Oct 20, 2009 10:35 AM
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What happens when girls get a knot in their hair? Are they given up to serve the goddess and the village in which they were brought up? Isn't applying oil and gently untangling the knot the answer?
If you are a man who passes blood through your urine, then you are probably suffering from urticaria and need a few days medication to get better.
But NO. That is precisely why developing a scientific temper is a fundamental duty of every Indian citizen. But can we tell this to those people who live in villages bordering Maharashtra and Karnataka who are steeped in tradition and superstition, who believe that if the above'wretched' things happen to anyone in the family, then it is the curse of goddess yellamma and she needs to be appeased by giving up such'affected' ones to serve her and the community.
Suli(Mukta Barve) and Yellappa(Upendra Limaye) are the protagonists, who seek to break away from this tradition and lead a newer and better life. The others of their tribe naturally fearful of incurring the goddess's curse go all out to prevent them from their path-breaking intentions.whether they succeed or not should be seen on the screen.
At the very outset, we are told clearly that this tradition of'jogtini' and'jogtya' is yet prevelant on the yeddanti hillock bordering Maharashtra and Karnataka, that despite the tradition having been outlawed, there are about 5000 of the clan who invariably gather for the annual initialization of new members, on every full moon day.
The screenplay is based on a story by Dr.Rajan Gawas, who has tirelessly strived to shake off the yoke of superstition and instill a sense of hygiene among the tribals and villagers on the borders. Dr. Gawas himself plays a small role of a schoolteacher in the movie. With such firsthand experiences and a personal study of the tradition by the writer-director duo of the Patil brothers, the script and screenplay is a class apart. Camerawork is simply superb, especially the eerie feeling one gets when only gigantic trunks of trees are shown. Slick editing combined with appropriate background score adds to the experience.
You end up giving your heart to the protagonists, you want to do something for them, maybe get up from your seat and help them in running away.they make you feel for them. The supporting star cast of Kishor Kadam( an'experienced' fellow jogtya who tells yellappa that he gets tickled when men look at him while he is bathing, and that he feels satiated only when men take him to bed) and Ashwini Deshpande( a jogtin, who lets Suli join her troupe of perfoming artists, as she believes Suli has brought her immense collections by her youth and good looks) and Sharvani Pillai, Vinay Apte, Amita Khopkar.the list is endless.is mindblowing.
If you have ever pooh-poohed Marathi cinema, I guarantee you will eat your words when you go and watch this one.Tipped to bag all the awards, Jogwa is the real coming-of-age of Marathi cinema which has for the most of its recent existence been steeped in senseless comedy.
