Fandry

My year started with a bang thanks to a wonderful piece of Marathi Cinema.  It then went onto a couple of good pieces of work and then kind of petered out.  Despite that, I did believe that the buzz that went around about Marathi Cinema having come of age was kind of true.  Fandry only helped me seal that notion.  Marathi cinema has DEFINITELY & FIRMLY come of age.

A member of the audience summarized what Fandry tried to show in a very simple line.  And I beg to borrow and tweak that line to a bit communicate the point of view more effectively.  Fandry speaks not just about the exploitation of the lower castes in rural India but goes on to, in an extremely effective and stark way, shows the humiliation that follows closely.  It is a movie that gives you, “ONE TIGHT SLAP”.

Jambhuwanta Kachru Mane (Somnath Awghade) comes from a Dalit family.  His father is responsible for keep the village clean.  Sounds like a very solid job when you put it in English but I am talking about really getting your hands dirty.  Cleaning sewage drains, faecal matter and most of all (a topic central to the story), getting the village rid of the pigs that infest it.

Jabya goes to school when he can but is usually subject to significant ridicule by his classmates – even those who have been in the same class for ages.  Why? Because he is dark skinned and comes from a lower caste – at times referred to as untouchables.  He has 2 friends – Pirya & Chankya (Nagraj Manjule).  The latter is known to be a terror of sorts in the village and is much older.  Pirya is Jabya’s classmate.

Fandry touches upon several social issues such as superstition – if you touch a pig then you have to stop everything you do, first have a thorough bath and make amends before continuing regular work.  The topic of dowry is covered albeit briefly. Jabya’s incapability of telling a girl he likes her because she is a Brahmin.  And the myth of the black sparrow.  All of these are woven seamlessly into a crisp story.

The pace maybe a bit slow but you will realize the need for the same. Fandry is like a pressure cooker that is slowly taking the contents to boiling point before exploding in your face like nothing else.  The ending is just FAN @#$%@ TASTIC (pardon my French).  So be patient and let Nagraj Manjule take you on a journey that you will not regret at all.

To Nagraj’s credit, the message is not in your face or forced down your throat.  He builds it up patiently through several sequences that slowly but surely get you convinced about the rot that exists in our system.  The movie is as true to life as can be.  Somnath Awghade’s performance as Jabya is superb.  For that matter, the entire cast has done a fabulous job.

Fandry goes to prove once again without doubt that cinema doesn’t need to be just mindless slapstick entertainment.  There are several social issues that need to be redressed and cinema is a powerful medium – probably the most powerful medium.  Kudos to Manjule and team for giving us a movie that will be remembered for a long long time.  Fandry will release next year.  I had the good fortune of watching it at the Mumbai Film Festival.  8.5 on 10.

Watch the trailer on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mqfx_urfqA