Movie Review : Savita Damodar Paranjpe

Subodh Bhave strikes again… with a stupendous performance, in a movie that is going to prove hard to forget for me at least. It was a genuine pleasure to see yet another spine chilling thriller in Marathi entertainment – after the stunning Rudram. Thrillers are a generally under-represented theme in Marathi Entertainment – I can offhand think of very few… Asambhav, Rudram, Ringa Ringa, Chakwa and one or two more. That is another reason why this movie comes as a distinct relief and pleasure… the range, depth and quality of Marathi Cinema  / Serials is getting to be near absolutely unsurpassed now, with the additions in this genre.

The story is absolutely taut, riveting and flawless : it gets to a fast start, right from the word go – keeps its relentless pace throughout, without letting up. The base of any Cinema feature is the story and the script / screenplay; in this case – these deserve special praise. And not only that, yet again, we see a Cinema Adaptation of a Drama – in a superbly executed near-flawless product. Adapting a Drama to a movie format is not easy; the reason is twofold :  the two formats are different,  and the expectations of the critics & audience very high if the said drama is a famous  one.

THE STORY

The story is quite simply, a supernatural love triangle. This is story of a happily married couple, and how the wife is possessed by a soul driven by unfulfilled desires in her past life. The repercussions on the host body grow ever-more serious over time, as all medical remedies are resorted to by the couple to no avail. 8 years into  their life, they know no peace, as they struggle with the now-crippling illness of the hapless and troubled wife.

Until, that is, a scholar from TIFR {Tata Institute of Fundamental Research} who is also an accomplished astrologer, walks in. Even then, things aren’t so simple – telling the husband is one thing, convincing him and the wife’s doctor another. Things unravel fast once this is sorted… and secrets tumble out, as the soul reveals herself as Savita Damodar Paranjpe… who is she? Why is she doing this? For that – watch this spine chilling thriller…

THE ANALYSIS

I have already, in the preamble of the review, highlighted the script, story and screenplay. These elements are vital to any motion feature; even more so here given the sparse nature of the story, its settings, it subject and chosen theme. Sadly, this is the one aspect most professional reviewers underplay in any review of any movie, for some strange reason. Maybe my grounding in College and PG Dramatics prejudices me towards this, who knows?  Well, in this movie – to my mind, this is the most significant aspect that contributes to the success of the entire Savita Damodar Paranjpe {SDP} Team.

As I stated, the script is excellent, with strong well-defined & deeply etched characters having clear strong tones and characteristics, a taut narrative, fast pace {its gets going in the literal first minute of the movie} – and this is a pace that does not slow at any point in time – not even during the music, which actually carries the story forward. The setting of the story – the nature / lifestyle of the characters - the TIFR researcher-cum-scholar, the Doctor, the educated suffering family; the overall story settings in the locations etc -  all add to the novelty experience. I especially loved the educated Astrologer, a nice touch as compared to a saffron clad baba. Well done Shirish Latkar & Shekhar Tamhane!

The cinematography is par-excellence {Well done, Prasad Bhende - image not located } – I was amazed at the smart use of lighting to accentuate the thrill, the framing of the scenes etc. The lovely use of light and dark themes in lighting won my praise; non-standard in that they weren’t needlessly emphasized, unlike some other thrillers were these tend to be overdone. The music – well, what can I say? The songs are soulful & mellifluous, while also gelling with the story. Each song is in the right tune at the right place in the movie. Sheer brilliance! Brilliant as usual - Nilesh Moharir!

Nilesh Moharir

Trupti Toradmal

That brings me to the performances : I have already opened with praising Subodh Bhave. In earlier reviews as well, {Hrudayantar / Katyaar Kalbjaat Ghusli / Fugay} I have openly pointed out his screen presence, and his skill. Here again, we see it – and yet, one person manages to rise above the  story and get himself noticed by sheer power of a controlled performance : Raqesh Vashishth. Trupti Toradmal had an exceptionally hard role-  playing two diametrically different people, to which she does full credit. And Angad Mhaskar as the doctor plays the

logical counterpoint as the Doctor. To round off, we have Savita Prabhune and Pallavi Patil playing convincing Mother and Sister – overall, a very balanced performance by each and every single person. Point to be noted : balance in all aspects of the film!

Savita Prabhune

Raqesh Vashishth

Pallavi Patil

CONCLUSION

Swapna Waghmare Joshi

All in all, I rate this movie 9 stars out out 10; 4.5 Stars out of 5. {Websites, Professional raters need to move to a 10-point scale. Scaling in Market Research – one of my professional interest areas – is a function of complexity of the object to be rated. Movies are too complex to rate on 5 stars alone}. Coming back to the point, this is a spine-chilling, edge of the seat thriller that keeps you glued to your seat for the entire duration, very convincing in almost all aspects, and a must watch. A thoroughly brilliant and unforgettable movie indeed! One of the finest in this genre!}. In closing – let me give credit to the team leader – Swapna Waghmare Joshi; as the director, adapting a play to a movie format is hard, and then going on to lead a diverse team to deliver on all points while ensuring directorial excellence deserves a round of applause, and a standing ovation!