Two films - Pushpa the rise & Gharat Ganpati

To be honest I am biased against action movies from south. To my prejudiced mind, the heroes are scruffy, the girls are too “in your face” and the action is too stylised and unreal. But with Rekha, my wife away with her friends for 5 days I had no option but to watch TV. In the news, all channels were talking about the successful release of Pushpa 2. So out of curiosity about this latest fad, I took the brave decision of watching Pushpa 1 - The Rise. The movie is about a new antihero very unlike Amitabh’s. He is not remotely good looking, which means any common man can identify with him; he is an underdog with lots of guts; he has style & chutzpah. Like every superhero, he also has a weak point. He is illegitimate son of a rich man who is dead and he is very sensitive about this fact. His walking style is like a physically challenged person. But he walks with a swagger. His dance style is unique but when you think about it, the steps look so simple that everyone feels they can do them. The action is of course highly stylised with CGI effects. In all this mayhem the director makes us forget that the protagonist is doing something against the law. The villains are the authorities not the violent law-breaking hero.

To sum up, it is hugely popular because it represents the angst in common (wo)men, anyone on the street can identify with the “hero”, and it has all the masala like songs & dances and a  heavy dose of violence. And best of all everyone feels he can do what the hero is doing in the movie.

                                 The very next day I watched the Marathi Gharat Ganapti (घरत गणपती).

It is set in scenic Konkan. The director must be in love with Konkan because one can feel the love for the place through his cinematography, narrative and locations. In fact, I feel it is one of the best tourist promotion films for Konkan. It is a pure family drama set at the time Ganapati comes to the Gharat household when all the children and grandchildren gather from their places of residence to celebrate the festival. There is a generation gap conflict with the grandparents siding with the grandchildren and the middle generation unwilling to accept that the world has changed and their progeny is more capable that they would give credit for. For some tadka, there is a Hindi speaking good looking girl who can understand Marathi but can’t speak it. Ther is also an aunt, who is probably abandoned by her husband, who comes out with these never-heard-before aphorisms typical of Konkan. Sharp, relatable and very appropriate for the situation. I loved the movie for its simplicity, beauty of its location and the way the complex relationships of family members are handled very sensitively. It is a must watch feel good movie with a message.