• Review : Re Raya
• Producer : Ajay Kanayalal Sukheja
• Director : Milind Shinde
• Screenplay : Kiran Berad
• Star Cast : Bhushan Pradhan, Sanskruti Balgude, Hansraj Jagtap, Arun Tikekar, Nayan Jadhav & Abhijeet Chavan
• Review by : Abhay Salvi

Rating : 1.5/5

Re Raya Review (Marathi Movie):

Re Raya is a film that lacks any serious inclination towards getting into the soul of the subject. It uses a usual sports drama template & adds anti-system rants to make it seem important. The film fails to make any connect with the audiences & struggles at basic technical aspects of cinema too.

The film starts off with Aadesh’s childhood (Bhushan Pradhan) & how he struggled a bit & made a mark as an athletic. This whole childhood sequence has very little to do with the actual film. The actual starting point of the film is when Aadesh doesn’t win the prestigious ‘Shiv Chhatrapati Puraskar’ (an actual award given to sportspersons & athletes of Maharashtra). The obsession of Indian athletes with such government awards is openly known, however never does ‘Re Raya’ think of it that it’s principally wrong for athletes to be so obsessed with a mere award! It never even tries to explain the importance of this award to us! However it uses the ‘award’ as the most important plot device! Later when Aadesh trains young kids for different athletic games he even says that he wants them to win the award which he couldn’t win!

These 3 young kids belong to the lowest strata of Aadesh’s village. None of them have any inclination towards sports. However they are good at certain talents that are tailor made for certain athletic events. This idea was certainly interesting but sadly the film never really uses it to it’s benefit. It fails at the basic stage of execution. Throughout the film suffers from abrupt & bad cinematography & editing. Another basic aspect at which the film fails is in creating characters. Aadesh’s friend (Nayan Jadhav), love interest (Sanskruti Balgude) have absolutely nothing to do in the film other than just being there for Aadesh, yet they have fair amount of screen time! What they do for a living? Even that is never known!

The only little positive about ‘Re Raya’ is that it manages to show High Jump, Archery to decently acceptable extent. The kid who plays the high jump athlete is probably a high jump athlete himself. However the ‘archery’ part also seems silly when it tries to create drama out of the competition. And the third sport, running is ruined throughout the film by jerky slow motion. Not even once did I see a running event in it’s normal speed! What’s with this obsession?

Talking about the performances, Bhushan Pradhan has again sank to the bottom where he previously was a couple of years ago, some of his recent performances (especially ‘Amhi Doghi’) under capable directors have been good enough but now he’s unbearable in every dramatic dialogue that he delivers. Among the three kids Hansraj Jagtap is the only ‘actor’ & he does decent work. Abhijeet Chavan gets a few decent scenes where we he uses his usual presence! Sanskruti Balgude’s performance stays irrelevant to the film just like her character’s existence. It’s sad that even after being directed by a talented actor like Milind Shinde, the film doesn’t even manage to work on a performance level of it’s ensemble cast.

This film made me think, the convenient use of post film text slide to wrap up the narrative should be officially banned from our films! I mean how simple it is to just say this, this & that happened. Anyways even without the slide ‘Re Raya’ had no chance of becoming a lesser bad film!

Overall:

Sports film is an extremely connectable film genre. And Marathi audiences can easily associate with such stories, provided they are well made films with a decent story to tell.

The post Re Raya Marathi Movie Review: A Sports Film Template Gone Wrong appeared first on MarathiStars.

• Movie : Love Lafde (2018) | लव्ह लफडे
• Producer : Geetha Kulkarni and Sumaydh Gaikwad
• Directer : Sachin R. Ambat
• Studio : Salag Motion Pictures and Sacred Buddha Creations
• Star Cast :
  • Sumaydh Gaikwad
  • Rohit Phalke
  • Monika Dabade
  • Ruchira Jadhav
  • Avdhoot Wadkar
  • Sameer Choughule
  • Nayan Jadhav
  • Sanjay More
  • Kalpesh Satpute
  • Kunal Shinde
  • Roshni Jadhav
  • Rahul Gorakh Newale
  • Bhagesh Kembhavi
  • Chinmesh Kalyankar
  • Himanshu Tambat
  • Monica Kambli
• Story, Screenplay and Dialogues : Sanjay More
• Music : Pravin Kuwar and Anay Naik
• Lyrics : Varun Jain, Ajay Thorve, Sachin Ambat and Sanjay More
• Singers : Avadhoot Gupte, Pravin Kuwar, Mangesh Borgaokar, Rohit Raut, Bharti Madhvi and Mugdha Karade
• Background Music : Abhishek-Gaurav
• Cinematography (DOP) : Swapnil Manval
• Associate Director of Photography : Sagar Ambat
• Art Director : Roshni Jadhav, Sushma Kothe and Pooja Tari
• Editor : Faisal Mahadik and Imran Mahadik
• Make Up : Lalit Kulkarni
• Costumes : Amol Sawant
• Choreography : Nitin Jadhav and Prajakta Shelar
• Executive Producer : Mayur Jadhav
• Sound Recordist : Mahesh and Suhas
• Still Photography : Rashtrapal Kakde
• Genre  : Romantic Comedy and Drama
• Release Date : 21st June 2018

Synopsis : Love Lafde is a musical romantic comedy film. The story revolves around Love and the consequences caused because of Love in a comic manner. The story is of a young college Boy named Shubham who likes a girl Ruchi from his college, but he is quite shy to open up his feelings in front of her as well as his friends.
Shubham has three best friends who are of three different characteristics, way different from each other. One of them is Logic from Pune, who is a bookworm and thinks that everything that happens has a Logic behind it, the second one is Hulahul from Satara, who has a habit of using proverbs for every situation but in a comic way. The third friend of them is Filmy who is from Mumbai and has his own different world full of Bollywood films. He relates every situation with Bollywood films and thinks that the answer to every question lies in films u just need to relate the exact situation.
As soon as these friends come to know about Shubhams feelings for Ruchi, they decide to help him get his Lady Love, each of them starts trying for Shubham in their own way but, each of them fail the task creating a comic situation. Then they meet Utkarsh the Loveguru who is a person who can impress any girl with his flirty tactics. Utkarsh promises to help them. How does he help? Whether they succeed? Whether they will get LOVE or fall in LAFADE (fight) is all the story about…

Love Lafde Marathi Movie Poster/Photos :

Love Lafde Marathi Movie Teaser/Trailer :

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Rahi Productions’ presents ‘Bedhadak‘ directed by Santosh Manjrekar & produced by Mandar Govind Taware is an upcoming Marathi film that deals with the world of Boxing. The film stars debutant Girish Taware as a young man who wishes to be a boxer! And who is ready to struggle for his dream.

The film also stars Namrata Gaikwad, Ganesh Yadav & Ashok Samarth. The first official trailer of the film went online today & it introduces us to the journey of a unique protagonist. Girish Taware suits the part well because of his fitness. It would be interesting to see how the audiences would react to this new Marathi hero.

The boxing in the film too looks very grand & realistic. We haven’t seen a Marathi film on boxing or even any other athletic sport for a long time. The subject of the film also deals with how we underrate sports over studies. We need to understand that every person can’t be good at studies & a person should follow his/her heart to become truly successful.

The post Bedhadak Trailer: Action Packed Storytelling! appeared first on MarathiStars.

Avadhoot Gupte has ruled on Marathi hearts for so many years now as a singer, composer and even film director! Now he is all set to add another dimension to his all-rounder abilities. He will soon be seen making his acting debut in Nishta Productions upcoming children film ‘Monkey Baat’!

Avadhoot Gupte says he had been offered acting roles long back when he starred in his own music videos, but he has always been reluctant about it as he thought it wasn’t his department! Even when Viju Mane (director of Monkey Baat) offered him a role he was reluctant but after listening to the story of the film he was excited to play the part!

The songs of the film and the dialogues of the film are written by Sandeep Khare and music is composed by Saleel Kulkarni. Presented by Akash Pendharkar, Vinod Satav, Abhay Thakur, Prasad Chavan, Shankar Konde and produced by Vivek D, Rasmi Karambelkar, Mandar Tillu and Viju Mane. ‘Monkey Baat’ is a treat for family audiences this summer holidays which releases on 18th May!

The post Avadhoot Gupte Makes his Acting Debut with Monkey Baat appeared first on MarathiStars.

Vikram Gaikwad is a hugely talented actor who hasn’t really got many opportunities after the super successful Zee Marathi serial ‘Unch Maza Zoka’. He was seen in films like ‘Dr. Prakash Baba Amte’ & ‘Lapachhapi’ recently but wasn’t recognised or acknowledged for his performance. He has also done a play written & directed by senior Marathi writer-playwright Ratnakar Matkari, ‘Indira’.

Now he is making a rocking comeback in a role which seems to be tailor made for him. He will be playing a boxer in the Santosh Manjrekar directorial ‘Bedhadak – Samanya Swapnancha..Asamanya Pathlag’. Vikram had won the Fear Factor Marathi show a few years back & had proved what a tough guy he is! Hence it would be exciting to see him as a boxer.

Presented by Rahi Productions ‘Bedhadak’ is produced by Mandar Govind Taware. This film is set to release in theatres on 1^st June. The official poster of the film was recently revealded on social media by the makers of the film. We can instantly connect with Vikram’s portrayal of a boxer through this poster! ‘Bedhadak’ joins a new wave of Marathi cinema that is inclined towards sports in recent times!

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• Movie : Bedhadak (2018) | बेधडक
• Producer : Mandar Govind Taware
• Director : Santosh Manjrekar
• Studio : Rahi Productions
• Star Cast :
  • Girish Taware as Ajay Sahane
  • Ashok Samarth as Ramakant Desai
  • Ganesh Yadav as Arun Sahane
  • Anant Jog as MLA Sadanand Shirke
  • Gowhar Khan as Gowhar (final fighter)
  • Nupur Dudwadkar as Vicky
  • Sneha Raikar as Lakshmi Sahane
  • Ramesh Chandane as Pakya
  • Akshay Waghmare as Vikranth (celebrity boxer)
  • Namrata Gaikwad as Kavya Desai
  • Dilip Karade as Sanket
  • Ajit Bhure as Prakash Rajput (trustee)
  • Poonam Phanse as Nandini Desai
  • Sushrut Mankani as Rohit Shirke
  • Prasad Limaye as Rahul Sahane
  • Nayan Jadhav as Jitu
  • Chetan Patil as Ravi
• Story, Screenplay and Dialogues : Govind Tukaram Taware
• Singer : Aadarsh Shinde, Siddhart Mahadevan, Bela Shende, Aanandi Joshi and Pravin Thiksen Bandkar
• Lyrics : Mangesh Kangane, Govind Tukaram Taware and Pravin Thiksen Bandkar
• Music : Pravin Thiksen Bandkar
• Sound Design : Manoj Mochemadkar (Shivam Sound Studio)
• Background Score : Amar Anil Mohile
• Cinematography (DOP) : Suresh Jaykumar Deshmane
• Chief Editor : V. N. Mayekar
• Editor : Paresh Manjrekar
• Art Director : Narendra Kisan Bhagat
• Costume : Milan Desai
• Make-up : Bipin Yerunkar
• Executive Producer : Pravin Shashikant Jagtap
• Associate Director : Sanket Sawant
• Production Manager : Ajay Thombre, Yogendra Manohar Desai and Sujit Shenoy
• Sound Recordist : Loknath Mudliyar
• Assistant Editor : Rajan Devrukhkar
• Associate Editor : Paresh Manjrekar
• Choreography : Rajesh Bidwe
• Creative Head : Mandar Govind Taware
• Action : Kaushal-Moses
• DI : Film Lab (Mumbai)
• VFX : Arup Sinha
• Visual Promotion and Animation : Mandar Shailesh Pimple (Humming Bees)
• Publicity Design : Milind Matkar (96 Studio)
• Genre : Action, Drama and Sports
• Release Date : 1st June 2018

Synopsis : Bedhadak is a Marathi movie starring Ashok Samarth and Ganesh Yadav in prominent roles. It is a drama directed by Santosh Manjrekhar.

Bedhadak Marathi Movie Poster/Photos :

Bedhadak Marathi Movie Teaser/Trailer :

The post Bedhadak (2018) – Marathi Movie appeared first on MarathiStars.

‘Love Lafde’ is an upcoming Marathi Rom Com that is all set to defy the norms of releasing a film in Marathi! Following the tradition of online content all over the world, this Marathi film is all set to be released online through a mobile app. The name of this app is Home Cinema Center (HCC).

This film stars Balak Palak fame actor Rohit Phalke who was also seen in the critically acclaimed ‘Manjha’. The film also stars Ruchira Jadhav, Sumedh Gaikwad & Monika Dabde in important roles. This film is directed by Sachin Ambat & is an out & out entertainer targeted mainly towards the youth.

It would be interesting to see how the audience responds to this brave attempt at releasing a Marathi film on a mobile app instead of the big screen. Would we see more such Marathi releases? Would we see more original Marathi content created for apps & streaming sites? It can only be known in the near future!

The post Balak Palak fame Rohit Phalke’s Love Lafde Releases on a Mobile App appeared first on MarathiStars.

• Movie : Monkey Baat (2018) | मंकी बात
• Producer : Vivek D., Rashmi Karambelkar, Mandar Tillu and Viju Mane
• Director : Viju Mane
• Studio : Nishtha Productions
• Star Cast :
  • Pushkar Shrotri
  • Bhargavi Chirmule
  • Nayan Jadhav
  • Mangesh Desai
  • Vijay Kadam
  • Avadhoot Gupte
• Story : Viju Mane
• Screenplay : Viju Mane and Mahendra Kadam
• Dialogues : Sandeep Khare and Viju Mane
• Lyrics : Sandeep Khare
• Singer : Shalmali Kholgade and Shubhankar Kulkarni
• Music : Dr. Saleel Kulkarni
• Background Music : Anurag Godbole
• Sound Design : Rohit Pradhan
• Cinematography (DOP) : Krishna Soren
• Editor : Satish Patil
• Art Director : Vasu Patil
• Choreography : Vitthal Patil
• Executive Producer : Atul Salve
• Creative Producer : Tejas Narkar
• Look Designer : Vidhyadar Bhatte
• Presenter : Aakash Pendharkar and Vinod Satav
• In Association With : Abhay Thakur, Prasad Chavan and Shankar Konde
• Team ProActive : Ahwini Teranikar and Kirti Mehendale
• Digital Co-Ordinator : Anup Gore (Digimagic Media)
• VFX Supervisor and DI : Yogesh Dixit
• Visual Promotion : Studio 108
• Genre : Children Drama
• Release Date : 18th May 2018

Synopsis : An enthusiastic kid Vayu, moves to Mumbai from his hometown Kolhapur but leaving his friends behind does not sit well with him. To overcome this, he resorts to monkey business so that his parents are forced to take him back, but God has other plans for him.

Monkey Baat Marathi Movie Poster/Photos :

Monkey Baat Marathi Movie Teaser/Trailer :

The post Monkey Baat (2018) – Marathi Movie appeared first on MarathiStars.

We have seen Milind Shinde perform various roles on TV screen, theatre and films. Now he has turned his attention behind the camera and will be directing a sports film based on a rural set-up. The title of this film is yet to be announced. The film is currently getting shot at Shirdi. The film stars Bhushan Pradhan, Sanskruti Balgude, Uday Tikekar, Abhijit Chavan, Nayan Jadhav and Prakash Dhore.

Interestingly, Shinde has previously directed “Naach Tujhach Lageen Haay” and “Kadu”. However, both these films are ready for the release but have some issues with the censor board. The recent film focuses on the sports culture of Maharashtra and how a simple player from rural area inspires kids to play the game and achieve them success at a national level.

The story, screenplay and dialogues for this film are written by Kiran Berad. DoP is Pratap Nayar and music has been composed bu Mangesh Dhakade.

We wish all the best to Milind Shinde in his new venture.

The post Milind Shinde becomes a director with a sports film! appeared first on MarathiStars.

• Review : Bai Go Bai (2015)
• Producer : Pradip Kacher Patil, Naresh Ganpat Thakur
• Directer : Vijay Pagare
• Star Cast : Nirmitee Sawant, Vijay Patkar, Nayan Jadhav, Shashikant Kerkar, Sheetal Phatak, Jaywant Bhalekar, Purnima Ahire Kende, Prashant Chaudappa, Poonam Kher, Deepak Alegaonkar
• Story : Vijay Pagare
• Music : Vijay Gatlewar, Ajinkya Jadhav, Nikhil Pachpande
• Genre  : Comedy, Humorous
• Review By : Rasik Tirodkar

Rating : 1.5/5

Review:

Marathi cinema has had a history of what are known as ‘cheap comedies’. From the legendary Dada Kondke films to the very popular Ashok Saraf-Laxmikant Berde films, there has always been an audience for crass slapstick humour in Maharashtra. Though, unlike the 90s, there is certainly a decline in the domination of such films in the last decade or so. But there still definitely is an audience for such a brand of cinema. Bai Go Bai is targeted towards that audience.

The start of the film, though expectedly over the top, does promise a somewhat different plot for what is basically a loud slapstick comedy. Baayjoakka (Nirmitee Sawant) rules the village like her own fiefdom. She holds a grudge against all men. Moustaches are not allowed to be grown; chores are the responsibility of the men only; husband and wife do not sleep in the same room. Gender stereotypes are reversed and it seems the screenplay plans to exploit some humour from this rather misandrist setting.

It does tread along this path for a while, but, soon enough, predictably creeps in – Baayjoakka, a widower, has a young and beautiful daughter and, even more predictably, she falls in love with a young man despite her misandrist upbringing. The two then go on to out-wit Baayjoakka and douse the raging flame of hatred for men in her.

Frankly, I found it very difficult to sit through this film. There was hardly a moment I wasn’t squirming in my seat. There were just one or two moments I caught myself chuckling, other times the loud and crass humour was testing my nerves. I couldn’t help wondering whether these kinds of films still work.

The acting was quite mediocre all over. Nirmitee Sawant, as the matriarch, does look the part but her miniscule role makes little difference. It would have made the film a tad bearable only if the lead actors were any good. But that isn’t the case either. Nayan Jadhav, as the boy who wins Baayjoakka’s daughter’s heart, at least has a breezy screen presence. But Sheetal Pathak as the daughter just cannot act. Vijay Patkar is up to his usual antics that have never amused me.

Quite irritatingly, there is absolutely nothing in this film that works. The romance is silly and the plan to out-smart Bayjooakka is even sillier. The screenwriter does seem to think quite lowly of his audience to have come up with this nonsense. He can also be held insensitive for trivialization of an issue as serious as child molestation. Lesser said about the music the better.

Overall :

Bai Go Bai is a typical cheap comedy that has absolutely nothing working for it. Despite promising a somewhat fresh setting it soon slips into a predictable plot. The screenplay is silly and also trivializes the serious issue of child molestation.

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