or My Favorite Marathi Movies of All Time
10) Shala(2012)
Recently we saw the hugely anticipated
Ravi Jadhav Directed "Timepass". Anyone who has watched "Shala" can
easily identify the similarities. But on one hand Shala was made to express...& Timepass was made to impress!! & i was very disappointed by Timepass but Shala impressed be so much that i couldn't resist the temptation to have it in my all time list.
The Movie was an adaptation of a novel by Milind Bokil of the same name. a couple of years before this movie was made, a one act play named "Ga Ma Bha Na" by Ruia College became hugely popular..which too was an adaptation of the same novel.
However the way Sujay Dahake presented this beautiful movie...we could hardly compare the play with this movie. Every frame of this movie takes you to that classic nostalgic era...when things were less complicated. Sujay Dahake is one director who has that correct balance of a cinematic vision & an ability to present the true flavor of our culture through cinema.
9) Chaukat Raja(1991)
Starring Arguably The Greatest Actor Alive in India and Unarguably The Most Versatile Actor Alive in India....Dilip Prabhavalkar as a mentally challenged person or a disabled boy. This movie was one of the first movies...which made me fall for marathi cinema while growing up.
All those Cinematic Nazis(sometimes even i am one of them) might not be convinced enough with this inclusion...but i felt this movie deserves a special perspective. Because witnessing Dilip Prabhavalkar, Ashok Saraf & Sulbha Deshpande essaying such beautifully written characters is an experience to cherish.
8) Harishchandrachi Factory(2009)
How can I not have this beautiful piece of art in my list...a movie that depicted the emergence of the biggest film industry in the world. Dadasaheb Phalke made the first Indian movie in 1913..but Paresh Mokashi, the Director of this movie actually took us back in time & made us experience the joyful struggle of doing something different in the society.
It's one of those movies which brings a smile on your face everytime you watch it...& it's hard to evaluate what exactly made you feel good. I have to mention the impeccable background score which contributed to that feel good factor & also helped in recreating the British Raj era.
7) Jogwa(2009)
Made on the Life of a group of People called a Jogta or a Jogtin(who are forced by the society to give up everything and serve God. A
jogta has to give up the fact of being a man and suppress all his
desires. A jogtin is expected to give up herself, she cannot get
married, have children or have a life of her own) & Directed by Rajeev Patil was undoubtedly the Boldest movie made in India.
It highlighted those pathetic superstitions & religious believes which are still practised in our country & also portrayed the terrifying journey of those two characters.
Upendra Limaye(who bagged the national award for his performance) & Mukta Barve were certainly outstanding...But everytime you see Kishor Kadam(who also played a Jogta) in the frame...you cannot notice anyone else...!!!
6) Ratra Aarambh(1999)
Dilip Prabhavalkar played a schizophrenic in this Very first Marathi Movie(I guess the 1st indian movie too) made on schizophrenia in the same year when "A Beautiful Mind" bagged four oscars.
Even though the screenplay of this movie was more like a novel...it manages to keep us guessing throughout. After Watching Dilip Prabhavalkar's performance in this movie even Al Pacino, Tom Hanks, Jack Nicholson & Robert De Niro would have dropped their jaws...!!
Again i would categorize it as a performance oriented movie...still the overall impact is as good as any cinematic wonder!!!
5) Investment(2013)
Written & Directed by Great Marathi Writer Ratnakar Matkari....Investment is an hard hitting experience which hits straight on the face of this so called competent...& materialistic society.
For someone who was brought up with middle-class values...it could have a soothing effect too...as we feel fortunate about our upbringing but that won't stop us from feeling guilty as to some extent we too are a part of this society.
The performances of the cast makes it even more impactfull..especially Supriya Vinod as the mother..who will shock you with every word she utters & yet you will feel that you are familiar with her!! Last year a few movies managed to achieve astonishing success on the box-office..but Investment didn't quite do well. Nevertheless to me it was the best movie of 2013 & one of the best in my all time list.
4) Kunku(1937)
Directed by the legendary V. Shantaram..Kunku..based on the novel "Na Patnari Goshta" by Narayan Hari Pethe...who also wrote it's screenplay was a daring piece of art made in the pre independence era.
The condition of women in India in that era was rightly depicted in this movie..however It didn't stop at just depiction of the unjust...it went on to find a solution to it with a climax that could be described as extra-ordinary even after 75+ years after this movie's release.
It was also released in hindi as "Duniya Na Mane" & proved how powerful cinema can be...throughout the nation.
3) Tukaram(2012)
Written By Prashant-Ajit Dalvi & Directed by Chandrakant Kulkarni...Tukaram a biopic of the Great Poet-Social Reformer-Saint of India Sant Tukaram. In 1936 another biopic of Sant Tukaram was made by Prabhat Film Company..which is considered as an all time classic & became hugely popular in various festivals around the world back then.
As a movie the 1936 biopic was certainly entertaining...but it was nothing more than a devotional melo-drama were the focus was on the over hyped magic tricks of Tukaram Maharaj which he never really performed. But Kulkarni showed the real Tukaram Ambivle & here he wasn't a magician or a godly figure but a poet, a social reformer, someone who has the courage to stand against the inequality in society. And the strongest point of this movie was that it actually showed the emergence of the warkari sect in Maharashtra...which showed that devotion need not be about expecting something & everybody is equal & has equal rights to lead his life the desired way. It showed how Tukya became Tukaram Maharaj & throughout the journey we are nothing but overwhelmed by this man & his antics. To me it is the greatest biopic ever made in India.
2) Vihir(2010)
Directed by an Institution in himself "Umesh Vinayak Kulkarni".... "Vihir" could easily be declared as the another word for "cinema" according to me(in India). As the tagline goes...get drenched in the well...Vihir was that exact experience for me..I was in my mid teens..when i watched it for the 1st time & felt I am watching myself somewhat occupied in that similar mental frame.....which is difficult to put in words.
Samir & Nachiket(the two adolescent boys...about whom this movie is) seems to be us & their journey towards realization of this puzzle called life seems to be our journey...while watching it. Apart from that every element of this movie has a underlying meaning to it & they seem so real that they appear to be happening with us & they do in reality...But in our lives we are so much involved in our rat race that we never really thought of it...! I am a huge fan of Umesh's other works(Deool & Valu) too & I feel Umesh Vinayak Kulkarni is a gift to the marathi film industry & we the audience have to realize that because his movies deserve more than just the "Festival Audience".
1) Samna(1975)
Written by Vijay Tendulkar, Directed by Jabbar Patel & starring Nilu Phule & Shreeram Lagoo in The Greatest Battle of Marathi Cinema(& to much extent Indian cinema) "Samna". Jabbar Patel went to Vijay Tendulkar with an concept of a battle between Phule & Lagoo with a political backdrop....Then Vijay Tendulkar started writing keeping them in mind...& what happened next is history & Marathi Cinema got it's Greatest Movie.
Nilu Phule(unarguably The Greatest Actor of marathi industry) playing a wealthy politician who rules his region single handedly is met by a homeless drunk educated philosopher in his province played by Shreeram Lagoo(arguably The Greatest Actor of marathi industry). the politician finds almost everything for him...in return he refuses to reveal his indentity, steals from him, asks questions which he is not prohibited to & finally makes the wealthy, powerful emperor vulnerable. Even Though Both Phule & Lagoo gave performances worth an oscar or something even bigger than that...it was Nilu Phule as Hindurao Dhonde-Patil who leaves slightly heavier impact on us while Shreeram Lagoo as the Master is probably the next best in a all time list! Jabbar Patel made many more honest & beautiful movies(Sinhasan, Umbartha, Mukta & a few more) after these but even if Samna was his only movie...we would still be talking about him today & for years to come!!!
so here's my pick....But I hope in coming years it will be changed...!! As Many Passionate filmmakers like Nagraj Manjule, Sujay Dahake & others are constantly working towards the betterment of Marathi Cinema...whereas Ppl like Sanjay Jadhav & Ravi Jadhav are giving that Commercial Solidity which is also important for the survival of Marathi Movies!
