Movie Review of Shwaas
Directed by - Sandeep Sawant
Performances ? Ashwin Chitale, Arun Nalawade, Sandeep Kulkarni, Amruta Subhash.
The last time I saw a Marathi movie was Kalath Nakalath in Doordarshan on a Sunday afternoon. Though I have seen a few Marathi plays I was never motivated to watch a Marathi movie in a theatre since no nearby theaters play a Marathi movie and most Marathi movies were of the Laxmikanth Berde loud comedy stuff.
It is indeed very surprising and puzzling that though the Marathi theatre is a dynamic platform which churns out brilliant plays of sparkly wit at consummate ease, its cinema falters very badly. Given the talent bank and resources which the Marathi cinema has at its disposal, it does not do full justice to its potential.
Though I was not so interested in Shwaas I was eager to check out India?s Oscar contender. My Dad on the other hand was very enthusiastic about watching this movie, primarily because his close Maharashtrian friend recommended it. So I booked tickets at Cinestar , Kandivali for the Sunday afternoon 2.00 show.
Since there was a lot of talk about Shwaas I took the trouble of booking the tickets in advance. Surprisingly only about 50 persons came to watch the afternoon show. (Well may be, since it was the last Sunday before Diwali, Mumbaikars must have been busy shopping)
The movie has the stamp of a low budget movie from the time the starting credits roll in. The credits in the movie make you feel that you are perhaps watching a documentary shown during the good old days of Doordarshan. But when the movie starts you realize that this low budget movie is indeed in a class of its own.
The movie has got almost real like performances that you don?t feel you are watching a movie. The story is told in a no ? nonsense manner and has got a very logical flow of events.
The story is that of a boy (Ashwin Chitale) studying in IInd standard in a village in Konkan who can?t sight long distance objects. His grandfather (Arun Nalawade) based on the recommendation of a local doctor brings him to Pune to get his grandson?s eyes diagnosed by a reputed surgeon (Sandeep Kulkarni).
The surgeon after studying the various tests carried out mentions to the grandfather that the boy is suffering from a rare one in a million retinal cancer. The doctor indicates that the cancer is in its first stage and its spread to the rest of the parts of the body can be arrested by conducting an operation on both the eyes. However after the operation, the lad would be blinded for the rest of his life. The doctor emphasizes that the operation is essential and assures that by carrying out the operation, the boy would not have any complications in his later life.
The grandfather is too shocked to hear this and tries to obtain recommendation from other city doctors. A medical social worker ( Amruta Subhash) who by chance gets involved with the boy?s treatment tries to drill in the grandfather?s mind that what the surgeon suggested was the only possible solution to save his grandson?s life.
The movie then poignantly shows the difficulty of all concerned in communicating the after effects of the operation to the boy and how the boy reacts to his inevitable future.
In terms of performance almost all the lead actors have given brilliant performances.
Ashwin Chitale is too realistic, makes one wonder how the director could get such a performance from this brat. The boy is full of energy, a non stop toofan express. From the first shot , your heart goes for him. His facial expression when he meets a group of blind students nearly moves you to tears.
Arun Nalawade makes use of silence as a powerful tool to communicate his emotions. One look at him and you can easily identify with his frustrated emotions.
Sandeep Kulkarni as the doctor is the surprise element of the movie. He has given a superb outlook of a suave doctor who likes to maintain a professional distance with his patients.
The young maternal uncle of the boy who has the name of Diwakar in the movie beautifully portrays a simple rustic man lending support to his sister?s father-in-law.
There are however certain flaws in the movie.
The social worker acted by Amruta Subhash.
She tends to go overboard. When you have such realistic performances from the other actors, she glaringly stands out as a misfit. The director should have toned down her exuberance.
The music or the lack of it.
Agreed that this is a raw emotive movie where the actor?s performance is the prime mover. However a suitable use of the back ground music may have added an additional subtle touch.
The scene of the boy being taken to the operation theatre
The nurse who goes inside the lift with the boy, grandfather, social worker and the three attendants is different to the one who emerges out of the lift. Though a minor flaw as compared to the normal bollywood stuff, an Oscar nominee should not have such in-accuracies.
Overall the movie is brilliant but not perfect.
In terms of its chances at the Oscars, it all depends on how effective the producers of Shwaas have its P.R strategy chalked out and whether the jurors are able to identify with the movie. If at all, Shwaas makes it into the final five, India may well have its first Oscar in the foreign film category.