ashdoc
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The title of this Marathi movie means 'And Dr Kashinath Ghanekar' . The significance of the 'and' in the beginning of the title is that it was Dr Kashinath Ghanekar who started the trend of adding the name of the biggest star last rather than first when the names of the actors in a movie rolled out . He is claimed by the movie to be India's first superstar , before the term was made popular by Bollywood . He was an actor who acted in plays and only later moved into films .
Frankly I did not know much about him as he was a star in the sixties and early seventies ; that is before I was born . I have seen only two movies of him---'garambicha bapu' ( bapu from village of garambi ) and 'maratha tituka melavava' ( assemble the Marathas together ) . Only this film on his life made me realise his popularity .
He is shown to be a dentist who is mad for acting in plays on stage to the extent that he frequents to stand in queues hoping to be casted in them . His wife is a gynaecologist who at first disapproves of his zeal for acting but later agrees to it as a way of overcoming disappointment for not having a child .
He finally impresses directors by his acting and gets the role of Shivaji's son Sambhaji in a play . Success crowns the play and he gets offer of acting in 'ashrunchi zali phule' ( tears became flowers ) made by the person who becomes his lifelong friend---prabhakar panshikar ( played by Prasad Oak ) . His style of playing a rebellious college student and his mannerisms actract the college going youth who come flocking to plays which were formerly a haunt of middle aged people . And a superstar is born .
But his own father never appreciates this and this hurts him terribly . His own eccentric behaviour results in his expulsion from the play , but the movie makes the valid point that he wouldn't have become a star if he wasn't eccentric .
He then gets to work in films and acqires a mass following . His fan following is legion and one of them is actress Sulochana's ( played by Sonali Kulkarni ) daughter Kanchan ( played by Vaidehi Parshurami ) , who is much younger than him . She falls in love with him and her mother has to put restrictions on her . But she refuses to marry anyone else and finally succeeds in marrying him . His first wife has no choice but to accept the relationship and divorce him . She remarries another person later .
But Kashinath is increasingly into drink and his life is not prolonged far after the birth of his daughter . He dies just as his old play is about to be revived .
Subodh Bhave has acted as lead actor well and made an unaware later generation of spectators like me aware of the legendary status of Dr Kashinath Ghanekar . Also I became aware of his rivalry with another doctor actor---Dr Sriram Lagu . Dr Sriram Lagu was from the so called intellectual brigade . But Kashinath repeatedly clashed with him and showed who was more popular by barging in places where Lagu was present to show how masses immediately made a beeline for him leaving Lagu alone . Of course , Lagu lasted longer than Kashinath and is still alive today . He did so probably because he was not eccentric and therefore less prone to excessive drinking . But for the same reason he could never become a darling of the masses like Kashinath and did not have qualities of a star . Sumeet Raghavan has acted him decently .
Photography and background music of the movie is decent enough and colours are okay . Some of the scenes of Kashinath's films are enacted again and that will pull those who lived in his era into nostalgia .
Verdict---Good .
Three and a half stars out of five .
Frankly I did not know much about him as he was a star in the sixties and early seventies ; that is before I was born . I have seen only two movies of him---'garambicha bapu' ( bapu from village of garambi ) and 'maratha tituka melavava' ( assemble the Marathas together ) . Only this film on his life made me realise his popularity .
He is shown to be a dentist who is mad for acting in plays on stage to the extent that he frequents to stand in queues hoping to be casted in them . His wife is a gynaecologist who at first disapproves of his zeal for acting but later agrees to it as a way of overcoming disappointment for not having a child .
He finally impresses directors by his acting and gets the role of Shivaji's son Sambhaji in a play . Success crowns the play and he gets offer of acting in 'ashrunchi zali phule' ( tears became flowers ) made by the person who becomes his lifelong friend---prabhakar panshikar ( played by Prasad Oak ) . His style of playing a rebellious college student and his mannerisms actract the college going youth who come flocking to plays which were formerly a haunt of middle aged people . And a superstar is born .
But his own father never appreciates this and this hurts him terribly . His own eccentric behaviour results in his expulsion from the play , but the movie makes the valid point that he wouldn't have become a star if he wasn't eccentric .
He then gets to work in films and acqires a mass following . His fan following is legion and one of them is actress Sulochana's ( played by Sonali Kulkarni ) daughter Kanchan ( played by Vaidehi Parshurami ) , who is much younger than him . She falls in love with him and her mother has to put restrictions on her . But she refuses to marry anyone else and finally succeeds in marrying him . His first wife has no choice but to accept the relationship and divorce him . She remarries another person later .
But Kashinath is increasingly into drink and his life is not prolonged far after the birth of his daughter . He dies just as his old play is about to be revived .
Subodh Bhave has acted as lead actor well and made an unaware later generation of spectators like me aware of the legendary status of Dr Kashinath Ghanekar . Also I became aware of his rivalry with another doctor actor---Dr Sriram Lagu . Dr Sriram Lagu was from the so called intellectual brigade . But Kashinath repeatedly clashed with him and showed who was more popular by barging in places where Lagu was present to show how masses immediately made a beeline for him leaving Lagu alone . Of course , Lagu lasted longer than Kashinath and is still alive today . He did so probably because he was not eccentric and therefore less prone to excessive drinking . But for the same reason he could never become a darling of the masses like Kashinath and did not have qualities of a star . Sumeet Raghavan has acted him decently .
Photography and background music of the movie is decent enough and colours are okay . Some of the scenes of Kashinath's films are enacted again and that will pull those who lived in his era into nostalgia .
Verdict---Good .
Three and a half stars out of five .
