I normally review very few select movies which to me are best-in-class and elite; only
those that I either find superlative {as one of my friends was noting on fb
today}, or those with some kind of social message. The movie being reviewed
today, Baghtos Kaay... Muzraa Kar, is one of the latter category; a
Marathi movie. What makes this movie so different is this is a movie
with a message, and is also simultaneously fun to watch; with two other factors
also thrown in, which I shall get to by and by.
THE
PLOT
The plot is simple – a sarpanch of a
village of Malvans, the villagers whom The Chhatrapati recruited and turned
into his army, laments the state of the forts of the great Maratha Kiing,
Chhatrapati Shivaji; even as the great legend continues to hold sway over
entire Maharashtra, and I daresay large parts of India as well. Most Indians
will readily concede his greatness. Despite this, his forts lie in ruin or at
least not as well cared for as they should be. The movie revolves around his
dream of turning the local fort into a well cared for spot that attracts
visitors, and how his attempts take him into politics, and focuses around his
attempts to win support for his endeavour.
THE
REVIEW
The movie is a great watch, and is a
very enjoyable movie with a nice script, reasonably well crafted. It is a
simple movie, in the sense there is no extravagance or over the top stuff. It
has lovely genuinely comic moments which make for a very enjoyable watch, and help overcome the drag. The start, most of
the middle and the climax will win your heart and tug at your emotions; the
middle part will make you laugh a lot, genuinely funny stuff, situational
comedy. The problem is that the script meanders just a little for 10-15 minutes
in the middle part; that could have been avoided. Normally, this would have
been enough for me not to review it, had it not had major saving factors acting
in its favour.
{Jitendra Joshi}
And these are, firstly, the performance
of Jitendra Joshi. Man, what a performance! He blew me away with his superb
performance. I have seen him earlier in Duniaadaari and the classic film
Sumbaraan, but this time he has matured as an actor, and has almost
single-handedly carried the movie on his shoulders. The way he simply blends
into the character, the way his face and eyes show the expressions, was incredible.
It was a display of top notch conviction, and it made my day.
The music is nothing to write home about,
except the song Tu Aan Punhaa Re Ti
Talwaar, a very hummable and fast paced theme song, which kind of grows on
you. One wishes the other songs were as good. As I said earlier, the script
could have been tighter, making for a much more compact product. Nonetheless,
what is there is way more than enough; given that an Economics + History +
Social blogger like me is reviewing the movie. This movie joins a list which I
consider elite – Raees, Pink, Coffee Aani
Barach Kaahi, Shivaay, Katyaar Kaalzat Ghusli, Lokmanya Ek Yugpurush, PK…
What makes this movie stand out is the
other factors involved; first was the performance of Jitendra Joshi. Second
aspect is the social message – it is fine that we make statues of those we
value; but what about actually caring for them and their true heritage? I made
this point in two or three previous posts; we call people our heroes, but
ignore their heritage. In the case of Chhatrapati Shivaji, I can safely say
that by and large, his heritage is also intact; people do value him. But if we
value him so much, how hard can it be to ensure upkeep as well as visits to his
locations?
The third aspect that makes this movie
special is simply this : for the first time I have seen a movie that openly
declares of the English, when the lead actors visit London as part of their
plan : whatever they have is built from stolen money, stolen from us… or words
to that effect! This is bound to be heard and seen by the audience who sees
this; and will impress at least some of the viewers. This is a message that
sorely needs to be told, and I personally loved it. As it is, I am in the
middle of a by now 8-year hunt for the true and full detailed story behind our
Colonial History, and this made connect with my heart big-time! Well said, Team
Bhaghtos Kaay!
The fourth take-away is the extent of
the contemporary feeling for, and relevance of Chhattrapati Shivaji in Modern
India, or at least Maharashtra. This was a pleasure to experience; the response
from the audience, the clapping, the whistling, the applause had to be
experienced. And, for the first time, I too joined in, with applause in two or
three places. It happened spontaneously, and I just went along with the
atmosphere, discovering for myself how deep the connect of Chhatrapati Shivaji
is with me… I had read and reviewed a book on The Chhatrapati, but this was something
else, something deeper, a lovely, deep connect and feeling of pride and warmth!
Great movie, people!
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