Marriage musical
The director duo of Sumitra Bhave and Sunil Sukhtankar are known for the well-researched, issue-based and sensitively handled films they have made so far. Be it Dahavi Fa, Doghi, Devrai or Nital, each of their film has engaged with some socially significant, while entertaining.
What also makes their films palatable is that they have ordinary, middle-class homes as their settings. It’s in these seemingly harmless cultural contexts, which look like our regular neighbourhoods, that the directors go about exploring ironies in social structures, the often-overlooked friction between personal aspirations and societal norms, the devastating impact of stereotypes on individual lives, the exploitative edge that forms the basis of gender and social relations, among others. And that it gently unravels these issues - without launching a loud crusade or sitting on a moral high ground in judgment of social evils - only helps the discerning viewer understand the problematic nature of all that goes on unquestioned in the society, rather than push him/her into the defensive. While their films often seek to re-evaluate social parameters of right/wrong, good/bad, and moral/immoral, beautiful/ugly, it’s the inclusive approach of the directors that promotes a more humane way of looking at the world we live in.
Carrying on the same tradition is their latest film, Gho Mala Asla Hava (loosely translated as ‘I want a husband like this’). The directors’ eyes, this time around, have focused on the issue of marriage. Set in a small village in Konkan, the story is about Savitri (with obvious reference to the mythological character, who chose her own husband), who is not happy with the match her parents have arranged for her, and who goes about resolutely following her heart and marries the man she likes.
The issue tackled is, again, serious, but the treatment is refreshingly light-hearted. And this is where the directors make a big departure from their previous works. The folklore way of narration, with its songs and dances, effectively brings alive the rural dynamics and the comedy infuses the drama with a liveliness and spiritedness that is also the essence of the protagonist. So, Savitri, even if she’s married against her wishes, is never seen crestfallen. Instead, she exploits her own strengths – her bold wit and strong gumption – to play a prank on the whole village and finally succeeds in exercising her choice in marriage. This plot not only leads to many hearty laughs, but also helps the film avoid a preachy or didactic tone, even when it delivers a potent message on gender inequalities in a patriarchal set-up, the hollowness of traditionalnotions of marriage, an individual’s freedom of choice and right to happiness.
The unforced humour in the script, the authentic depiction of the rural landscape and mindscape, the narrative-enhancing music and the delicious representation of character ‘types’ that populate the village (especially the that of the Mumbai-returned, supposedly smart yet hilariously gawky groom) and the performances (especially by debutante Radhika Apte) make it an enjoyable watch. One only wishes the film had one or two songs less and that Savitri’s groom by choice (Omkar Gowardhan) looked a little more like the village youth he’s supposed to be.
What also makes their films palatable is that they have ordinary, middle-class homes as their settings. It’s in these seemingly harmless cultural contexts, which look like our regular neighbourhoods, that the directors go about exploring ironies in social structures, the often-overlooked friction between personal aspirations and societal norms, the devastating impact of stereotypes on individual lives, the exploitative edge that forms the basis of gender and social relations, among others. And that it gently unravels these issues - without launching a loud crusade or sitting on a moral high ground in judgment of social evils - only helps the discerning viewer understand the problematic nature of all that goes on unquestioned in the society, rather than push him/her into the defensive. While their films often seek to re-evaluate social parameters of right/wrong, good/bad, and moral/immoral, beautiful/ugly, it’s the inclusive approach of the directors that promotes a more humane way of looking at the world we live in.
Carrying on the same tradition is their latest film, Gho Mala Asla Hava (loosely translated as ‘I want a husband like this’). The directors’ eyes, this time around, have focused on the issue of marriage. Set in a small village in Konkan, the story is about Savitri (with obvious reference to the mythological character, who chose her own husband), who is not happy with the match her parents have arranged for her, and who goes about resolutely following her heart and marries the man she likes.
The issue tackled is, again, serious, but the treatment is refreshingly light-hearted. And this is where the directors make a big departure from their previous works. The folklore way of narration, with its songs and dances, effectively brings alive the rural dynamics and the comedy infuses the drama with a liveliness and spiritedness that is also the essence of the protagonist. So, Savitri, even if she’s married against her wishes, is never seen crestfallen. Instead, she exploits her own strengths – her bold wit and strong gumption – to play a prank on the whole village and finally succeeds in exercising her choice in marriage. This plot not only leads to many hearty laughs, but also helps the film avoid a preachy or didactic tone, even when it delivers a potent message on gender inequalities in a patriarchal set-up, the hollowness of traditionalnotions of marriage, an individual’s freedom of choice and right to happiness.
The unforced humour in the script, the authentic depiction of the rural landscape and mindscape, the narrative-enhancing music and the delicious representation of character ‘types’ that populate the village (especially the that of the Mumbai-returned, supposedly smart yet hilariously gawky groom) and the performances (especially by debutante Radhika Apte) make it an enjoyable watch. One only wishes the film had one or two songs less and that Savitri’s groom by choice (Omkar Gowardhan) looked a little more like the village youth he’s supposed to be.
posted by renu at 4:39 AM
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