Review: 'Yedyanchi Jatra'

Film: Yedyanchi Jatra
Director: Milind Kavde
Cast: Bharat Jadhav, Paddy Kambli, Mohan Joshi, Vinay Apte, Vishakha Subhedar, Sneha Kulkarni
Rating:***

As major cities in Maharashtra gear up for civic polls, Marathi filmgoers are treated to yet another comedy caper at the box office. However, this one isn't quite mindless; it comes with an underlying social awareness message.

The plot is set in Gadhvevadi, an imaginary village in Marathwada which is divided into two parts. Each part is governed by archrivals Bhangade Patil (Joshi) and Kadu Anna Patil (Apte).

The problem with this division is that it leaves Harya (Jadhav) stranded in the middle of the boundary, also the village "dumping" ground.

As he chases away people defecating in his farms, Harya dreams of a life away from the village, but he continues to stay for the sake of his aged grandfather. After taking Harya’s word that he will rid the family land of the daily defecators, the old man passes on.

While the landlord Bhangade Patil eyes his land, Harya merrily eyes his filmy daughter Sangi (Kulkarni) who is the apple of Kadu Anna’s son, Nayanrao’s (Kamble) squinted eyes. In the midst of it all, Harya brings a government scheme for building toilets into the village, which is inhibited by some very whacky characters.

The film follows a set formula of using a love-song, a laavni number and some OTT melodramatic scenes – unfortunately a formula that one has to make peace with if they intend to watch a Marathi film.

However, the film holds its own with great performances and some very funny moments.

The generous dose of potty humour may well make this the Marathi industry’s equivalent of Delhi Belly, albeit a much rustic, rural one that touches upon the problem of hygiene in a very light vein.

Jadhav and Paddy are back to a genre they have been most comfortable and well-known for – comedy. While Paddy uses physical quirks to bring an element of humour to the daft, love-struck, squinted Nayanrao, while Jadhav uses his signature overplay to portray Harya.

One wishes their acting talent was explored by casting them in out of the ordinary roles. Stereotyping brilliant actors has long been an element the Marathi industry has failed to do away with. The film’s cast appears often in comedy series on television and hence, they bring a lot of laughs to the table. One wishes that Kavde would have shunned the norms of the industry and skipped the love song, which is totally unnecessary and ridiculous in its ‘skipping around trees’ routine.

One might forgive the film its melodrama and hamming routines for the brilliance of the comic sequences. I suspect that during the election days, Yedyanchi Jatra proves to be a much-needed comic relief for Marathi audiences. Watch the film like you would watch 1990s David Dhawan fare – without thinking much, without expecting much – and you might have fun.