Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Ki Jai....
After a long time I have seen such a great movie……… and may be something more than that. The only movie that shook my soul till date was Khuda Ke Liye and this one was pretty close to that effect!
We have seen many movies and serials on one of the greatest Kings of all times - The Great Shivaji, but this movie has presented this great King in a way never before. Hats off! to Santosh Manjrekar for making such a great movie.
This movie is on the same lines of a simple man of India and filter it to our Maharashtra - Marathi Manoos! and his struggle and his self inferiority complex. The story is about Dinkar Bhosale (Sachin Khedekar) who is a clerk in a bank and is a very simple living personality. He is finding it difficult to meet his daily routine ends and is facing insults from almost everyone in this world. He has many wishes which he is not able to satisfy because of his low profile and less paying job. His daughter wants to change her surname from Bhosale to Chopra/Khanna/ Kapoor just to make it big in Bollywood and that with her current surname she cant achieve it. Son wants to become an engineer but cant pursue his ambition, because his Dad cant afford it. Wife wants to stay and live a life like a high profile society woman but cannot convince her huband since she thinks that he is unpractical. In all Dinkar Bhosale is living a pathetic life due the mental torture from his social circle and his family too.
He stays in an old ancestral bungalow which is in the heart of the city - Mumbai. One builder eyes it and tries to vacate the family by alluring them of flats + a car in Badlapur + Rs.50 lakhs.
Dinkar rejects the offer saying that this is his ancestral property and he is not going to go away with this one @ any cost. Now if a builder wants the property he goes to any level even if the property is in Heaven. Dinkar is brought to all sorts of problems and troubles from the builder and is not helped by anyone. To add to it he is facing great insult at the hands of his wife for rejecting such a nice offer. Feeling the pressure, he landed in a beer bar and got himself knocked out by the hotel staff. He is in great pain and no one cares. He is cursing his useless life and his being a common man and more of an Maratha in Mumbai! His inner man is frustrated and outcries his incapability of changing things around. At this moment Sachin Khedekar gave A BREATHTAKING SCENE and this scene must be his best in his career. In his illussion he dreams that he is speaking to the great Marathas of all time, viz., Babashaheb Ambedkar, Mahatma Phule, Veer Savrkar, Great Tilak etc. I can’t explain the punch of this scene. Go watch it yourself and see your breath goes away and heart beats reaching at all time high. AWESOME. Sachin Khedekar is one of the finest actors of Marathi Industry and has his mark in Bollywood too. Remember his role in Tere Naam as Salmaan’s big brother. He has come a long way and he is just getting better and this one is best till date!
Its here where the course of the movie changes and here comes our King The Great Shivaji! HE ARRIVES AND STILLS EVERYONE – WOW.
The story becomes somewhat predictable from here and It might give you an impression that its like Lage Raho Munna bhai, where in our Munna meets the Mahatma and that the later guides him through. Its almost on the same lines but this one is different. The script is more sharper and it carries a great balance and entertainment till the very end….
The best performance in this larger than life character is our Mahesh Manjrekar. I can say the best ever Shivaji till date! Just great performance. I saw people shouting slogans - Jai Bhawani - Jai Shivaji @ the hall - a great feeling. I saw some people giving Mujra (Salutation) once they saw their King on screen - an amazing thing to see in a cenima hall for a King who still rules the hearts of many.
The dialogue delivery by SachinKhedekar and Mahesh is so great that it keeps you fully involved and makes you hear them very carefully. There are so many punching lines and effortless scenes that shall raise blood in your viens........ the dialogues were penetrating and will make you think harder since whatever is said gets peirced into your minds very deeply. One of the best is When the Great Shivaji says: " Marathi Manus aplya kartutwala Mage padle aahet, par prantiya aaplya gunvattemude pudhe aahet" This thing has a great meaning since our politicians are just busy raging a war between the people of soil (Maharashtrians) and people travelling from other states of India. It also clears the fact that our King must have needed us to analyse ourselves (not only Maharashtrians) and raise our standards and compete harder rather than keep kneeling down crying/complaining and thrashing others for their success and glory! Indeed people in the hall got the message very clearly and may be this will have a great impact on the very perception of how we accomodate each other in this secular country. Our great King’s vision in the past is still valid after 4 centuries and it shall remain so for many more to come....
People were whistling, clapping, shouting slogans - Shivaji Maharaj Ki Jai during the whole movie. I felt so proud that I belong to this culture, that I am an Indian and a Maharashtrian and belong to the soil which was ruled by the greatest warrior and thinker of all times - Great Shivaji.
The cinematography is superb and the fort scenes were taken with full heart. Full credit in this department. The film has great message and it’s to the point and has been executed with great maturity. The issues of interstate people getting jobs, hotel businees dominated by Punjabis, Real estate by Marwaris, Stock markets by Gujratis etc are handled perfectly well. And thus this makes the film to be seen by all. Only the one who can understand Marathi can actually feel the actual punch, but still if in case this movie is dubbed and watched or seen with subtitles, even then it shall have a great impact on the viewer - I can guarantee that.
The movie is about self respect and the respect of your community, culture, ethics, religion, caste, equality, secular characteristic of the nation, bonding with your soil, love for your motherland and much more.
There are however some loop holes in the story but, I don’t want to let the credit go away for the things that can be overlooked. Watch this movie for an extremely superb performance by Sachin Khedekar and Mahesh Manjrekar like never before. The film is having a very long canvas which revolves from the 16th century to the 21st century and that includes the current day scenario too. There are many many powerful one liners and great scenes which I am not disclosing just to keep you to experience the thrill yourself. Go for this one - for sure.
Shrimant Shri Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Ki Jai........ Long live the Maratha warrior.........
Mala Maharashtrian honayacha Garv aahe..... (I am pruod to be a Maharashtrian....)