Vacuum Cleaner

#VacuumCleaner - An absolutely fun #natak!

The start is slow and seemingly mundane but once it picks up, it maintains the high till the very end. The premise is familiar but unexpected (unless you already know!). The script, story, etc. are average.

The thing that takes it to another level is the brilliant comic timing and amazing performances by #AshokSaraf and #NirmitiSawant. They are an absolute delight to watch on stage. #PrathameshCheulkar stands out through his dance performance. Other actors are apt.

Overall, its very funny and good entertainment. Recommended watch for a relaxing time.

3.5⭐️ from me.

Not at all Kaadaaakkkk!

#AshrunchiZaaliFuley - A revived classic, this is somewhat incapable of engaging today’s audience!

The story is lucid and free flowing. However, execution should have been much better.

The sets look old (may be for effect but still meh); dialogues are good (some excellent) but verbose and heavy-duty which today’s crowd cannot fathom; character building and establishment of relationships between them is abrupt and insufficient; the blackouts between scenes are abnormally long and nothing much changes on set; and there are 2 extremely long intervals.

Although the audience tends to go berserk as #SubodhBhave enters, he was average. He has performed #Lalya much better in #AniDrKashinathGhanekar. For me, #ShaileshDatar steals the show as #Vidyanand. Rest of the cast is apt.

Overall, its average and not worth spending ₹500 on tickets as its impact has faded with time.

2.5⭐️ from me.

Ek Bandakhor Natak??

#TilaKahiSangaychay - A classic example of “char aane ki murgi bara aane ka masala”!

Kudos to #ZeeMarathi for the excessive advertising that piques viewers’ interest in this play.

Basically, it is a classic feminist story with a modern setting. It manages to stick to the point and is quite relatable for the most part.

I have always liked #TejashriPradhan and she is good in this one as well. #AstaadKale is much better on stage than on TV!

Overall, nothing much “bandakhor” about it.

2.5⭐️ from me.

Against all odds...

#Ananya - A tale reiterating that where there is a will, there is a way.

The story and characters are simple; the strength lies in the fantastic performance. The leading actress #RutujaBagwe ‘stands’ strong on her feet and carries the play ably on her ‘shoulders’ (pun intended). Rest of the cast is average. Some of the new actors need to improve their dialogue delivery as they often lose out on clarity of speech.

Overall, worth watching for the sheer hardwork put in by Rutuja Bagwe and her trainers in effectively portraying the character of Ananya.

4⭐️ from me - 3.5 for the inspiring play and 0.5 extra only for Rutuja.

P.S. Just one thing that could be better. The activities that Ananya does with her feet are not visible from the seats far from the stage (Beyond row E/F). Wonder if anything can be done for that.

Why So Gambhir?

#WhySoGambhir - Well, because its just not funny enough! 😐

The sitcom-style #MarathiNatak is situational with hardly any good comedy. The punches that actually crack you up are hugely outnumbered by silly one-liners and crass toilet humour.

The concept of sitcom on stage is unique but the execution should have been much better.

On the bright side, the cast is a fine balance of good actors and so-so ones. Aroha Velankar and Pallavi Patil are quite good. Pradeep Joshi has limited scope. Anvita Phaltankar has potential. The rest are almost meh.

Overall, nothing great.

2⭐️ from me.

Bhai Vyakti Ki Valli - Uttarardha

#Bhai-Vyakti Ki Valli - Uttarardha - The conclusion to the biographical representation of the story of Pu La Deshpande is something you wish would never end!

You just can’t get enough insight into the legend’s life and keep wanting to see more incidents and anecdotes.

That said, once again, the flow, the writing, the new additions in the cast are near perfect. The music is heavenly.

I could have watched both parts in one go without getting bored.

Definitely a recommended watch.

4⭐️ from me.

Bhai - Vyakti Ki Valli

#Bhai-Vyakti Ki Valli - A simplistic and free-flowing biographical film.

The story takes you through various incidents in Pu La Deshpande’s life giving insight into the multi-faceted and multi-talented legend.

The writing, the music, the performances, the setting - everything is top notch.

The casting is fabulous, and somewhat unconventional and surprising in few cases!

Definitely a recommended watch. Eagerly waiting for Part 2! 🙇🏻‍♀️

4⭐️ from me.

Mumbai Pune Mumbai 3

#MumbaiPuneMumbai3 - An average and typical love story.

Although a continuation of the hit franchise, this one is just meh.

Looks like their graph is going downhill; the first was top notch, second still a good watch but this one almost at the level of “why needed?”

All performances are good, with some laughs thrown in here and there but the overall package does not click. Swapnil Joshi’s man-child character is just not endearing any more.

Overall a one time watch if you really want to.

2.5⭐️ from me.

Ani.....Dr. Kashinath Ghanekar

#AniDrKashinathGhanekar - A well-made, well-acted biopic.

The story is straightforward and executed in typical biopic style-nothing special there.

The strength lies in the performances - all are just fab; or like ‘Lalya’ says, “Kadakkkk!”.

The entire cast is equally good. Some parts of the setting were evidently unreal, like, for example, Shivaji Mandir or the streets of Bombay - lekin “usmein kya hai?” 😬.

Overall, worth a watch.

3.5⭐️ from me.

Surilee-Whistling Melodies

#Surilee-Whistling Melodies- An amazing and unique programme!

Melodious songs presented through whistling. Songs range from hindi classics to marathi to hindi contemporary.

A highly recommended show. Must watch.

5⭐️ from me.

You can check it out on #Youtube but it doesn’t do due justice to this extraordinary talent. Do watch out for a show near you and catch it live!

Home Sweet Home

#HomeSweetHome - A warm and simplistic film which pretty much everyone can relate to.

The bottom line is that there is no place like home and this is made very clear throughout.

Loved the opening and end credits. Also the poems interwined in the plot are just delightful.

The cast is star studded and does justice to all characters.

Overall a good watch. 3.5⭐️ from me.

Mugdha Godbole Ranade - kudos to you and your team. We thoroughly enjoyed the film. 😊

Ranangan

#Ranangan - Happened to watch this on Prime and would like to give myself a pat on the back for making it through the entire film.

Its overly dramatic with a impractical and kinda nonsensical plot.

Everything is over the top - be it Sachin Pilgaonkar’s acting, Swapnil Joshi’s curly locks, the spooky basuri background track or a song featuring Santosh Juvekar, Vaibhav Tatwawadi and of all people Ali Asgar. Really...what were you thinking??

That said, the story has a flow and is tightly woven.

Overall cannot be dismissed as a hopeless flick. Watch if you have immense patience and nothing much to do.

2⭐️ from me.

Bucket List

#BucketList - A simple and predictable story with zero element of surprise, thanks to their excessive promos!

The story at times feels incomplete as if some required part/clarification either got chopped off during editing or wasn’t written at all.

The performances are inversely proportional to the stellar cast!

Renuka Shahane, Milind Phatak, Pradip Velankar are almost like fixtures with minimum scope. Shubha Khote’s Marathi sounds weird and impacts her seamless performance. Vandana Gupte’s Marathi coated Hindi was just meh. Sumedh Mudgalkar is okay but not even comparable to his performance in Manjha. The only 2 characters having scope are Sumit Raghavan’s and Madhuri’s. He meets expectations while she is just a pleasure to watch with her charm and effortless acting. Her NRI accent is kind of a turn off though.

Overall a one time watch. Madhuri fans might enjoy it more.

2.5⭐️ from me.

Manjha

#Manjha - Happened to catch this one on TV.

Kinda the marathi variant of the movie ‘Mom’, this is an engaging thriller.

Sumedh Mudgalkar is brilliant as the psychopathic Vicky - one just can’t fathom how sadistic he is and just end up hating his guts!

Ashwini Bhave shines in her character and looks as pretty as ever!

Cannot figure out the reason for casting washed out/low key Hindi actors in the supporting parts. Their accent is a big turn off.

Overall, was an interesting one time watch.

3⭐️ from me

Tendulkar Out!

#TendulkarOut - Happened to catch this comic thriller on TV today.

The plot was simple; there is the guy (10dulkar), his pregnant wife, their respective lovers, and 3 killers along with some eccentric characters like a sadhu-aspirant rickshaw-wala thrown in.

What ensues is a chase for the target and the things that happen enroute. Slight warning about the language; numerous *beeps* are present.

What makes it unique is the narration; it draws parallels with a cricket match where each defining moment in the characters’ life gives you some sort of an adrenaline rush!

All actors are completely in the zone; be it Santosh Juvekar, Sayaji Shinde, Aniket Vishwasrao, Atul Parchure or Vijay Maurya. Sai Tamhankar is the only one with a passable role.

Overall worth a dekko if you want something different in Marathi.

3.5⭐️ from me

Sweetness!

#Gulabjaam - Something whose sweet taste slowly grows on you, just like a gulabjaam.

The story is simple but the execution and performances are brilliant. Loved the subtle psychological undertones!

Hats off to the director Sachin Kundalkar for the detailing; *spoiler alert* be it the year on the calendar on the wall or the moped that Radha is seen riding.

Really liked the background score as well. The food shots are just too appetizing for words!!

Sonali Kulkarni is amazing as usual; Siddharth Chandekar is also good though he looks weird in the Harry Potter-esque look towards the end.

Overall, I really liked it.

Almost 4⭐️ from me.

Aapla Manus

#AaplaManus - It would be wrong to say that it is “based” on the Marathi play #KatkonTrikon; it is exactly #KatkonTrikon except the name of Nana’s character and the unnecessary deviation at the end.

Although overall flow is smooth and engaging, it gets a little dragged towards the end. Saw couple of people dozing off during the climax scenes (too much gyaan? 🤔).

I had absolutely loved the play and would have easily rated it 4/5.

Although Nana Patekar is amazing, Dr. Mohan Agashe was just at another level in the play! Same goes for the other characters as well.

Another observation was that the English subtitles were way off in plenty of places leaving a lot to the viewer’s ability to interpret!

Overall, if you have not seen the play, you may love this one. Else its just a repetition.

2.5⭐️ from me.

Moderately Sweet

#Muramba - The lead actor jokes about typicality a lot and yet the film is quite typical in itself.

The story is simple and straightforward. There are some comic moments but overall even the 2 hrs or so seemed to drag in places.

The biggest plus point is the acting - Amey Wagh is much at ease; Chinmayee Sumeet portrays the emotional yet controlled mom perfectly; Mithila Palkar is cute and not bad for a new comer; for me, Sachin Khedekar stole the show with his effortless performance.

Overall, 3⭐️ from me

Chi Va Chi Sau Ka

#ChiVaChiSauKa - Lighthearted, simple and free-flowing film.

Most of the characters are unlike real-life; not seen anyone so crazy about water conservation or a crazy animal lover who "growls" at animal references in conversations or a 70+ "wild" grandmother aspiring to remarry. That said, all of them together are fun to watch and effortlessly carry the narrative forward.

However, if you have seen the excessive promos on TV, then there's nothing much new in the film. The entire story and punches are part of the trailer.

Also the end was kinda rushed; as if someone hit the warning bell that time's up!

Overall a decent one time watch.

3 ⭐️. Would have been a 3.5 if i had not seen the promos before watching the film!

Immortal

#AmarPhotoStudio - Whatta play!

A concept which has been seen in some form or the other in cinema has been brilliantly depicted! All performances simply fantastic.

Always admired #AmeyWagh as a multifaceted actor; was totally impressed by the spectrum covered by #SuvratJoshi; was great to see a totally different #SakhiGokhale and #PoojaThombre.

Overall, it was a timeless, effortless and amazing experience. 4.5⭐️ from me.

Please catch it if you haven't already! Missed my fangirl moment of personally meeting the stars just because it was too late in the night! 😶