Beautiful Mind

In the recent times Marathi cinema has not only regained its Shwaas (breath), it seems to have won back some shine too.

If Shwaas was all about local soil and universal sentiment, Smita Talwalkar’s recently released Saat Chya Aat Gharaat (Back home before 7 pm), which portrays the conflict between conventions in Indian homes and a perceived urban unrestraint, finds a fine balance between local ethos and Western liberalism.

Incidentally, both films are set in Pune, of which in Saat chya Aat Gharaat this is a key (background) element of the plot. Directed by Sanjay Surkar, it has an ensemble cast that has managed to use the next generation of actors. If you've been in Pune for about 4-5 years (or any other city going through a similar transition), you'll instinctively react to the idea of the film. Using a real-life incident as its core, it explores the overt frictional dissension because of westernization and the "new age" urban lifestyle that accompanies big pay packets in the white-collar industries. Discord not only among generations, but among people in different strata. A latent animosity against the more hedonic aspects of such a life comes to the fore when incidents like the ILS ragging incident take place. Pune is churning and that Saat chya Aat Gharaat is about a certain viewpoint in the middle of this.

The film’s lead actor Kartikadevi Rane plays a rich Pune girl who is both a witness and participant in a clash of cultures. She is part of a crowd of trendy management students who are out to make the most of what life offers. Then, after a late-night bash, a college friend of hers is raped, and the world around her changes. Seven close friends who never bothered about their different cultures and ready to give anything for their friends, gets separated from their friend who got raped. The opinions and views of each friend changes after the incident. Some friends turn support her, some show sympathy where as some turns their back to her.

The film in essence is her (Kartikadevi) character’s reaction to the weird events that unfold after the rape incident, and her ultimate questioning of the ways of modern youth.

The title creates fears of Balaji-like traditionalism, but the film is, for the most part, an argument against excesses. Kartikadevi packs a powerful performance, demonstrating the tumult of her character with control. The character she was playing was westernized and
yet slightly traditional, with her grandmother and mother as her rallying points, so that balance too had to be maintained. After the rape incident, she asks herself questions like what if this was to happen to her, what if her
boyfriend wouldn’t have supported her after the incident, etc.

The film is not about time, but roots. It’s a comment on youth; a film for us youngsters, made by us. When you see the film, you feel close to it, and the characters are people you’ve seen and met.