NATARANG

Tamasha Returns To Marathi Screen

The heavy response to Atul Kulkarni starrer Natrang, the Marathi movie

has encouraged the Marahti movie industry to great lenghts. Not only this marks a great begining for year 2010, it also marks return of Tamasha, the traditional folk art of Maharashtra on silver screen.

Tamasha, a folk art of Maharashtra was backbone of the movies in the language at one time. Many hit movies were weaved around the themes of Tamasha. Prominent among them was Sangtye Ailka which catapulated the career of late Jayashri Gadkar. Pinjara, directed by V. Shantaram, the great filmmaker went on to become a movie epic and was later made in Hindi as well. The movie gave Indian film industry a great actor in the form of Dr. Shriram Lagoo. Then there were other Tamasha movies like Kela Ishara Jata Jata and Songyada, by legendary Dada Kondke. Directors like Anant Patil were known for their hold on the genre.

Almost three decades from 1960 to 1990, Tamasha formed the basis for movies in Marathi language. They showed intrigues of the trade, internal rivalry of main artists, relation between people associated in the art form, the decline of and cut throat competition in the industry...you name it. When the entire script was not dedicated to the Tamasha, there was at least one song in the form of Lavani. The last movie which was closely associated with Tamasha was EK Hota Vidushak which showed comedian Laxmikant Berde in an unusually serious role. It was released in the year 1997. Tamasha faded into oblivion in movies when the Marathi movie industry itself found itself in a battered position.

Atul Kukarni, a national award winning actor and famous for his roles in movies like Hey Ram, Page 3,Chandani Bar, Rang de Basanti etc. is donning yet another cap this time. Playing the main protagonist Guna in Natrang, Kulkarni has portrayed a wrestler landworker from rural Maharashtra who dreams to make it big in the Tamasha. The movie is based on a novel by Sahitya Academy winner writer Anand Yadav. With this film, Tamasha has returned to silver screen on Marathi.Natarang is story of Guna, a farm worker and an amature wrestler who dreams of playing the King in Tamasha
http://vajaleki12.blogspot.com/

V. Shantaram

V. Shantaram ( 18 November 1901 - 30 October 1990) is a renowned Indian film producer, filmmaker, and actor, most known for his films like Dr. Kotnis Ki Amar Kahani (1946), Amar Bhoopali (1951), Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baje (1955), Do Aankhen Barah Haath (1957) and Navrang (1959), to the path breaking Duniya Na Mane (1937) and Pinjara (1973).

He directed his first film, "Netaji Palkar" in 1927, and in 1929, founded the Prabhat Film Company along with V.G. Damle, K.R. Dhaiber, S. Fatelal and S.B. Kulkarni ^[2], which he left in 1942 and to form "Rajkamal Kala Mandir" in Mumbai , in time 'Rajkamal' became one of most sophisticated studios of the country

He was praised by Charlie Chaplin for his Marathi film Manoos (English: Man). Charlie Chaplin reportedly liked the film very much.

He was awarded the Indian film industry's highest award, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, in 1985 and the Padma Vibhushan in 1992.

Early life

V. Shantaram was born Rajaram Vankudre Shantaram , on 18 November 1901, in the erstwhile princely state of Kolhapur in present day Maharashtra. He was born to a reputed family of Kolhapur.

Career

V. Shantaram started his film career doing odd jobs in Maharashtra Film Co. owned by Baburao Painter at Kolhapur , growing up to debut as an actor in the silent film, Surekha Haran in 1921

V. Shantaram had an illustrious career as a filmmaker for almost six decades, starting as an actor in the silent era films and later transitioning into a film director of Hindi and Marathi cinema. He was one of the early filmmakers to realize the efficacy of the film medium as an instrument of social change and used it successfully to advocate humanism on one hand and expose bigotry and injustice on the other. He is the founder of Rajkamal Studios.

The highest accolade of the Indian film industry, for lifetime achievement, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, was conferred on him in 1985 He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan award in 1992

His autobiography titled, Shantaram was published in Hindi and Marathi .

V. Shantaram died on 30 October 1990 in Mumbai. The 'V. Shantaram Award' was consitituted by Central Government and Maharashtra State Government, and the V. Shantaram Motion Picture Scientific Research and Cultural Foundation, established in 1993, shortly after his death, and offers various awards to film makers, the award is presented on 18 November each year being Shantaram's birth anniversary .

Awards

Won

• 1957: Filmfare Best Director Award: Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baaje
• 1958: National Film Award for Best Film: Do Aankhen Barah Haath
• 1958: Berlin International Film Festival, OCIC Award: Do Aankhen Barah Haath ^[13][14]
• 1958: Berlin International Film Festival, Silver Bear (Special Prize): Do Aankhen Barah Haath ^[13][14]
• 1959: Golden Globe Awards, Samuel Goldwyn Award: Do Aankhen Barah Haath ^[13]
• 1985: Dadasaheb Phalke Award
• 1992: Padma Vibhushan

Nominated

• 1951: Cannes Film Festival, Grand Prize: Amar Bhoopali (The Immortal Song)
• 1958: Berlin International Film Festival, Silver Bear: Do Aankhen Barah Haath

Biographies

• Shantaram, Kiran & Narwekar, Sanjit; V Shantaram: The Legacy of the Royal Lotus, 2003, Rupa & Co., ISBN 8129102188.
• Banerjee, Shampa; Profiles, five film-makers from India: V. Shantaram, Raj Kapoor, Mrinal Sen, Guru Dutt, Ritwik Ghatak Directorate of Film Festivals, National Film Development Corp, 1985. ISBN 8120100077.
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• http://mymarathicinema.blogspot.com/2010/02/v-shantaram.html

Chandrakant Mandare

Despite language limitations, Marathi films have achieved a sort of excellence in both themes and characters, so much so that they are on par with any other language films. This is because, the Kolhapur-based Marathi film industry has high tradition of studios, character-actors, directors, cameramen as also other technicians. Chandrakant Mandare, who died recently at the age of 88, had developed a unique style in presenting varied characters in general and that of Patil in particular. A Patil in a rural rustic atmosphere is a hero and also a villain, as and when he is expected to play the role specific to a theme. Chandrakant was more of a hero and that too presenting all aspects of Patil’s character in a theme, whether it relates to social life in villages or in stories depicting life and characters in the Maharashtrian folk art, better known as tamasha.

He played the Patil in the first Marathi film with a rural theme, Jay Malhar. He played Ram in Bharat Bhet and Ravan in Swayanwar Zale Seeteche. It was Chandrakant’s dedication to his role and inherent traits of a character, which secured a certain high standard in roles he played in various films. In Earsha, produced by his brother Suryakant, Chandrakant played a typical Patil and Chandrakant Gokhale, veteran actor played the role of peculiar Kulkarni, better known as Pant in villages. The best theme depicting rivalry between the Patil and the Kulkarni in a village where both are highly respected and their struggle and confrontation is also appreciated. But despite rivalry, both the Patil and the Kulkarni are more friends than rivals in times of crisis. Although the film did not get box-office success, it has created history in Marathi films.

Two traits of Chandrakant’s personality are rare, in any film industry. The first is that everyday he was writing a diary, recording all events in his life as also his reactions and interpretations. His diary, which he wrote even on the morning of the day when he died, has been a treasure not only of personal aspects of an actor’s life, but authentic record of the Marathi film industry, particularly as Chandrakant could visualise and record in details.

His series of autobiographical articles entitled Deva Shapath Khare Lihin (On Oath before God, I write the truth) published in a local Marathi Daily Sakal proved to be quite interesting, and decently exposing events and personalities which characterised not only Chandrakant’s life, but also a considerable and prominent portion of development of the industry.

Another remarkable quality is Chandrakant’s inclination as also mastery in art of painting. Nature was his eternal subject for painting. Besides natural scenery in and around Kolhapur, other significant spots in the country and abroad, where he visited, have been a source of his inspiration which excited his artistic talents to shape them into a beautiful paintings. He traveled from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and also America. The world famous Niagara Falls has also been his visual pleasure and his painting of the falls is as bewitching as the actual falls. He surrendered all treasures of his various pictures, mostly landscapes, to the State Government which is now managing the museum, an eternal monument of art of painting of a renowned actor in films.

Contented in his personal life, shared by his dedicated wife Shashikala,
Chandrakant was quite active upto the last moment. Only a few days before his death, he inaugurated an exhibition of a local photographer’s photos and attended a maifil of colour and musical notes arranged by Rangbahar, the institution which arranges maifils every year where prominent singers enthrall the atmosphere with specific emotional currents of raagas and prominent painters are inspired to display their impression of raagas. Late Baburao Painter was his Guru and inspiration.

Chandrakant wanted the Kolhapur Chitranagri to be named after his guru, Baburao Painter. He was most disturbed when attempts were strategically made to name it after Bhalji Pendharkar instead of Baburao Painter, who according to him, was the only and proper person to grace the Chiranagari by his name.