Sant Tukaram

Sant Tukaram made in the Marathi language is one of the highest achievements of the early sound period of Indian Cinema. The film has charm and directness that sets it apart from other devotional films. Though the film shows miracles they merge with the reality due to the strong conviction of the filmmakers. Tukaram's conflict with his wife Jijai has an earthy believability and humour. He is no cardboard saint and she no mechanical shrew. In fact their characters are insightful and command our empathy. When her ailing son cries in pain Tukaram can only offer the name of Vithoba (his deity) to console the infuriated Jijai. She drags the child to the temple to settle scores with the deity. Her action is no mere dramatic flourish. In fact it comes across as genuinely felt emotion. Jijai with her common sense and practicality convinces Tukaram to leave his meditation and get down to hard labour to save the family from starvation. To her a husband must provide for the family yet her devotion to Tukaram is in no way less than those who regard him a saint. Her devotion is that of a wife, not a devotee.

The acting in the film shows a remarkable blending of the dramatic, the lyrical and the casual neo-realistic gesture. Pagnis a minstrel before he came to film so identifies with the persona of Tukaram that viewers came to regard him a saint. Gauri plays Jijai with such consummate skill that it is hard to believe she had joint Prabhat Film Company as a menial. Hers is a fabulous performance and it is she who is the life of the film. The film breaks new ground with her earthy portrayal who energetically squeezes cow dung cakes for fuel and refuses to ascend to heaven preferring to stay back and look after the children.

Other innovations include the extraordinary track shot introducing Rameshwar Shastri to the town showing the people work in cadence to a song. Care has also been taken to give the different characters a different language for e.g. the language in the sequences of the villain is dramatic whereas the speech of his wife exhibits utter simplicity and robust strength.

Sant Tukaram smashed box office records particularly in Maharashtra and went on to become the first Indian Film to win an award at the prestigious Venice Film Festival in 1937

Namaste, im a Hindi speaking Bharatiya, just understand fragments of marathi. This is the first movie after watching, that i really do not have words to express. This movie is so good, that using words would not justify. So a humble effort at to express this movie in words. The initial thought was, "what kind of a movie would they make in the black and white era" But this movie brought tears to my eyes. This is a must watch movie for every individual on the planet.

It shows Sant Tukaram's single minded devotion towards Bhagwaan Pandurang and the intense adversity that He was able to overcome by Bhagwaan Pandurangs Grace. Sant Tukaram was the only saint to achieve sadheha mukti.

All the events in the movie are real (although there were a lot more events). The sattvikta of the actors, the acting, the speech, words and the spiritual energy in the words is unmatched. While watching the movie never for a minute does one ever feel that we are watching a movie or that the actors are playing a character. It feels like the entire life of a Saint flashing by as real, for each and every character. This is where the movie scores in ALL departments. So much of natural flow, depth and humility in the actors. You actually experience it!

Through the difficult and seemingly impossible events in life, Sant Tukaram's surrender, faith devotion (Bhakti) solves even the most complicated problems in life.

By the end of the movie, we all can learn an everlasting lesson. The same struggle of good people v/s the bad, the same things still continue even in todays times. Only the backdrop (Time) changes. This movie is applicable and practical even today.

I don't think this generation has ever witnessed such a movie. Honestly rating it 10/10 is also too less. No number can quantify the value of this movie. My only submission to anyone who gets across this review is to definitely watch this movie. And if possible do watch this movie with ones children.

I watched this movie once and then again, then again and again. I liked this movie very much. This movie is for one who believe in god or at-least searching for truth and devotion. Act of tukaram was best and realistic.It appears the actor is born to act as tukaram because he knows how to put across the reality of devotee and convey the truth by action.Movie is black and white but it did not affect much as the movie will show you the truth. In movie which is 80 to 90 year old actors, they are people of different era with less material and more of natural and spiritual surrounding. Movie will answer most of our doubts and please our heart and soul. Song is one of the pest parts which convey the real heart of tukaram. These devotees of India has left us so many sweet memories and treasure carying which any materialist human can cross over the ocean of worldly existence.