is not a state of mind. And it’s not because something bad has happened to the character. Once you accept the existence of depression this film will open up your mind.

Janaki (Irawati Harshe) finds Manav stranded on the roads. Accompanied by her help (Kishore Kadam) she brings him home, a beach house. Post that almost throughout we can hear the waves at the seashore. Janaki sees herself in Manav, as she once suffered from depression, she could relate the nothingness inside Manav. Even now Janaki suffers from panic attacks once in a while. The reason she was in this small village by the sea is because her doctor/councilor told her to find a project, in a sense a purpose. The purpose that Janaki finds is helping Datta Bhau (Dr. Mohan Agashe) in his work of sea turtle conservation! So in a way she is conserving two turtles at a time!

The way the film keeps relating the turtle project with the condition of Manav is in a way cathartic. It’s a time consuming process that would help find these turtles a life & Manav a new life. In the second viewing the character played by Kishore Kadam & a little kid who sells tea at the nearby S.T. depot makes me understand the hidden lessons of philosophy imbibed in this film. Around the climax of this film Manav accompanies this kid (who has now become his good friend) to a place. This little journey that they make completes a circle in Manav’s life & in the film. The way Kishore Kadam, a simple minded servant, looks at Manav’s depression & Janaki’s efforts towards helping Manav out of it reflects how a common man would look at depression. However when the servant tries understanding Manav & his conflict we see that he gets it! He gets it in his own way.

Just like the characters & the metaphor the sea & the beach play a vital role in this film. This is without a doubt the most visually stunning film made by the duo. There are two songs in this film that have the musical form of this film’s soul. Especially ‘Leher Samandar Re’ that again reminds us of the cathartic nature of this film. While ‘Astu’ was lot more complexly philosophical ‘Kaasav’ is more simplistically philosophical. However it’s difficult to choose between the two. What’s need to be noted is that even after spending so many years in filmmaking Sumitra Bhave & Sunil Sukthankar have an urge to adapt new things & keep improving the cinematic richness of their films, which is a rare quality in Marathi industry!

Overall:

‘Kaasav’ is a film that needs patient. Just like a dialogue in this film, we have eyes, we have ears, but we still need to learn seeing & hearing. To those who have learned it ‘Kaasav’ is a must watch, & to those who are now willing to learn it ‘Kaasav’ is the perfect film to begin with.

The post Kaasav Review: Catharsis by the Sea! appeared first on MarathiStars.

• Movie : Kaasav (2017) | कासव
• Producer : Sumitra Bhave – Sunil Sukthankar
• Directer : Sumitra Bhave, Sunil Sukthankar
• Studio : Vichitra Nirmitee
• Star Cast :
  • Irawati Harshe
  • Alok Rajwade
  • Kishor Kadam
  • Dr. Mohan Agashe
  • Devika Daftardar
  • Santosh Redkar
  • Omkar Ghadi
• Writer : Sumitra Bhave
• Story, Screenplay & Dilogues : K
• Lyrics : Sunil Sukhtankar
• Music & Background Score : Saket Kanetkar
• Sound Design : Anmol Bhave
• Cinematography (DOP) : Dhananjay Kulkarni
• Editor : Mohit Takalkar
• Art Director : Sumitra Bhave, Santosh Sankhad
• Costume Stylist : Sumitra Bhave, Sonali Sankhad, Madhavi Todkar
• Makeup : Aashish Hemant Deshpande
• Co – Producer : Dr. Mohan Agashe
• Genre  : Drama, Family
• Duration : 105 Mins
• Release Date : 6 October 2017

Synopsis : Janaki, a divorcee trying to find meaning of life in a sea-turtle conservation project run by the conservationist Dattabhau in a coastal village, accidentally meets an young man.

Janaki, with her empathy for the young man, Manav, tries to create a non-judgmental, non-intrusive, warm atmosphere to help him bloom. Janaki herself, her driver-assistant Yadu, conservationist Dattabhau, servant Bablya and street-kid Parshu – none of them not related to each other – become the vulnerable young Manav’s support system.

Kaasav Marathi Movie Poster / Still Photos

Kaasav Marathi Movie First Look Teaser Trailer

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Watch first look teaser of upcoming Marathi movie (Kaasav Teaser) : The teaser of ‘Kaasav’ directed by the visionary Marathi filmmakers Sumitra Bhave & Sunil Sukthankar is out! A collage of various scenes from the movie mixed with a soothing yet hypnotic song ‘Leher Samandar Re..’. Kaasav is a film that resonates the mental condition of people (especially youngsters) suffering from depression. The film has already been loved & appreciated at film festivals around the world including MAMI, Mumbai’s very own international film festival.

The overall teaser of this film pulls us into the world of the film, a cast of seasoned artists like Dr. Mohan Agashe, Kishore Kadam, Irawati Harshe & Alok Rajwade appear real people in real situation. The beauty of Konkan takes all this trance to another level. The film’s title ‘Kaasav’ means more than just an animal. The ‘Kaasav’ is a metaphor for the stillness, the calmness in the midst of this world full of chaos. ‘Kaasav’ is an animal that has one of the longest life span among all species.

After the re-release of ‘Astu’ this year; ‘Kaasav’ is an highly anticipated by true lovers of cinema. With this film the Bhave-Sukthankar pair complete their unofficial trilogy of films that are based on different mental conditions. ‘Devrai’ was based on Schizophrenia, ‘Astu’ on Alzhiemer’s & now ‘Kaasav’ on depression!

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• Review : Family Katta (2016)
• Producer : Vandana Gupte
• Directer : Chandrakant Kulkarni
• Star Cast :Vandana Gupte, Sai Tamhankar, Dilip Prabhavalkar, Kiran Karmarkar, Prateeksha Lonkar, Gauri Nalawade, Alok Rajwade, Sachin Deshpande, Sulekha Talwalkar, Sanjay Khapre
• Writer : Prashant Dalvi
• Music : Mangesh Dhakade
• Genre  : Drama, Humour, Family
• Review By : Abhay Salvi

Rating : 3.5/5

Family Katta Marathi Movie Review :

Long back Maharashtra’s greatest playwright Vijay Tendulkar wrote an unusually simplistic play, “Madhlya Bhinti”. Simplistic because it was nothing like his other works. There were hardly any metaphors or something offensively violent for which he was known. Even in the sense of realism the play didn’t have much to offer. Though what it offered was a voice to the usual awkward silences. These silences can creep into any random middle class (& upper middle) family. People living in the same house hardly speak their hearts out. But a play is the correct medium for this outlet. Technically a film might not be the suitable medium for such an outburst. Family Katta is a remake of ‘Celebration” (a Marathi play by the same team) & it’s a welcome exception. The characters speak their heart out without sounding loud or animated. No they are not bombarding melodramatic monologues or glorifying the traditional concept of a big happy family. Instead their outburst appears completely genuine & non-theatrical.

So in Family Katta the whole family isn’t living together & doesn’t even consider doing so at any point, which is appreciable & path-breaking to much extent. Vandana Gupte & Dilip Prabhawalkar play the elderly couple (Mr. & Mrs. Sabnis) who are the central characters of this film. Their three sons (Kiran Karmarkar, Sanjay Khapre & Sachin Deshpande) are living in different cities & their grand kids (Alok Rajwade & Gauri Nalawade) too are well-settled in their respective careers. The fourth child, Manju (Sai Tamhankar) is somewhat disconnected from the family as she ran away with her lover during her college days. Manju is particularly a father’s daughter & her father was the hero of her life. This additional info has a unique context in the film& works pretty well. Manju has been forgiven by her mother but not by her father.

Alike last year’s Rajwade & Sons, Family Katta too uses the third generation as an ideal model for the generation that went wrong, the middle one (the four children). Though it’s pretty much debatable that no matter what it’s always the middle generation that’ll take all the beating (that’s what Rajwade & Sons stressed on & Family Katta didn’t). Sadly none of the two films ever propagated that this whole process is a cycle & will keep repeating itself till the end of time.

However Family Katta stresses on more simplistic topics & succeeds in propagating them efficiently. The first half focuses on the little treasures of human life. Those we all have an easy access to yet we all take them for granted. Even our quarrels are most of the times on so little issues. The first half is filled with many such minute moments & its positivity reaches the audiences. The second half has a potential satirical tone to it but it wasn’t explored much. It might be a conscious decision by the makers to not go that way. But the path they chose still help them in reaching the desired destination.

After Dusri Goshta it’s good to see Chandrakant Kulkarni getting over his political hangover. We now expect many such genres to be explored by him on the silver screen. Vandana Gupte has given her most smashing performance on the big screen. If she was exceptional in Double Seat & Maatichya Chuli, here she is unmatchable! Dilip Prabhawalkar as usual gives a refreshing performance & doesn’t remind us of any of his previous roles. Among the rest of the cast the two animated daughter-in-laws (Pratiksha Lonkar & Sulekha Talwalkar) have the most obvious cliché characters, yet they generate humour. Pratiksha Lonkar doesn’t really have a history of playing such characters before& it becomes quite evident but Sulekha Talwalkar is smooth in her antics!

Family Katta can be straight forwardly slotted into the A-list category of Marathi films but somewhere we feel what if the film was a little more ambitious towards defining the meaning of life in its own way through the humans it had in it, just a little more?

Overall:

Family Katta is the need of this hour, predominantly because we (Indian film viewers) deserve the right family film which is not bounded by age old ideas of how an Indian family lives happily ever after. Yet what it propagates is that even with our differences & personal spaces we should still manage to be connected to each other & react sensitively towards each other as for the long time the big differences become irrelevant & what stays are those little treasures!

The post Family Katta Review: Beautiful, To The Point & the need of this hour! appeared first on MarathiStars.

• Movie : Family Katta (2016)
• Producer : Vandana Gupte
• Director : Chandrakant Kulkarni
• Studio : Sister Concern Entertainment
• Star Cast :
  • Vandana Gupte
  • Sai Tamhankar
  • Dilip Prabhavalkar
  • Kiran Karmarkar
  • Prateeksha Lonkar
  • Gauri Nalawade
  • Alok Rajwade
  • Sachin Deshpande
  • Sulekha Talwalkar
  • Sanjay Khapre
• Story , Screenplay , Dialogues : Prashant Dalvi
• Music : Mangesh Dhakade
• Lyrics : Dasoo
• Cinematographer : Mahesh Limaye
• Art : Siddharth Tatooskar
• Editor : Jayant Jathar
• Action : Prashant Naik
• Sound : Vijay Bhope
• Choreography : U
• Costume Design : Rohini Salekar
• Make Up : Satish Bhavsaar
• Associate Director : Rani Varma
• Executive Producer : Jitendra Kulkarni , Shripad Padmakar
• Genre : Drama, Humour, Family
• Release Date : 7th October, 2016

Plot : A heartwarming and eye-opening film starring Sai Tamhankar, Dilip Prabhavalkar and Vandana Gupte. Directed by Chandrakant Kulkarni. Produced by Vandana Gupte

Family Katta Marathi Movie Posters

Family Katta Marathi First Look Teaser Trailer

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Family Katta, a film directed by Chandrakant Kulkarni will be releasing on 7 October. The trailer of this film was recently released on social media. The film stars Vandana Gupte in the lead role and it will be her first film as a producer.

The couple is celebrating their 50^th wedding anniversary and wishes to spend this weekend with their children. However, the second generation of this family has become rather distant with each other. Coming face-to-face with each other after so many years spark some old discontent and the celebration turns into a fight.

The emotional family drama stars Dilip Prabhavalkar, Vandana Gupte, Sai Tamhankar, Kiran Karmarkar, Pratiksha Lonkar, Gauri Nalawade, Alok Rajwade, Sachin Deshpande, Sulekha Talwalkar, Sanjay Khapare et al.

The film will be releasing on 7 October all over Maharashtra.

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Actress Vandana Gupte and singer Rani Verma has started their production house “Sister Conern” recently. Their first film as a producer “Family Katta” has completed its production and getting ready for the release. The teaser for this film was recently released. Chandrakant Kulkarni has directed this heartwarming film and Mangesh Dhakade has composed the music. The film will be releasing on October 7.

As the title of the film suggests this is a family drama involving relationships and misunderstandings of the family members. This is a story of a Sabnis family where most members are staying away from the family. The senior couple of the family played by Dilip Prabhavalkar and Vandana Gupte invites family members to celebrate 50th wedding anniversary. The highlight of the teaser is the old photographs of the star cast. It is amazing and immediately revokes nostalgia for every age group.

The Teaser promises us a good film with an excellent cast ensemble. Apart from Prabhavalkar and Gupte, the film also stars Sai Tamhankar, , Kiran Karmarkar, Pratiksha Lonkar, Gauri Nalawade, Alok Rajwade, Sachin Deshpande, Sulekha Talwalkar, Sanjay Khapare in the lead roles.

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• 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.

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