Natasamrat- Film Review

This is a piece-de-resistance (pardon my French) for Nana Patekar. He essays the role (somewhat like that of Guru Dutt in another film) of a hero of the stage, who has excelled in Shakespearean drama, who falls on bad times because he chooses to live life on his own terms. And not pay heed to what society (represented by his children in this case) tells him to do.

The film is in Marathi, with English subtitles. Though the theme is familiar, as in Do Raaste or Baghbaan earlier, this one grips you because of the exceptional writing, and a scintillating performance by Nana in the role played on stage by Dr. Shriram Lagoo. Supporting him well are his family members, the really good performances being those of Mrunmayee Deshpande as his daughter, and Ms. Manjrekar as his wife- I particularly liked the wife's role. A gem of a role as Nana's friend is by another theatre veteran Vikram Gokhale.

The dialogue (soliloquies mostly in the original play, apparently) is wonderful, and Nana lets himself loose in portraying all possible emotions, and you really feel for him, in a positive way. His indomitable spirit comes through, and so does his desperation to get away from everything worldly. Some regular, small surprises (like the encounter with the bootlegger) keep the film moving at a good pace, and the lively banter between Vikram and his friend Nana is wonderful. Cuss words are used liberally, but they don't offend.

A treat for its acting, direction (Mahesh Manjrekar's), script, and storytelling. Hats off to the original author of the play, and the film's director for adapting it so well.

Rahat Indori

Just trying to recollect people with names like the headlined one. The film line had a few, like Sahir Ludhianvi, Hasrat Jaipuri, Majrooh Sultanpuri, Firaqt Gorakhpuri, etc.

In our side (hamaare wahan) it is common to have a 'kar' suffixed to the gaon- as in Nargund 'kar' rather than an 'i' like the above example. An 'e' at the end as in Raje, Bhide, Gore, Khare (means 'true' in Marathi), Khote (means falsehood) also signifies some names in those places, though there are no place-names attached/embedded.

Srinath the fast bowler was from Javagal. AK Hangal presumably from Hangal, a place in Karnataka, and Prakash Padukone, you guessed it- from Padukone. By the way, so was Guru Dutt (he was not Bengali).

Surnames are often derived from professions or titles, like Mistry, Batliwala, Tailor, Carpenter, or Cabinetmaker. Or Joshi, Patwari and so on. Or how many Vedas you could claim mastery over- two, three or four (Dwivedi, Trivedi, Chaturvedi respectively).

Kaagaz Ke Phool

I re-saw Kaagaz ke Phool by Guru Dutt on TV yesterday. He is one of my favourite director/actors. But I could see some flaws from a viewer's perspective, which may have made it a failure at the box office.

The story is powerful, about the vagaries of the film world, and the impact of it on a director's personal life and love. The middle of the film is slow, and just when the story gets dramatic with the daughter forcing the director's lover to abandon him, the plot is hampered by a couple of songs. Maybe a faster denouement would have worked.

It is also not too clear why the director is not willing to go back when his lady love comes back to films. If he is so firm on it, why does he audition for an extra's role?

Despite its flaws, it's well worth watching, just for the angst of the last scene- that of the defeated director being found dead in his old director's chair. The lighting in that scene is also amazing. He was great at conveying pathos.

Guru Dutt and Shantaram

Saw a film each of these two, Sahib Bibi aur Ghulam and Geet Gaya Pathharon Ne. Liked both. I had always liked Guru Dutt, particularly his angst-ridden films like Kagaz Ke Phool and Pyaasa. This one is where the angst-ridden person is Meena Kumari, the heroine. Again, a classy black and white film, very skilfully directed (by Abrar Alvi), with a very clever screenplay and edit. Some great songs too.

Geet gaya...is a beautifully crafted modern movie, though it is old, and in colour. About a woman who fights back on being unfairly rejected by a sculptor husband for no fault of hers, it is a bold statement on women's equality, while being conventional too. The title song is haunting. C.H. Atma has sung a couple of songs too, for a character who is a fan of Omar Khayyam. I hope to sample more of these past treasures as time goes on. Thoroughly enjoyed these two movies.