Monday, June 4, 2012

Finals of 25th Marathi Commercial Drama Competition

After many years I got the opportunity to see Marathi Nataks at Mumbai, courtsey Dept of Culture, Govt of Maharashtra.


It was the Finals of 25th Marathi Commercial (and not amateur) Drama Competition being conducted at Marathi Sahitya Sangha Mandir at Girgaum by the Dept of Culture, Govt of Maharashtra. There were a total of 10 dramas selected from about 25 entries of variety of Drama Companies. I could See Love Birds, Karun Gelo Gaon, Sukhanshi Bhandato Amhi and Mi Revati Deshpande.

It was real fun watching such quality dramas produced by these companies. The situation dead that I write the researched views about them but have no time to do research.

Let me put my quick thoughts about these dramas.

Love Birds - a thriller which holds you spell bound. the plot is superb. The struggle of Amruta Subash, the lead actress, to (so called) educate her husband (who has lost his past memories in an accident, but can remember what is taught) about his past life. One sympathises with her, the drama goes on with realisation that the hero and heroine might have killed old lover of the leading lady. As the plot unfolds, the heroine also committees one more murder. Every thing was to go as planed (for whom, guess it or see the Natak, I am not going to let the cat out) but for a private detective who has joined this plot out of sheer luck (or may be bad luck).

What comes out at the end is a action packed (emotional and not stunts) thriller which keeps you glued to your seat). The Music was good, the use of video to link up the events outside of the set, crisp dialogue delivery and acting of all the people are the strong points.

Karun Gelo Gaon - Is a marathi - Malvani (or so I thought) comedy with all the actors being natural and good. Vaibhav Mangale happens to be the pack leader. The drama had slapstick humour with all the ingredients thrown in like a tamasha dancer, a local MLA, film crazy villagers etc. There were some sutle but below the belt humour, some high quality humour and some very vital points made humorously. At the end the drama succeeds in highlighting the plight of the soul of Konkan, the land on the west coast.

Sukhanshi Bhandato Aamhi - is a serious drama with a lead role of a psychologist and a split personality patient. the doctor, an idealist as a Young boy from village has become materialistic due to pressures of his ambitious wife and the city called Mumbai. He is minting money and thinking that it is essential for him to mint to provide better avenues to his son.

He has been neglecting his mother who is still at his village, neglecting other aspects of life till this patient whom he admits in his hospital show him a mirror to make him understand that the mirage that he is running behind in his life is not happiness but rather a fight with real happiness. The doctor tries to run away from reality till his son decides to seek his Happiness!!! by leaving the doctor and his wife behind and migrating abroad. A very powerful story delivered superbly.

Mi, Revati Deshpande is a off beat drama. It is about gender disorder in a professor who has been living duel life of a lady and a man. his family always thinks very poorly of him because they think he seeks company of females to satisfy his male ego / taste without realisation of the reality. Only his female servant and psychologist friend who knew reality try to manage the rift. The rift widens by the additional affection shown by the professor to his erstwhile student and now his daughter in law, who is pregnant.

The rift reaches a stage where all efforts of the psychologist fried and the servant fail and the professor decides to let go of the male in him and decides to live life as a female.

A complex subject handled skillfully with lead roles of Mohan Joshi as professor, Ramesh Bhatkar as doctor friend. It was well enacted drama except for where I got the seat (in the balcony) the audio was very poor.

A very unconventional story delivered with care and elan.

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