Saturday, 13 September 2014

Film - Guru Pournima






Meet the Parents

Film: Guru Pournima (Marathi)
Cast: Upendra Limaye, Sai Tamhankar, Sulabha Arya
Directed by: Girish Mohite
Duration: 2 hrs 3 mins
Rating: * *



Directed by Girish Mohite, Guru Pournima is a family drama that doesn’t offer any novelty or surprises. It has decent production values but the screenplay is a major let down – it is predictable and the way in which the story unfolds doesn’t add much positive weightage to it.

Meant to be a story about love, marital discord and family relationships, we have Guru (National award winner Upendra Limaye) who teaches film making to students. One such talented girl is Pournima (Sai Tamhankar) whose parents are extraordinarily cruel and chuck her out of the house only because she wants to be an actress. With support from his loving mother (Sulbha Arya) Guru gives her shelter and eventually they get married.

Years later, we learn that they have separated and he is living with their daughter (Sai Tamhankar again, in a double role). Turns out that the mother wanted to pursue her acting career leading to discord and finally separation. Now it is upto the daughter and the grandma to make the twain meet.  

The story could have served well for a television serial – everything is a bit too convenient in it to digest as a feature film. The whole affair about a short film contest organized by a bank and the route taken to make the parents reunite looks artificial. The editing also leaves a fair bit to be desired.

The strongest point of the film is the acting. Upendra Limaye is a seasoned actor and can pull off any scene with ease. Sai Tamhankar has the arduous job of playing a mother as well as daughter and she is convincing in both roles. The actors do wonders to the film, sadly they don’t have a story good enough to back them.  

Published in The Navhind Times on 14th Sept 2014


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