There are very few production houses that create an iconic status for themselves in so much less time, ‘Phantom’ productions is one of them. Formed by directors like Anurag Kashyap, Vikramaditya Motwane & Vikas Bahl to make the kind of cinema they believe in. They have made successful films like ‘Queen’, ‘Udta Punjab’, ‘Lootera’, ‘Masaan’ & many more in Hindi.

Now they have a grand entry into Marathi cinema with Makarand Mane directorial ‘Youngraad’. Youngraad means those boys who are wasting their lives roaming around & doing nothing. It’s a word from Nashik where the story of the film is based. The story of four boys who have wrongs idols in their lives & because of that they end up getting into trouble & then they start introspecting upon their life.

The director of this film previously made national award-winning film ‘Ringan’ & is also directing the next film of Rinku Rajguru of ‘Sairat’ fame which is titled as ‘Kagar’. Along with Phantom, the film is also backed by ‘Future Works Media’ & ‘Vitthal Patil Productions’ & is set to release all over Maharashtra on 6^th of July!

The post Anurag Kashyap’s Phantom Makes A Grand Marathi Entry with Youngraad appeared first on MarathiStars.

• Movie : Vakratunda Mahakaaya (2014)
• Producer : Anurag Kashyap, Guneet Monga, Sunil Bohra, Anshuman Jain
• Director : Punarvasu Naik
• Studio : Bohra Bros & Alumbra Entertainment
• Star Cast :  Vijay Maurya, Naman Jain, Shashank Shende, Prarthana Behere, Rishi Deshpande, Jayant Sawarkar & Usha Nadkarni
• Writer : Yogesh Vinayak Joshi
• Music : Sanket Naik, Sankarshan Kini
• DOP : Mitesh Mirchandani
• Editing : Apurva Motiwale, Ashish Mhatre
• Sound Design : Sanjay Maurya, Allwin Rego, Faisal Majeed
• Costume Design : Sachin Lovalekar, Dipti Mhatre
• Production Design : Mayur Sharma
• Casting By : Mukesh Chhabra
• Genre : Dark Comedy
• Release Date : 25th September 2015

Story Outline :
The film is about an attempted terrorist attack in Mumbai during the festival of Ganesh Chaturthi.

Vakratunda Mahakaaya Marathi Movie Poster / Still Photos :

Vakratunda Mahakaaya Marathi Movie Official Theatrical Trailer :

The post Vakratunda Mahakaaya (2015) 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.

Anurag Kashyap’s next presentation Vakratunda Mahakaya is ready for release. This will be Kashyap’s first Marathi film production. As the title suggests, Ganesh is a very prominent theme in this film.

The trailer showcases that an attempt of terrorist attack in Mumbai city is being planned. The bomb has been planted in a Ganesha soft toy. The whole plan turns upside down when a kid accidentally picks it up and runs away with it. The trailer captures the terrorists attempt to capture this boy and how it leads various dangerous yet funny situations.

The theatrical trailer is a bit lengthy and tells too much about the story. We would have preferred a slicker trailer adding to our curiosity. Yet, as Kashyap is one of the producers for the film, we expect this film will be definitely being more powerful and promising.

The film stars Vijay Maurya along with Usha Nadkarni, Naman Jain, Prarthana Behere, Jayant Sawarkar, Shashank Shende, Rishi Deshpande to mention few. The movie is directed by Punarvasu Naik, Written by Yogesh Vinayak Joshi, and Director of Photography is Mitesh Mirchandani.

The post Trailer : Vakratunda Mahakay- A film about Ganesha. appeared first on MarathiStars.