Anybody who lives in Maharashtra and has friends or relatives who watch Zee-Marathi/Star-Majha, and that practically includes the whole of Marathi speaking community, could not have missed the word Natrang. “If you are a Maharashtrian, then you have to watch this movie”, that is what these channels are bombarding 24/7. So I had to watch it. I saw it, first liked the music, then was mesmerised by Atul Kulkarni’s efforts and then was stunned by the storyline.
At the end, it is easy to imagine the hours of hard work the whole team has put in making Natrang. But when the movie is over, you end up with many more thoughts than just a satisfaction of finally watching an epic in Marathi.
Natrang gives you a clear message. If you have a family, forget about joining ‘Tamasha Group’. You can be successful, only if you dont have a family or if you dont care about it.
Its a story of Guna Kagalkar. Guna has a family about whom he doesnt give damn. For the sake of his art, he becomes a feminine dancer. He acquires good fame and a small fortune. But by the time he wants to come back to his family, his father is dead, he has lost his fame and dignity in an unfortunate accident and his wife declares she has had enough pain already and doesnt want to come back to him. So now he is left with nothing to lose. At this very moment, he sees a golden light from above, surrenders to his art and ends up being the best artist his art has ever seen. When a genius needs a social recognition, he doesnt get any and when he gets one, he is already in a different society. Its a classic irony.
Perhaps the director wanted to convey the never give up spirit that Guna had. But the tragic part is portrayed in high lenghths and leaves a dark impression even though the movie is happy ending. Looking at Guna’s life, you can not help yourself to ask the question, ‘Is this why the Tamasha culture and marathi movies died a few years ago’? The answer, i’m afraid is yes. Just imagine what happened to the lives of people who were with Guna at the time of accident. Their lives were also literally burned down in the accident along with Guna’s life. And none of them had a courage to join Guna in his resurrection of the art. Which simply means they were over and out at the very moment when they failed to see the golden light that Guna saw. So if 24 out 25 lives are unsatisfactory, the art is not going to survive. The art should create lives, it should not take them away.
That’s that for the storyline. Ajay-Atul’s music is fantastic. Their expertise in folk music is already well-known and Natrang is a tailor-made for them. But besides the songs, they have also given a catchy theme tune. Im sure just like good old Don, Titan and current Airtel tune, this Natrang tune will be heard for years to come. Atul Kulkarni’s efforts and acting are beyond praise. The guy looks ripe for any gym/protien-diet advertisement at the start of the movie and is as thin as cucumber at the end. He nonchalantly fits in as a stubborn bulldog at the start and as a genius loser towards the end. Credit to Guru Thakur for wonderful, precise and perfect lyrics. Credit to director for making such a big movie. Marathi cinema needs more like this. It must have taken years to come up with the final product the way he wanted. In terms of visual and sound effects, the movie is perfect for 21st century.
So where to from Natrang? Marathi cinema needs more varied stories. Natrang was a great break from a series baseless comedy. If the artist starts presenting his own life as a glorious art, then thats typically a journey towards the end. So like Guna, lets not dwell in the past, it is time to keep our spirits up.
