We were lucky enough to be invited to the premier of Muramba yesterday night. I had decided long back to hit the theatre for this one right since their promotional activity started months ago.
First things first, the promotions and especially the digital marketing efforts of this team were one of the best in recent times in both hindi and marathi movies. (marathi cinema has overall left bollywood much behind in the race in all aspects of creative expression) The film and the team had made an amazing connect with the audience much before its release. It was like we know the Deshmukh family, their quirks and way of life.
Getting over the marketing and moving on, the movie itself was true to its name sweet and sour- a delicious muramba! The acting from the entire cast even the smaller roles such as the hero's buddy was top notch. But in my opinion more than the younger lot it were the seniors who shined. Sachin Khedekar sir has always made us move as an actor and here too he is the real star of the movie; his punches, his timing, his expressions, he is the meddling yet cool dad everyone would crave for! (He was oh-so-humble and sweet as a person too). Aptly supported by Chinmayee Raghavan ma'am; every expression of her's reminds us of our own moms. She has fewer dialogs than her reel husband but her eyes speak abundantly. (Her real life persona was equally magnetic).
Ameya wagh has showcased his prowess in Dil, Dosti, Duniyadari and the amazing drama 'Amar Photo Studio'. Here too he does complete justice to his role; so much so that you love and hate and sympathize with his Alok all at the same time. Mithila Parkar is talented no doubt and their is a certain freshness about her but here in the medley of talented actors, she didn't stand out. She did justice to her role but didn't create a lasting expression. Maybe her character needed to be sketched out more.
Equal or more credit than the actors goes to the script and the fantabulously witty dialogs. The humor is real life and smart. An example which stands out is Khedekar sir's reply " bal radat hota" to the query "kay zala". Using an old and famous ad's line in a scene high on emotions was brilliant. The entire writing team deserves the most credit for this movie.
Debuntant director Varun Narvekar gives glimpses of Basu Chatterjee, Sai Paranjpe and Hrishikesh Mukherjee. It is an unjust on my part to compare him with these legends but Narvekar has like them given us a slice of life movie aptly justifying its tagline - 'tumchya gharatli amchi goshta'. The film has the right balance of humor, drama, emotions, wittiness, family ties and modern attitudes. It portrays generation gap in an honest yet light way. The only negative I thought was the winding up in the last half hour of the film. Maybe it was done to keep the movie crisp considering the current trend. But without revealing much of the story, I feel more time needed to be given to understand Alok's issues as to why they arose, how was he going to deal with them because those are the same issues which a considerable lot of today's youth faces. Being the main crux of the story as it affects his relationship, I feel it should have been more developed.
All in all, 'muramba changlach murlay'! Just like the raw mango dish does to our palates, the movie leaves a sweetness behind in our minds. It is a wholesome entertainer which makes one laugh aloud, smile, and get teary eyed as well without ever getting preachy. Grab your tickets soon!
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