Why Ravi Jadhav’s ‘Banjo’ Could the Film to Look Out For On Friday

A look at ‘Banjo’ director Ravi Jadhav’s milestones in Marathi cinema.

In the last decade, the exuberance of thematic heterogeneity in Marathi cinema can be regarded as an exemplary form of filmmaking in India. The contents of these films have dealt with subjects such a urban angst, rural discrimination, farmer suicides, casteism, biopics, realistic courtroom drama amongst others. Some of these films were also selected as India’s official entry for the Academy Awards.

Under such conducive environment of zestful cinematic practices, the emergence of filmmaker Ravi Jadhav doesn’t come as a surprise. All the Marathi films directed by the ad filmmaker turned writer and director have not only been box-office winners but have also dealt with subjects in which actors like Atul Kulkarni have delivered one of the best performances of their careers.

This Friday, Jadhav’s first Hindi film Banjo starring Riteish Deshmukh and Nargis Fakhri will be released in India. Here’s a quick look at Ravi Jadhav’s Marathi films which give us hope that Banjo could indeed rock.

1. Natarang (2010)

Adapted from Dr Anand Yadav’s novel by the same name, this debut film from Ravi Jadhav chronicles the folk art form of Tamashaa through an artiste’s struggle in swimming against the tide. The film is set in a Maharashtrian town in the early 70s. Guna works as a daily labourer in the fields and lives happily with his famaily. But deep inside he wants to make a living in music and arts.  He finds it difficult to make the two ends meet which forms the premise of the film. For playing the role of the protagonist, Atul Kulkarni had to first workout and build a strong physique and later lose it all to play the role of  a Nachya (dancer). Natrang won the National Film Award for Best Marathi Film.

2. Balgandharva (2011)

The film is a biopic based on the life of legadary Marathi singer and stage actor Narayan Sripad Rajhans popularly known as Balgandharva, a title bestowed by Lokmanya Tilak after listening to his public performance in Pune. The narrative of the film unfolds with protagonist’s struggle with poverty and his association with his art form that has taken precedence over his relationships in the real world.

From the rise of his career to his frail final days, the film depicts Maharashtra’s illustrious folk culture and recreates a period when sangeet nataks were the most popular form of entertainment, before the advent of cinema. Subodh Bhave essays  the role of Balgandharva with a definite measure of satisfaction. The film went on to win three National Film Awards for Best Male Playback Singer, Best Costume Design and Best Make-up Artist.

3. Balak-Palak (2012)

Set in the 80s the film depicts the confusion of adolescence experienced by four friends who had entered their tumultuous teenage years. Jadhav has handled the topic of sex education with maturity and emphasises the importance of parents in taking the responsibility to educate their kids in such sensitive matters.

4. Timepass (2014)

This romantic comedy set in the bygone era, is a cinematic ode to teenage love and its emotional tonality that defies the socio-economic status  of the society with a brevity that is endearing. Jadhav once again matches his excellence as a compelling story-teller with a very stylised, distinctive voice. The catchy and humorous dialogues can be considered as an important element in the success of Timepass film at the box office. The film was also remade in Telugu.

5. Timepass 2 (2015)

The open-ended nature of the love story in Timepass gave way to the making of a sequel, a trend which is very rare in the Marathi film industry. Timepass 2 takes places 15 years later in the life of the couple in the prequel, who are now grown up. The humorous tone has been consistently carried forward from the prequel, and Timepass 2 is considered to be the first successful sequel of a Marathi film. The film is ranked as the fifth highest grossing Marathi film.