• Movie Review : Ajoba (2014)
• Director : Sujay S. Dahake
• Producers : Supreme Motion Pictures Pvt. Ltd and Illusion Ethereal Film Company
• Writers : Sujay S. Dahake and Gauri Bapat
• Cast : Urmila Matondkar, Hrishikesh Joshi, Dilip Prabhavalkar, Shashank Shende Shrikant Yadav, Om Bhutkar, Neha Mahajan
• Genre : Adventure/ Drama
• Review By : Keyur Seta

Rating : * * * *

Story Outline:

Ajoba is based on true events experienced by wildlife conservationist Vidya Athreya between the years 2009 and 2011. A leopard is found in a well in Junnar village in Maharashtra. Wildlife Biologist Purva Rao (Urmila Matondkar) gets the animal rescued with the help of forest department workers.

She fits an electronic chip at its tale and, as per the procedure, frees it. She names the animal Ajoba. The whole idea is to trace Ajoba’s journey in order to learn more about it and its thinking. Although the leopard is on a journey, Purva and his team are experiencing the adventure out of it.

Review:

When a leopard enters a city and kills a man, naturally, the wild animal is labeled as the devil. But this is far from the actual fact. Such incidents have a much deeper meaning, which is explored by Sujay S. Dahake in Ajoba in a manner that would compel you to applaud not only his end product but also his act of bravery towards creating such bold genre of cinema.

Firstly, it can be a stressful nightmare for anyone to make a film on this subject. To create such an experience on screen not only requires painstaking patient efforts but also some great talent. As Dahake manages to go through the grind, half the battle is won.

The second half is won by a gripping narrative that either thrills or moves you throughout the duration. Soon you realize that the film is not story-based but treatment-based. The journey of the leopard and the subsequent twists keeps you glued. The smart characterization and the internal drama between characters also play their parts in making sure the film doesn’t go into the docu-drama mode whatsoever.

But there does come a period in the second half where the narration slows down thereby making you a bit impatient. Thankfully, this period doesn’t last long due to what follows. The closing moments and the climax deserve special mention for the soul-stirring effect it produces and the questions it raises about the indirect dangers and hypocrisy of ‘human nature’.

Apart from the above-mentioned point, what can go against the film is that the Indian audience isn’t friendly with such genre of films. Needless to say, those wishing for conventional entertainment might be disappointed.

Shooting such a film can also be a hell of a task for the cinematographer. Diego Romero has shot the entire movie using a hand-held camera. For getting his craft right, creating a visual treat and keeping the frame un-shaky, his work should be described as brilliant. The haunting background score suits the flick perfectly and stays with you. There is also some smart display of visual effects, especially the CGI image of the leopard.

Urmila Matondkar’s thoroughly dedicated performance too is one of the biggest plus points. Her Marathi film debut can move anyone due to the way she gets into the psyche of Purva Rao. It’s nothing short of excellent! After Yellow, Hrishikesh Joshi ones again turns up with an adorable act. Om Bhutkar, Shashank Shende and Shrikant Yadav give earnest support. Dilip Prabhavalkar and Yashpal Sharma create strong impact in cameos. Neha Mahajan and Anita Date are good in their cameos.

Overall :

Ajoba is a spectacular cinematic treat; something that you haven’t experienced before. The film surely has a chance of making a good impact at the box office through positive word-of-mouth.

The post Review : Ajoba(2014) appeared first on MarathiStars.

In last few years, Marathi cinema has transformed itself intoa perfect blend of meaningful subject and a commercially viable venture.  Filmmakers are making a point of making films which will entertain a wide range of audience and at the same time address an important issue. Themuch awaited Marathi film – “AJOBA”directed by Sujay Dahake is slated for a release on 9^th May 2014.The film is produced by Lalasaheb Shinde and Rajendra Shinde under the banner of Supreme Motion Pictures Pvt Ltd.

It is based on a leopard’s journey from Malshej Ghat to Boriwali National Park, Mumbai. Dr. Vidya Athreya, a wildlife biologist collared a leopard which was rescued in Junnar, in 2009. The story is based on the true events that took place after the animal was released in the Ghats. With the chip fitted in his collar, his movements could be tracked through the GPS system.

The film talks about the ever increasing human-animal conflict. It throws light on the various issues related to conservation of wildlife.

The noted Bollywood actor Urmila Matondkar plays a lead role in the film. She plays the central character of the wild life biologist. She marks her debut in Marathi cinema through this film.The screenplay of the film is written by Gauri Bapat and the music is composed by Saket Kanetkar. The sound designing is done by Nimish Chheda and Avinash Sonawane.

Along with the footage of the actual leopards the audience will also get to see the animal through visual effects. The visual effects company – Illusion Ethreal has done a splendid job of creating the special effects for the film.

Well-knowncinematographer Diego Romero captures the Leopard’s thrilling journey and the landscape beautifully through his camera.

Prasad Vaidya is the executive producer of the film and Rahul Odak and Shashank Kulkarni are the line producers for Supreme Motion Pictures Pvt Ltd.The film which also stars well-known actors Yashpal Sharma, Hrishikesh Joshi, Dilip Prabhavalkar, Shrikant Yadav, Om Bhutkar, Neha Mahajan, Ganesh Mayekar, Shashank Shende, Anita Date, Chinmay Kulkarni,Virat Madke and Anuya Kalsekar will be a treat for the audience.

The journey of Maharashtra’s first collared leopard will be an experience in itself.

The post Much awaited Marathi film AJOBA is slated to release on 9th May 2014 appeared first on MarathiStars.

• Produced By : Supreme Motion Pictures Pvt Ltd, Illusion Ethereal film company.
• Studio : Illusion Ethereal
• Directed By : Sujay S. Dahake
• Written By : Gauri Bapat
• Screenplay By : Gauri Bapat
• Star Cast :  Urmila Matondkar, Hrishikesh Joshi, Dilip Prabhavalkar, Shrikant Yadav, Om Bhutkar, Neha Mahajan, Shashank Shende, Suhas Shirsat, Ganesh Mayekar
• Genre : Adventure – Drama – Journey
• Release Date : 9 May 2014

Plot Outline : 
Big Cat’s , Big Adventure.
Malshej to Mumbai in 29 days: Ajoba the leopard’s ambitious trek.
Ajoba was rescued from a well and a tracking device was fixed on his neck, before being released back into the wild. He turned out to be one adventurous cat, as he made his way to Mumbai over the Sahyadris, i.e A cool 120kms.

Movie Poster / Still Photos : 

AJOBA Official Theatrical Trailer Hd :

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Movie : Aajcha Divas Majha
Production Banner : White Swan Productions
Directed By : Chandrakant Kulkarni
Produced By : Puja Chhabria
Lead Start Cast : Sachin Khedekar, Ashwini Bhave, Mahesh Manjrekar, Rishikesh Joshi, Pushkar Shrotri, Anand Ingle & Others
Written By : Ajit Dalvi & Prashant Dalvi
DOP : Rajen Kothari

Story : On political background, ‘Aajcha Divas Majha’ (Today is Mine) is a touching compassionate story. The story inserts a hope in a political surrounding where emotions have no value. The movie is an entertaining and a cinematic journey of the chief minister who works efficiently and actively to accomplish the work of a common man which has been stuck for almost eight years.

The Storyline depicts originality of characters such as chief minister, his wife, secretary, personal assistant and so many people from the assembly. Story speeds up within the time period of afternoon 3pm to dawn at 6am in which it portrays the decision making process in politics and the fights among politicians whereas it also portrays mental tendency of the chief minister who is facing a personal dilemma & an emotional tug-of-war in this entire process. Until now many movies have shown people fighting for the chair and power, but this story defines the mission taken up by a chief minister fighting to keep his self-esteem alive.

Movie StillS/Posters :

Theatrical Trailer : 

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