Cycle: A Delicate Balance!

A strikingly handsome yellow bicycle, a beautiful village set amidst coconut groves by the seaside in Konkan, and a handful of simple people oozing with goodness...these are the main ingredients of "Cycle" (2018), a Marathi film I watched on the telly recently.

Set in 1958, it starts off as a light entertainer, centred around the family of a modest astrologer Keshav--a kind-hearted man who is liked by everyone in and around his village. He is the proud owner of a stylish bicycle that he has inherited from his grandfather, who in turn had received it as a gift from a British officer. Keshav, an otherwise balanced man who is happy and content in his humble surroundings, has just one angularity: he is so possessive of his bicycle that he would not part with it for anything.

We are treated to magnificent shots of idyllic rural life in scenic Konkan all through the film, thanks to Amalendu Chaudhary's superb cinematography. The other dominant feature is the innocence that pervades the film through events, characters and visuals, making it a relatable period drama. In fact, if you don't relate to the innocence, and look at the morals, values and interpersonal relationships using today's yardsticks, you might end up raising questions here and there and losing out on relishing the sweetness of the film. Instead, go along with the spirit of "Cycle" and enjoy the ride!

When Keshav's beloved cycle gets stolen, he is devastated beyond belief. He sets off on a search for his prized possession, and finds himself on a path towards more profound discovery. Similarly, the two thieves who steal the bicycle, find new doors of realization opening for them. All this is shown through lively little incidents involving village folk and lead characters, and not in a drab, preachy way. This is what makes the film remarkable.

Life in the late fifties has been showcased tenderly, sprinkled with touches of gentle humour. It is heartwarming to see people share and give from what little they have. Their small joys and uncomplicated lives make us yearn for the same.

Hrishikesh Joshi as Keshav, and Priyadarshan Jadhav and Bhalchandra Kadam as the two thieves fit like a glove in their roles. Their characters undergo a change in their attitude towards life, and all the three actors have handled it very well. Deepti Lele as Keshav's wife, Maithili Patwardhan as their daughter, and rest of the supporting cast are all very good. Aditi Moghe and Prakash Kunte as the writer-director make a superb team.

It is indeed refreshing to see such films being made in Marathi. They show great promise in all the departments, cover diverse content, entertain and deliver a good message, all at the same time!

A Poorly Made "Bucket List"!

I did not watch the 2007 American film "The Bucket List" starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. But I remember reading somewhere that it was about two terminally ill men who embark on a road trip with a wish list of things to do before they kicked the bucket. It was a box office success.

Recently I watched the Marathi "Bucket List", a new release marking Madhuri Dixit's entry into the world of Marathi films. When a star like Madhuri lends her name to a project, it is bound to arouse interest, and get people to engage with the project with heightened expectations. I am no exception and I went to watch the film anticipating a scintillating performance by her.

Madhuri plays an upper-middle class homemaker in her early forties who lives in a beautiful house in Pune with her husband, two children, parents-in-law and grandmother-in-law. She gets a new lease of life after a heart transplant surgery. When she finds out that the donor was a 21-year old young woman, she sets out to fulfil the wishes that are neatly jotted down in the deceased woman's bucket list. In this process she discovers herself, who was hidden under the persona of a wife, a mother and a daughter-in-law for all these years.

Fair enough. This could have been a good film, one of her several attempts to return to the big screen, and her stepping stone to a career in her mother tongue. She was playing a character that suited her age. She could have been instrumental in giving out a positive message about organ donation. In addition, she had a supporting cast featuring prominent names from the Marathi theatre and film industry. In spite of all this, the film just did not work for me.

Madhuri never looked convincing as a homemaker. She looked too poised with perfect hair and makeup to essay the role of someone who was cooking vegetables in four different ways to please everyone in the family, assisting her mother-in-law in her paapad-making enterprise, and in general being an ideal wife, mother and daughter-in-law around the house. Her Marathi sounded stunted, not having the ease of someone using the language for everyday conversation. Her super slim frame made her look more like a model than a homemaker with a comfortable lifestyle. And come on, which upper-middle class household has paapads being rolled in their living room with a bunch of women helping the lady of the house?

I wonder if Madhuri was inspired by Sridevi while playing a Maharashtrian homemaker. Sridevi played the role with ease in "English Vinglish".  Unfortunately Madhuri could not deliver. And her effort to emulate the late actress in comedy turned out to be a complete fiasco. Her antics in the pub's kitchen are neither amusing nor entertaining.

The direction (Tejas Vijay Deoskar) and dialogue (Tejas Vijay Deoskar and Devashree Shivadekar) are very ordinary. When the husband asks Madhuri's character where does he feature in her bucket list, she replies: you are not in my bucket list, you are my bucket! Excuse me, does this make any sense? There is nothing to write home about the dialogue. The characters drag the names of sponsors in their conversation in a jarring way.

The saving grace in the film is the presence of Sumit Raghavan, Vandana Gupte, Pradeep Welankar, Ila Bhate, and Dilip Prabhavalkar. They are seasoned actors and do not seem to be overwhelmed by Madhuri's star value. Sumit Raghavan holds his own as her husband. He could have done much better if his character was more well-defined. Madhuri's "Hum Aapke Hain Koun" co-star Renuka Shahane delivers a lacklustre performance as the dead woman's mother. Shubha Khote's role as the grandmother-in-law and her portrayal are both unrealistic and flawed. In fact, none of the characters is written well.

It is saddening to see Madhuri who ruled the silver screen for decades, making an appearance so listlessly in a production so unworthy of her presence. Even the dance sequence in the end lacked her magic touch. Perhaps it is time to wait for a better project and a better production team? Until then, let the memories of Madhuri in her heydays remain in our hearts!

"Anumati": The Permission

I stumbled upon a Marathi film "Anumati" (2013) on the telly the other day. I liked what I saw. 

Ratnakar (Vikram Gokhale) is a retired school teacher, a romantic at heart; a poet. His wife Madhu (Neena Kulkarni) is the force that has been steering their family, leaving Ratnakar to dream, read and write. Both their children--a son and a daughter--are married, and busy with their own families. The elderly couple lives in a small house in picturesque Shrivardhan, a town by the beach along the Konkan coast.

We come to know all this in bits and pieces, through flashbacks. The film opens when the comatose Madhu is lying in a Mumbai hospital, her distraught husband by her side. She has suffered a brain haemorrhage, and is being kept on life support systems. Each additional day at the hospital costs money and they have already exhausted their modest savings in the last few days. The doctors are fuelling the family's hopes in their characteristic measured words.

Ratnakar is hopeful, his son is not. He is under pressure from his son to sign the "Do not resuscitate" form, but he cannot bring himself to authorize an act that might end Madhu's life. He turns to his daughter and his brother for help. He is ready to sell his house in Shrivardhan. He just wants the hospital to try for a few more days, hoping that Madhu would recover.The story underlines the ugly commercial aspect of hospitals today: exploiting people emotionally in order to run their business.

Vikram Gokhale is a veteran who delivers a powerful performance, expressing the pain, desperation and helplessness of Ratnakar with finesse. His small interactions with his daughter, daughter-in-law, brother and son are enough to tell us what kind of relationships they share with each other. And though the story is centred around a patient on a hospital bed, we are not confined to that small room. Ratnakar's efforts to raise money take us to different places, allowing us snippets from the lives of his extended family; and treating us to some wonderful shots of Konkan in the rain. The cinematographer is Govind Nihalani!

Ratnakar's childhood friend Ambu (Reema) brings a lot of energy with her entry into the story. Her scenes with Ratnakar are warm, positive and definitely feel-good.

It is a sensitive subject, handled extremely well by director Gajendra Ahire. He has written the screenplay, dialogue and composed music too. Kishore Kadam, Subodh Bhave, Sai Tamhankar and Neha Pendse are all very good in their supporting roles. It is a touching story of love, told very simply. No wonder then that it has won wide critical acclaim, and that Vikram Gokhale has bagged the National Film Award for Best Actor.