A must-see 2015 movie for every rasika!

[Rsachi]

A lavishly beautiful truly classical 150 minute treat of pure artistic bliss based on 100% classical music and the world of artistes with their foibles, highs and lows. From the other side of the moon. But the movie has English subtitles, and pristine dialogue camera work and extra ordinary acting. Tuck in a Shankar Mahadevan waxing in all his vocal and artistic mein. And add a dash of southern flavour here and there. This Marathi movie "Katyar Kuljat Ghusali" made in 2015 is the most beautiful thing I have seen in a long time. Its going to win many awards for sure!
A must watch for every rasika. FOR YOU!
Click on the pic, watch the full movie, NOW, before they pull it off YT!

[vidya raja]

So true these songs will last forever

[Rsachi]

And if you're interested in only songs, here:
https://youtu.be/EF5pjX0A9qQ

But the movie is 3X the treat of music alone.

[kvchellappa]

After about 30 min. I do not get the sound.

[Rsachi]

Worked very well for me twice
पुनः प्रयत्नं करोतु भवान्!

[kvchellappa]

शब्दरूपे श्रुतवान्I धन्योऽस्मिI

[Suryasriram]

Sadashiva mayamagu nada omkara swaravidulu jivanmuktulani Tyagaraja teliyu!

Heavenly bliss! Such a masterpiece... and the very anti climactic finish! Thank you for sharing this beauty here else I would have never listened in my life!

Music is limitless.... so true.

[badari]

Full movie is on youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6mrBxKVe5Q

[Rsachi]

That's the link embedded in my pic too, Badari!

[varsha]

Interesting extension of Marathi dramas of yesterday .
In the past there had been short dramatisings on celluloid like
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdlLqzs9LKk
A landscape made fertile by likes of
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLVTymNEigw
vasantrao despande ( see how the drama versions are more elaborate )
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29kDKqz ... pgyqB468pl
Ramdas Kamath . the finest exponent , by miles
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSx6hYdcIAw
prabhakar karekar - priye paha - this one is for you RSachi
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQ2z6artRmI
prabhakar karekar - in classical mode
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OodbfaW ... 2_cgDLWymo
vasanthrao despande

After a lifetime of watching movies I am zeroing down to Charles Laughton , Peter O Toole , Rex Harrison as the finest actors.
The reason is not difficult to get . It is the effect of the drama/

What would I give for an experience of watching dramas in the thatched auditoria of my hometown , again - the likes of Chindodi Leela
Thanks Sachi. Will get back after watching the movie

[Rsachi]

Varsha
I suspect the last one of Vasantrao is actually from the famed play Katyar.. On which this movie is based, after nearly 50 years. The singer for Khansaheb in the movie is Vasantrao's grandson Rahul Deshpande! The music for the play was composed by Jitendra Abhisheki. Shankar Mahadevan and team have used similar tunes.

Sachin's acting is FABULOUS.

The director Subodh Dave also reprises the character of the young singer Sadashiv.

The movie has been put up for an Unesco award.

Talking of movies, watch The Intern. A recent movie that has come out in India in DVD. Robert de Niro is incredible in the role of a retired man who comes back as an intern to help Anne Hathaway in her ecom fashion co.

[Purist]

What a splendid movie it was. Thanks Rsachi.

[varsha]

thanks Sachi. I spent a nice aafternoon , watching it today.

[kunthalavarali]

A bit too long.
Recommend Satyajit Ray's Jalsaagar for musical movie lovers.

[mahavishnu]

Very interesting visuals. Intriguing to see Shankar Mahadevan play the lead in a Marathi movie! Thanks, RSachi.

I have a question. What does Morya mean(as in Ganpati bappa Moriya)? And in the first song of the movie, they pronounce it more like mOrE-A. The generic google search provides very inconclusive explanations about what it could mean...

[vasanthakokilam]

Watched it today. Thanks Sachi for introducing the movie to us. Baring a few odd things like that British character as a villain and the usual melodrama that seems to be needed for any movie, it is worth watching for the music and the music related story line. Enjoyed the time spent with the movie. I am very glad for the subtitles. There are some dialogs ( especially the one between Kaviraj to Sadashiv ) that are quite good which would have gone totally unnoticed by me without the subtitles.

[Rsachi]

Mahavishnu,
I asked this question about moreya 45 years ago when I heard it first time. Someone told me it is a respectful address like Sir..("maurya/arya" etc.)
I am also informed that it is connected with one Moreya Gosavi of the Gaanapatya sect (their primary deity is Ganesha, like Shaaktas worship Devi) who is a privileged devotee of Ganesha and by invoking this word you get more blessings/grace from Ganesha.


For everyone: the subtitles are well-intended but amateur. They have not been done by Zee Studios but someone like you and me. The official DVD may be available with proper subtitles.

I found many dialogues in the original Urdu and Marathi profound, and poetic. And for me, there were many simply wonderful musical moments (hearing on a good sound theatre set-up).

I look at the bright side:
1. No mushy romance
2. No murder and mayhem and intolerance debate in the name of religion
3. No lack of effort to keep the music classical in this day and age of "Rahman"isation of everything. Remember that this movie is, for the makers, a tribute to the 47 year-old musical stage-play of the same name created and enacted by musical heavyweights like Vasantrao and Abhisheki.

Happy so many here watched it! (Even my grandkids did...)

[narayan]

My take on this movie. Quite nice, but characters too black and white for my liking. The actual details of the differences in the gharanas could have been better explored if the khansaheb's disciples were not such buffoons.

What I gathered was that in the original play, the panditji does not have too much of a role, it is his disciple and the khansaheb who play out the whole thing. So although Shankar Mahadevan is a prominent person on the screen in this one (in all senses!), he is not really the lead actor. About the fantastic acting of Sachin, well, each to his own taste!

The music is certainly good, but like many old timer would agree, does not have the punch of the original Vasantrao and Abhisekhi. Also, at least one key song, Ya bhavanatil geet purane is not there in the movie, and that is apparently key to the theme of the original play.

I'm also glad that so many saw it. Even in the theaters in Mumbai, it received a good response.

About Morya, without looking up Wikipedia etc., my guess is that it is an affectionate address of the deity in Morgaon, one of the locations of the astavinayak locations in Maharastra. I haven't been there, but I know it is one of the eight places.

[Rsachi]

Ya bhavanatil geet purane by Vasantrao Deshpande:
https://youtu.be/sKYvsvV7eEQ

[Sivaramakrishnan]

There is an old Malayalam movie 'His highness Abdulla' full of music and some superb acting by NedumudiVenu , Mohan lal etc.
Another film with great music is 'Kamaladalam'. Must be available in youtube.

[vasanthakokilam]

Getting into the review mode a bit following the lead of narayan, see if you all felt this or it is just me.

In true IMDB style these are nit-picks about some plot holes I sensed. Some of this are probably due to me following the story line from the subtitles.
Just for fun. Most if not all movies have such holes.

There are some SPOILERS. Do not read it if you have not watched it and are going to watch it.

1) Though there is this intense competition and rivalry, Panditji is not depicted as someone having such a competitive spirit. Though the intro to the movie sets it up as a story in the 'gharana competition' context. I guess they held that annual competition for 14 years and Panditji won all of them. But he is this all around nice person ( Buddha, Gandhi esque ) and later on in life is willing to take upon a huge sacrifice by keeping that secret which helped khansabeb in the most significant way. khansaheb openly tells him Panditji is his enemy even after the first loss. Some how that character development of Panditji is lacking in some consistency and continuity

2) I initially did not understand this major plot point. So Panditji knew he lost his voice ( and why ) ahead of that competition and it seems strange to me he will even participate in the competition and let khan win without singing. I guess his choices are not to participate which will raise more questions which he may be forced to reveal he has lost his voice which he wanted to keep it a secret to project his enemy Khan.. I am still not clear if I followed the story line properly.

3) Instead of linear story telling, they could have put the first quarter as a flash back which would have restored the original drama's intent, I suppose.

4) They could have done something better with the climax scene. Intentional homicide as self-defense for copying a style of music? That is a bit far fetched. Even glossing over that, the people administering this on the spot justice somehow decided to get past the key fact khansaheb's 'single murder without consequence' grant came illegitimately. I guess the story writer did not have too many choices once killing is chosen as the climax weapon

5) Panditji leaving his young daughter alone to fend for herself does not fit with the overall portrayal of his character. But then on a whim, the daughter knew exactly where to go find him and get him back.

6) This is not a nit-pick like the above but I did not understand one part. Was it Khan's plot to kill Sada that way to take out the threat to his position ( possibly helped in that plan by the Britisher ) and that is why he allowed him to listen to his music when Sada was his slave. If that is not the case, what is the point of bringing him into his house as a slave when he was quite upset that Sada was listening to his public performance and learning from him. That is what led me to think it was Khan's plot all along. I may be wrong.

7) a) On a lighter note, did you all notice the queen did not age in 14 years!! b) And why the melodrama about khan stepping on the records of panditji and breaking them? Is it like there is only copy left? Moreover, how is sada supposed to listen to them? Was that not prohibited? c) Oh, that Britisher appearing in just a couple of scenes to put in bad thoughts in Khansaheb.. what is that about?

All these nit-picks aside, the scenes of the boy learning music from Panditji and Uma with him as a girl were done well. Desh, right? Raga put to great use.

The setup earlier about Sada narrating what the pinnacle of his achievement is, that is well crafted. Came in handy in the climax. See, that is good story telling

Did you notice a swarakshara with Sada in one place? It was just in passing

There are a lot of places where the story is told without actually telling the full details and letting us interpolate what happened. I like that kind of stuff ( as long as everything fit together well )

All these analysis aside, it is time well spent watching the movie.

[Rsachi]

VKM,
Yes, the IMDB bug bites me often, too.
My lot is worse. I very often predict the way the story will be unfolded.. And have much success as a "spoiler"

Remember it is a stage-play. So a bit of spatialisation has taken place in adaptation. Perhaps the original play showed Pandit ji had become a vagrant recluse. And they knew he does come to pray at that temple on occasion.

Although Pandit ji knew he had been poisoned, he didn't know Khan's daughter knew it. The pieces all fit together towards the climax scene.

Burning and breaking records seems to be a pretty standard option for jealous musicians! That kind of kills the parampara. So it was a punishment to Sada. I heard GNB's recordings were obliterated at AIR Chennai by SSI.

Maharajas had gramophone recording machines which made single recordings. The movie period is early 1900s.
A bit like DTP. Mysore and Baroda palaces have/had many priceless recordings.

The way mass labels were produced is like offset book production.

I know many classical dramas and stories where the end is a bit contrived. Nobody (no IMDB!) seemed to care as long as there was a Shubham ending.

Your observations all came to my mind too. But I allowed the willing suspension of disbelief (as Milton said), to just immerse in the music. I loved the musical moments.

[varsha]

7) a) On a lighter note,

I thought
the story will end with murder
there was only one way you could approach vishrampur - from the omega shaped landscape where the camera was fitted
how on earth did rafts move so serenely
about the wireless gramafone player in the fields .
how marwa morphed into puriya dhanasree in a gharana that looked down upon mixing ragas

I loved the desh song , the best .

On a serious note Khans dilemma about democratising music ( as opposed to Gharanas closed-sect approaches ) has come true today .
This play got famous at a time when Abdul Karim Khan became the first Muslim teacher to consciously pick Hindu disciples . And that too in Pune in newly independent India. A period charged with religious overtones .
Natyageeth - Hindustani Story will make a great subject for many books

[Rsachi]

Varsha,
Some years ago a Marathi friend was flaunting a Marathi book that recounted many juicy and saucy stories of many musicians. Hirabai Barodekar, Kesarabai Kerkar, Gauhar Jaan, so many intersting women too. And I have only scratched the surface.

Maybe you should start writing here. That would make for a great narrative, especially with your style.
I heard Dharwad's gain was when Abdul Karim Khan eloped with a girl from Baroda Hindu royal family and hid in Dharwad.Savai Gandharva...

[vasanthakokilam]

VKM,
Yes, the IMDB bug bites me often, too.
My lot is worse. I very often predict the way the story will be unfolded.. And have much success as a "spoiler"

yeah same here.

As Varsha also wrote, I thought it is going to end in murder. The dagger thought so too ( if I can go by the sub-titles about the thoughts of the dagger at the end ). May be I am conditioned by the ending of other such movies but I thought Khan is going to direct the dagger on to himself. But I am glad they chose the way it ended.

Sachi, you are right about contrived endings on many classical movies and us not having any issues with it. Somehow it is easy for me to accept if it is Sage Viswamitra who demands such a thing

[varsha]

eloped with a girl from Baroda Hindu royal family

correct it to A wife of a royal Lt .
But that need not be the fulcrum of the story . That lady turned out to be a very important influence on how music was shaped in that region . Their daughter turned out to be arguably the most influential singer of our times . She travelled over India so widely that Indian Railways once contemplated giving her an award for that .
A lady who made her name / fame with her drama company , lost all she had to drama , and earned it back through classical music.

The mother though separated from Karim Saheb due to differences over natya geeth . They lived in Miraj , and Pune separately till their deaths .
Never seeing each other again .
A very poignant tale .
Take away Khan Saheb ( who passed away at the rly platform of SingapermalKoil btw ) , Tara Bai and daughter Hirabai , you have only a shell in the music of the region

enjoy this sagit sarita bit
http://www.mediafire.com/download/habqb ... 231114.mp3

[Rsachi]

[varsha]

http://www.amazon.in/Two-Men-Music-Nati ... 0195166116

A difficult kind of Prose by the author . Nevertheless , a storehouse of information

[shankarank]

Burning and breaking records seems to be a pretty standard option for jealous musicians! That kind of kills the parampara. So it was a punishment to Sada. I heard GNB's recordings were obliterated at AIR Chennai by SSI.

You mean if there is no karNa parampara - I guess GNB has some to his credit doesn't he What you say is true if it is gurur tApO namO namah.

[Rsachi]

Yes, Karnaparampara....but I would bet that the best of GNB music could have disappeared in that destruction, lost forever for posterity.

Man's ego believes that things can be erased. But fate or Destiny has its own devices. Omar Khayyam quote:

The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ, Moves on: nor all your Piety nor Wit Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line, Nor all your Tears wash out a Word of it.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quote ... hC8cIyW.99

PS: And the sense I make out of that song of Vasantrao linked above, is that the haveli resonates forever with the Pandit-ji's song, long after the singing has ceased.

[shankarank]

So with all the rich SSI tapes out there in circulation - students lined up to receive training under Shri PSN. Instead of worrying about next SK - it will be better to worry about who will takes his SKA role in his parampara.

[MV]

Thanks for the thumbs-up on the movie. Thoroughly enjoyed the movie and the music. It was also wonderful to hear free-flowing Marathi again after ages.. I was religiously reading the sub-titles for about 5-10 minutes before I realised I was actually following the dialogue.

[Rsachi]

[MV]

And did someone mention The Intern.... really enjoyed that too. Both Anne Hathaway and Robert De Niro were cool.

[narayan]

For me the big find in the movie was the title song, which I had not heard before.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ww6aQe7qqWQ
has a version sung by Abhisekhi.

Apparently in the original play also, a recording of this song was played as the audience went out for the interval/end and so was the case in the movie. It is a haunting thumri, and the interesting thing is that the dagger in the title song has nothing to do with the theme of the movie! As far as I can tell. Anyhow, the song is great, and Vasantrao has sung a longer version elsewhere.

[HarishankarK]

Full movie is on youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6mrBxKVe5Q

But on clicking the link it says that the video is private. Can you please make it public?

[Rsachi]

Sir,
Remember my warning in the first post. Youtube has just now yanked off the video for copyright violation.
Sorry

[Rsachi]

http://dff.nic.in/writereaddata/Winners ... A_2015.pdf

The movie wins the BEST SINGER National award for Mahesh Kale:
https://youtu.be/GoUiyMFnJAo