Film Review of Bhai the Biopic of PL Deshpande

He was the greatest contemporary humorist in Marathi, and a lot more-composer, playwright etc. His stand-up audio and video tapes were ahead of their time, and had millions of viewers/listeners.

This is part 1 of a biopic, the second will soon follow, in a month's time. Sagar Deshmukh has done a great job playing Pu La, as he was known. Direction is impeccable (Mahesh Manjrekar is the director).


This one focuses on his love for play-acting, playing the harmonium, and word play since childhood, his first tragic marriage, and his second which lasted long, in spite of some hiccups. Some of the other greats of Marathi Theatre and Music also figure in it, like Kolhatkar, Rangnekar, Kumar Gandharva and Bhimsen Joshi.

His wife is played very well by Iravati Harshe- she motivates him to complete some of his unfinished work, among other things. Their love blossoms in a school where they teach, and those scenes are a highlight of the film. So is the last scene, a musical jugalbandi of stalwarts, with Pu La on the harmonium. A treat for lovers of good cinema, and fans of Pu La Deshpande. 

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