Panghrun (Cover Up; or Cloak It) blew me away. A powerful film that explores woman's sexuality through a matrimonial setting, it objectively describes the plight of a woman (Gauri Ingavale) thrown into the confusion of life that stems from the execution of expectations that society puts on her first with a child marriage to an unknown person and then through superstitious customs as a widow. She is then further asked to maintain the traditional circle with a remarriage, this time to a widower double her age and who is still not free from his previous relationship from which he now has two kids. Mahesh Manjrekar's Marathi romantic period drama follows the woman and her desires as she begins a new life in this man's house. She is less a wife and more a caretaker for the two daughters who expressively call her 'mother' but for a young woman as herself, in her prime and with a desire to quench her lust, has other things in mind. The duty of a husband is more than psychological and social is what Panghrun highlights but it is so subtle in its approach, accentuated by the marvelous performances by the cast, it is going to make you gasp in awe every few minutes. The woman is told it's not her fault that she got married at a young age or when her husband died but she is blamed when something untoward happens later, an effect that has long been developing because of her husband, a scholar and a popular figure in the village in Konkan and yet so oblivious. He is a respected personage in the vicinity who has enough wisdom to do what's right, but fails to perform or even detect a signal that's so beautiful and important in the field of matrimony, it shows that no man/woman is entirely capable of everything.
I am absolutely stunned by Ingavale's performance where she plays the role with so much conviction she drives the film on her own shoulders. I can't believe how an amateur actor like her can put up a show that's so mature, especially when dealing with topics that are purely adult. Panghrun in every way is a mature film for a mature audience. It is groundbreaking just for having the courage to chase the topics of woman's sexuality - that women are sexual beings too and which often gets ignored in the grand scheme of matrimony in a country like India - and matrimony and marital pleasure and religious customs. It has dance performances with Mozart playing on a gramophone, touchy romance, little comedy through dialogues, a form of energetic classical dance, fabulous Marathi classical hymns, and an overall perfect execution. By the end of Panghrun, you will stand up and applaud. TN.
(Watched and reviewed at its world premiere at the 21st MAMI Mumbai Film Festival.)
