Review: Politics is a dirty game, or so people say. But perhaps politics is just a game of chess where one player outsmarts the other using clever ideas and smart moves. And like chess, the political game isn’t over until one player checkmates the other. Till then, the game can turn around anytime. Dhurala brings this game and the dirty politics to the big screen with a set of big players, each with their sets of strengths and weaknesses.
Dhurala is based in a village around a political family. It opens with the passing of the sarpanch of the village and patriarch of the family, Nivrutti Ubhe. The sarpanch’s passing throws open the seat for re-election with only two players in the fray- Nivrutti’s elder son Dada (Ankush Chaudhari) and his arch-rival Harish Gadhwe (Prasad Oak). Dada is a progressive thinker who wants to work for the development of the village, while Harish is the wounded tiger in the arena, waiting for a turn to strike back. Little do these two know that there’s a bigger picture yet to unfold that will bring in more players in the arena, including Dada’s stepmother Akkabai (Alka Kubal-Athalye), his sister-in-law Monica, his younger brothers Bhaujya (Amey Wagh) and Hanumant (Siddharth Jadhav), and his wife Harshada (Sai Tamhankar). Everyone wants a piece of the cake and this turns the Ubhe household into a battlefield with three contenders pitted against each other.
In the past, the director-writer duo of Sameer Vidwans-Kshitij Patwardhan has given the Marathi audience films worth watching (Double Seat, YZ, Time Please). With Dhurala, they continue the winning streak and give a fitting start to the New Year. The film is well-written and well-executed; it has a gripping story line that ensures there’s no dull moment for the audience. At the same time, it is entertaining with the multiple twists and performances.
Often in a multi-starrer, there are one or two actors that overshadow the others, but not in this one. Here’s every character is well-written and has a pivotal role to play in the political game. Moreover, the actors bring their top-game to the fore. Ankush, as the restrained yet clever Dada, Sai as the balanced Harshada, Sonalee as the ambitious Monica, Prasad as the vengeful Harish, Amey as the neglected dreamer, Alka as the hesitant participant and Siddharth as the brawny Cement Sheth with a heart of gold- together they pack a punch and ace their roles.
The film isn’t devoid of drawbacks. The plot twists get predictable after a point and a 5-10 min patch a while before the climax seems stretched. Compared to the bigger picture though, these are just bumps on an otherwise smooth road. Dhurala, perhaps, sets the tone for a promising 2020 for Marathi cinema.
“‘Dhurala’: Here’s why you shouldn’t miss watching the Sameer Vidwans' multi-starrer political drama”
“Dhurala teaser: This multi-starrer political drama looks interesting”
The film has a long list of known faces from the Marathi film industry that includes Prasad Oak, Ankush Chaudhari, Amey Wagh, Sai Tamhankar, Sonalee Kulkarni, Umesh Kamat, Siddharth Jadhav, Priyadarshan Jadhav and Alka Kubal.
Going by the teaser, Dhurala revolves around the political situation of a small town in Maharashtra. The film seems to be about the rivalry or enmity between quite a few political parties. The teaser also makes it clear that every mainstream actor plays a confident person, except the one played by Tamhankar. Her character, which seem to be from a poorer section of the society, appears conscious of others.
Despite politics being widely followed in the state of Maharashtra, Marathi cinema has hardly come up with films about politics over the last two decades. The era before that saw political dramas like Samna (1974) and Sinhasan (1980); both directed by Jabbar Patel. The few prominent films made in this genre in the last few years include Zenda (2010) and Classmates (2015).
The lack of films in this genre coupled by the interesting teaser of Dhurala makes it an awaited film. The film will release on 3 January 2020. Watch the teaser below and let us know if you are keen to watch the film.
“Zee Studios announces upcoming slate of films till December”
Speaking on the studio’s strong content line-up, Shariq Patel, CEO, Zee Studios said: “It’s been a great year for us till now with consecutive successful releases across languages. We are excited to collaborate with the best of creative minds in the industry to bring a strong portfolio of 8 new releases in 4 languages till December 2019. Having been the market leaders in Marathi cinema, we are now also expanding our regional slate of films with Punjabi and other languages. As a studio, our strategy ahead is to have a healthy mix of co-production and distribution deals across languages while ramping up our in-house productions.”
While the Punjabi romantic-comedy film, Surkhi Bindi, starring Sargun Mehta and Gurnam Bhullar, released on Friday, the studio is geared up to release Suniel Shetty and Kannada super star Kichcha Sudeep’s action-drama, Pehlwaan, in 5 languages (Hindi, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam) in non-South markets on September 12.
The second release in the month of September is its co-production, Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas, Sunny Deol’s directorial, which will launch his son, Karan Deol and newcomer Sahher Bambba. It is slated to release on September 20.
Zee Studios will release one of the most-anticipated Hollywood films, Anthony Maras’s Hotel Mumbai, starring Dev Patel, Anupam Kher, Armie Hammer, Nazanin Boniadi among others on October 11.
Continuing its long-term association with Dharma Productions after Dhadak and Kesari the studio has partnered with Karan Johar’s production house once again to release two films—Bhoot starring Vicky Kaushal on November 15 and Good News starring Akshay Kumar, Kiara Advani, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Diljit Dosanjh on December 27.
As market leaders in Marathi cinema, Zee Studios is considered to be a game-changer in the industry with its record-breaking movies including Lai Bhaari, Natasamrat, Sairat, Naal, among others. The studio will bring 2 new films to its audiences before the end of this year—Khari Biscuit, directed by Sanjay Jadhav, slated to release on September 20, and Sameer Vidwans’ Dhurala, slated to release on November 1. Dhurala boasts of the biggest star cast ever to come together for a Marathi film with Ankush Chaudhry, Sai Tamhankar, Siddarth Jadhav, Sonalee Kulkarni, Prasad Oak, Alka Kubal and Amey Wagh.
“Team ‘Dhurala’ Meets Shiv Thakare For Promotions Of The Upcoming Blockbuster Marathi Film”
Shiv Thakare and ‘Dhurala’ team shared the stage during the promotion of the film! This reality TV star, was taken in for a huge surprise when the team bumped into him. Shiv posted on his Instagram wall, a picture from this eventful day!
Shiv writes, “What A Surprise… Unexpected meet with Dhurla Team… Khup majja aali tumha saglyanna bhetun aani saglyanni mala lahaan bhava sarkha treat kela… Most important Alka tai tumhala bhetun malaaaaa khup jaasta anand jhala ahe , tumcha ashirwad asach asu dya. DHURLA is going to be a BlockBuster. All The Best to the Entire Team. @ankushpchaudhari @siddharth23oct @saietamhankar @ameyzone @alkakubal_official @sonalee18588 @oakprasad #dhurla”.
His post clearly tells us that the team bonded well with Shiv and they all had a great time. The most important part of this event was Shiv met Alka Kubal. Alka is a veteran Marathi actor who has given a number of hit films for decades now. In the presence of Alka, Shiv was delighted and feeling blessed! Ankush Chaudhary, Siddharth Jadhav, Prasad Oak, Sai Tamhankar, Amey Wagh, Alka Kubal and Sonalee Kulkarni were also present at the event!
Now that the Bigg Boss Marathi Season 2 Winner and Roadies finalist Shiv is also stunned with the ‘Dhurala’ team, we should not miss catching all the action on the film. This certainly tells us how awesome the film will actually turn out!
“First song on ‘Marbat’ for upcoming Marathi film ‘Bakaal’ released”
Staff Reporter : City’s rich culture seems to be gradually opening up to the outside world. This was apparent from the very first of its kind song ,featuring the famous Marbat Mahotsav of the city, was released at the hands of Guardian Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule and Dr Girish Gandhi, actor Alka Kubal at Baburao Dhanwate Hall on Monday. The occasion was to time it with the actual Marbat Mahotsav, that will take place in a few days from now.
Bawankule, in his brief speech, congratulated the team of ‘Bakaal’ for selecting a good theme and bring the 135-year-old ancient culture on screen and making it known countrywide. He assured all help to the team. Dr Girish Gandhi explained the importance of the tradition and also congratulated the team for picking on one of the city’s attractive Mahotsav. He also acknowledged the involvement of two Nagpurians Moreshwar Nistane who composed the song and Vinod Deshpande, story writer.
Addressing the media, Samir Athlaye, Director of Marathi Film Bakaal, that includes this song, described the event as top class that has plenty of material to keep the viewers on tenter hooks, with daring stunt scenes being performed by young actor Chaitanya Mistri. He said that the song Gheun Ja Ge Marbat forms the basis of the storyline in which the story writer has shown a commoner’s fight against ills, affecting society.
“‘Dhurala': This Is How Audience Reacts To The Film Giving Back-To-Back Houseful Shows”
‘Dhurala’ is Sameer Vidwan’s story based on a political family. The sarpanch’s passing throws open the seat for re-election. The two strongest contenders are, Dada played by Ankush Chaudhari and his arch-rival Harish Gadhwe played by Prasad Oak. Dada’s stepmother Akkabai played by Alka Kubal-Athalye, his sister-in-law Monica, his younger brothers Bhaujya Amey Wagh and Hanumant Siddharth Jadhav, and his wife Harshada Sai Tamhankar, everyone starts contending for the throne eventually.
This gripping tale by Kshitij Patwardhan and the direction of Sameer Vidwans is a fourth in the row masterpiece by the duo after ‘Double Seat’, ‘YZ’, and ‘Time Please’!
Catch the audience reactions to the film here:
The film is well-written and well-presented and has a thrilling storyline that captivates the audience. Apart from a few dramatic moments, the film captures the essence of village politics, family dynamics and the emotional catastrophe due to cheating, lying and deception.
While fans across Maharashtra love the film, the team goes global with an international schedule too! With a great start to Marathi films in 2020, the film ‘Dhurala’ creates a great momentum!