Late in the film, an ill-treated, discriminated on the grounds of caste,
creed and colour, family of considerably untouchables is seen trying their guts
out & sweating their blood over the capturing of pigs in the village…and
the so-called privileged upper caste people enjoy it shamelessly with their lewd-rude
remarks that confirm anything but the existence of humanity. One of the most humiliating
scenes I have seen/felt in recent! So, when the protagonist- a teenage son of
the same family decides to revolt & strike back to the dominants, even I feel
like standing for him with my full conviction & certainty to demand for a vital
change.
Nagraj Popatrao Manjule’s FANDRY is a crucial film that recognizes its responsibility
towards society and creates a shocking, filthy and sickening mirror-image of
not-so-shining India. Surprisingly, it is also a beautiful teenage romantic
film with a fresh breeze of innocence, fashioned smartly in usages of metaphors.
Jabya [Impressive Somnath Avghade in his first outing as an actor] doesn’t
want to leave any stone unturned unless he gets a rare black sparrow to cast a
magic spell on his dream girl-cum-first crush-cum-classmate Shalu, of higher
caste, to hypnotize her and win her heart. As described by a wise old lady, “Black
sparrow is like a Brahmin, if you touch it once, others will make sure it never
gets returned to its community alive”, Jabya is constantly advised to keep
distance of such rubbish plan and to be regular in his family’s daily working
schedules. FANDRY is about Jabya’s hope to find that rare bird someday. FANDRY
is about Jabya’s aspirations to have a longer pointed nose like the model has, in
an apparel brand advertisement. FANDRY is about Jabya’s longing for his love
that doesn’t see any hint of chauvinism over skin colour or surnames.
Serenely shot, lyrically edited and beautifully written and directed,
FANDRY cherishes on real locations and almost real characters. Kishor Kadam as
the father merely looks an actor. He effortlessly slips into a suppressed character,
often being mocked at for his caste. Jabya is first-rate and through his catch-22
situations where he’s reluctant about his family’s profession to join as it
might destroy his reputation on the girl he’s interested in, Manjule shows a
matured approach to raise the conflict of choices you make in life and the
circumstances forcing you in different direction. Scenes with Jabya and his
friend Piriya are charmingly sweet and funny. In other remarkable scenes, watch
out for Jabya dancing hysterically in a cultural celebration to impress his
girl but can be seen soon having decorative-lamps on his head as a light man to
break your hearts in bits & pieces.
To sum up things, if Bengali cinema has maintained the integration of
artistic values in filmmaking, Marathi cinema has always been blessed with
socially relevant movies with realistic tag being celebrated in an entertaining
manner. FANDRY is a must-watch for its intent, content & sentiment! [4/5]
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