Jilabi- Marathi film review

Swapnil Joshi and the rest of the cast - Prasad Oak, Parna Pethe .. nails it, in this suspense film, with a super cop and a villain who is tough to figure out. Enjoyed every moment. Has a taut screenplay, with action as its watchword. 

A cop is tasked with solving a murder in a business family, and what he unravels is much more than he bargained for.

Rarely do Indian films do well in this genre. Also, no frills such as songs, so the story is king. A good decision, like in Ittefaq, many years ago.

The twists in the story keep you hooked. A good thing in themes of this type, with intrigue. Jilabi (jalebi) is an apt name too.

Char Chaughi- Marathi Play

 What the title means is Women like Any Other - or Ordinary Women. But here it refers to four strong women of a family- a Mother and her three daughters, and the life choices they make, which are ahead of their times. Set in 1991, written by Prashant Dalvi and directed by Chandrakant Kulkarni, this is a powerful narrative about women's 'place in society', and how some of them chin up and challenge those patriarchal views. In general, a unique perspective emerges from each of the four women. 

The brilliant cast (Rohini Hattangadi, Parna Pethe, Mukta Barve, Kadambari Kadam...) only adds to the appeal of a well-knit story. Ahead of its time certainly, with some of the choices staggeringly so, it is all very convincing, the way the story unfolds. The men in the play also do their parts well. I like the reference to another well-known play, Hayavadana, which sort of mirrors the dilemma faced by one of the characters.. though she explains later the differences between the two.

A must see for anyone who thinks progressively- man or woman. Pic from Balgandharva theatre as the actors took their bow. They got a standing ovation.

Amar Photo Studio- A Play With Substance

This is a very inventive play (in Marathi) that I saw yesterday. Proof? Here it is, clicked by Amey Wagh, a key actor, at the end of it. We are at the left end, first row. I am second from left.

Did I say inventive? I will say it again. It had elements of the classics (V. Shantaram appears as a character, making one of his films), mid-70s ( a character played by Parna Pethe dances to the song Mehbooba, Mehbooba, from Sholay), and today's selfie-obsessed generation that is trying to define love in the time of breakups.

Brilliantly cast and directed, it's a must-watch in my view. Nipun Dharmadhikari, the director, proves he is nipun with many things- the time travel, the representative characters from each age group, and the handling of the story and the dialogues, were all of a level that was impressive. Participative elements, with the heroine and hero both coming into the aisle and pulling in audiences, aded zing to the proceeding. The humour is ROFL.

Amey Wagh, and some others too, played multiple characters, not easy to do in quick succession. Hats off!