BP / Balak Palak

BP / Balak Palak released on the 4^th January 2013.  I have been meaning to see it since then but thanks to some bad schedules, haven’t been able to.  I was quite close to opting for BP over Mumbai Mirror when in Kolhapur but had to pick a current movie.  While Mumbai Mirror was good fodder for reviews, BP would have been undoubtedly the better choice to make.

If you had asked me a question – How many people do you know, who have the courage and more importantly the capability of dealing with a topic of Sex Education amongst teenagers, in our country – I would have answered with a number that could probably have been counted on one hand. 

 

Now, I have immense respect for some directors in this country and I had not heard of Ravi Jadhav.  Because as of now, Shri Jadhav adds his name to that list that unfortunately can be counted only on one hand even after this addition.  Why Jadhav makes it to the list is his capability to take a complex topic such as this and manage to bring it down to a level that can be understood by man, woman and child alike.

 

Chiu (Bhagyashree Sankpal), Dolly (Shashwati Pimplikar), Avya (Rohit Phalke) and Bhagya (Madan Deodhar) are what most would have called Chandaal Chaukdi (The Fearsome Foursome) way back in the 1980s.  They are all brand new teenagers – an age when most kids go through the curiosity curve and want answers for all THOSE things that we are not prepared to give them.

 

With good news comes some bad news when one of their neighbour’s daughter has to leave the chawl.  Why has she left? All the kids hear is that she had leave because, “Shenn khaun aale” (she ate dung).  Just a slang to say that she has done something really bad – more specifically of a sexual nature.  But how does one explain that to a bunch of inquisitive teenagers who ask question over question.

 

The foursome decide to make it their Diwali project.  We will figure out what “Shenn Khane” means.  And for that, they decide to approach Vishu (Prathamesh Parab) who stays at a nearby slum but is well aware of the birds and the bees.  With Vishu, the kids start turning the pages one by one and learn about something that is considered taboo in most places in this part of the world.

 

Hats off to Ambar Hadap and Ganesh Pandit for a wonderful story that will leave you in splits for most of the time.  What is notable is that they have done so very tastefully.  In a manner that you can actually take your boisterous teenager to the cinema hall and not be embarrassed.  The dialogues are funny and more importantly the way Jadhav has got it onto screen is very good.

 

Outstanding performances from the entire cast.  Having Jadhav as the director would have definitely helped but take nothing away from the 5 kids who are absolutely effortless.  So it hasn’t been that bad a start for movies this year.  We have our first 7.5 on 10 for the year from this part of the world.  Not Bollywood.  But so what?

 

Trailer on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtBRmNz4ugI