Om Phat Swaha!
One of the most popular Marathi films of the 1990s is making a comeback. And with two firsts. Zapatlela 2, will be the first Marathi film to be made in 3D and also the first sequel. So what if it was inspired by Child’s Play in the first place. The first one had everything right, scary ghost called Tatya Vinchu, played by Dilip Prabhavalkar (who also played Mahatma Gandhi in Lage Raho Munnabhai), protagonist Laxmikant Berde with impeccable comic timing (he passed away few years ago) and actor director Mahesh Kothare. This time while Prabhavalkar and ventriloquist Ramdas Padhye (he had created the ghost puppet) remain in the film, Kothare has roped in several actors doing very well in the current wave of quality cinema in Marathi. May be the gibberish mrityunjaya mantra ‘Om Bhugbhuge Bhagani Bhagodari Om Phat Swaha,’ which Tatya Vinchu chanted in the film has indeed cast the right kind of spell! It is set to release in June, after a gap of 19 years. Om phat swaha, ha!
Marathi-Kannad Bhai Bhai
As if we did not have enough border issues on our national borders, as politicians get active before the election year in 2014, the as old as ever issue of Belgaum is making a comeback, not just on the political platform but also on Marathi theatre. First it was R R Patil, who got into trouble with his speech over the Belgaum issue in April. Now a play titled Zhalach Pahije, which claims to be a “fiery Marathi play based on the Belgaum border issue,” has hit theatres on the special occasion of Maharashtra Day. The CM himself has recently acknowledged that Belgaum ‘is not a closed chapter’. Sir, you have not just taps but rivers running bone dry. This is perhaps the worst ever drought that has ever hit the state. The displaced are landing in the slums of Mumbai every day and ‘redevelopment’ projects are ‘redeveloping’ the very essence of Mumbai itself. Isn’t it time we closed at least this chapter?