Pavsacha Nibandh Review: Nagraj Manjule Presents The Irony Of Life In His Trademark Style

Pavsacha Nibandh is a short film directed by the acclaimed director Nagraj Manjule, starring Meghraj Shinde, Gargee Kulkarni, Sheshraj Manjule, and Rahi Manjule. The film was Nagraj’s first project after Sairat and has certainly lived up to expectations. With his directorial genius, Nagraj has managed to bring out the irony of the romanticised rains and presenting us with a delightful piece of cinema. The film gives us a new perspective for looking at life and jolts us back into reality.

You can watch the film here.

The film revolves around a young kid named Raja who has been given an assignment of writing an essay on the rain. We think that it’s an easy task for the kid since he lives in a land blessed with an abundant amount of rain and greenery. However, the beauty of the place doesn’t seem to concern him or his poor family who’s struggling to make ends meet. On his way back home from school, Raja runs into his drunkard father who has passed out on the street while it rains incessantly. Thus, begins the family’s struggles to get through the day even as the rain gods show no mercy on them. On the other hand, all that’s on Raja’s mind is to finish his essay on time before he heads to school the next day.

It is said that the rains arrive with a ray of hope for life. But for some, it is no less than a nightmare. The filmmaker has brought about this irony quite effectively by showing how the rains disrupt the peace of this poor family. Unlike the romanticised version of rains, the film captured the reality of life in its true sense through his directorial. We get attached to Raja and his family’s helplessness from the moment we see them together for the first time in the film. The director’s effort to juxtapose stunning visuals of the rain along with the family’s ordeals needs to be praised. Here’s when the cinematographer Sudhakar Reddy Yakkanti, known for his outstanding directorial venture Naal, comes into the picture. His amazing long-shot sequences in the film are a sight to behold. The near-perfect sound design also adds to the surreal cinematic experience that the film is.

We would be remiss not to mention the performances of Meghraj Shinde as Raja and Gargee Kulkarni as Raja’s mother. Both of them stole our hearts with their natural acting. Aside from this, the film has got all the elements of Nagraj’s storytelling and his sense of realism. Throughout the film, there are instances where we are amazed by the sheer brilliance of Nagraj, but it is the climax that hits us hard. The film was well-received by audiences in numerous film festivals. It was awarded the Best Short Film at Los Angeles Indian Film Festival and the National Film Awards for Best Audiography in the non-feature film category which speaks tons about the director’s mastery over filmmaking.

Watch this award-winning short film now streaming on ZEE5. Do share your thoughts about the film in the comment section.

Check out the collection of more such Marathi films on ZEE5 here.

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