Mihir Bhanage

In the early 1970s, a series of murders left the residents of Manvat terrorized, and people of Maharashtra in shock. A small town in Parbhani district, Manvat saw people, mostly women, being killed over a span of about two years with a black magic ritualistic motive, as the cops would later find out. Ashish Bende’s series attempts to take a deep dive into the case through the eyes of late cop Ramakant Kulkarni’s lens. Manvat Murders is based on Kulkarni’s book Footprints on the Sand of Time, which documented his high-profile cases, including the Manvat case which he was assigned.

Last year, Chhatrapal Ninawe’s Ghaath had its premiere at the Berlinale in the Panorama section and received acclaim from viewers. The film has had an interesting journey until its theatrical release this week. Equally interesting is its premise. Set amidst areas with Maoist influence in central India’s jungles, Ghaath intertwines the fates of guerrillas, civilians and cops in a tightly knit screenplay. The film’s story unfolds through three chapters influenced by three elements – zameen (land), jal (water) and jungle. Each chapter has a central character and each character’s story merges with that of the others at some point. Dhananjay Mandaokar, Jitendra Joshi, Milind Shinde, Janardan Kadam and Suruchi Adarkar play pivotal roles in this slow-burn thriller that keeps you engrossed with its intriguing narrative, presented through the stories of a cop, two rebels, a tribal and a civilian. Each of these stories give a perspective of various human emotions but ultimately connect with the common theme of ambush/ betrayal.

Where there’s a family there are bound to be differences of opinion. Some get resolved right away, others take time. But the bond of a family reigns supreme. If Gharat Ganpati was to be explained in brief, this would largely be what the film is about. However, this film is much more than a family drama. It’s like a chocolate croissant – layered, buttery, salty, with just the perfect hit of sweet chocolate. The story revolves around the Gharat family and their Ganeshotsav celebrations. The seven-day celebrations bring all family members together at their ancestral house in Konkan. It’s a full house with Mai and Appa (Sushama Deshpande and Dr Sharad Bhutadia), the matriarch and patriarch of the family, their two sons Bhau and Sharad (Sanjay Mone and Ajinkkya Deo), daughter Kusum (Shubhangi Gokhale), daughter-in-laws Ahilya and Sunanda (Ashvini Bhave and Shubhangi Latkar), Ahilya and Sharad’s son and daughter Ketan and Neha (Bhushan Pradhan and Rajasi Bhave) Sunanda and Bhau’s son and daughter Jeetu and Deepali (Ashish Pathode and Pari Telang), Deepali’s husband Ashok (Sameer Khandekar) and Kusum’s son Ninaad (Rupesh Bane). And joining this big family for the Ganeshotsav is a surprise visitor, Ketan’s girlfriend Kriti (Nikita Dutta). Now the family doesn’t know that Kriti is Ketan’s girlfriend but suspect it. Does the couple’s plan succeed? What about Ketan’s mother – will she accept this relation? And what about the family’s internal differences? Do they come forth and get resolved? Each question presents in due time through the film’s plot.

Often, it is the films made with passion that leave a lasting impression on the minds of the viewers. Nothing larger-than-life, no grand sets, nothing unbelievable – just a simple story told with sincerity and made relatable by its characters. If Amaltash was to be explained in brief, this would suffice. Amaltash is a simple, straightforward story of a gifted musician named Rahul (Rahul Deshpande) whose life has changed after an incident in his past. Rahul has learned the importance of soaking in the small pleasures of life and being composed in the most strenuous of situations. Enter Keerti (Pallavi Paranjape), the NRI from Canada who lands in Pune to meet her grandmother (Pratibha Padhye) and has a chance encounter with Rahul who is at her granny’s house to tune their piano. Taken by Rahul’s musical prowess, Keerti meets him again at Rahul’s friend’s music store. They talk and bond over music and soon strike a friendship. Love blossoms organically. But are they meant to spend their life together?