Sangeet Manapman

Sangeet Manapmaan (2024) : Movie Review -

Sangeet Manapmaan's story has lived for years and will continue to do so. Krishnaji Prabhakar Khadilkar introduced Manapmaan in 1911, and the story has transcended itself over the decades without credit. I can easily recall hundreds of old Hollywood, Bollywood, Tamil, and Telugu movies that have copied scenes from this original material, including modern mega blockbusters like Bahubali. Subodh Bhave decided to bring this heavyweight story to life again on the silver screen, only to achieve subpar results. Sangeet Manapmaan has some good moments, but it is dragged down by overly dramatic scenes and the utter expressionism that we witnessed in silent movies back in the 1910s-1920s, which we now see in daily soaps.

Sangeet Manapmaan is a great story that beautifully mixes multiple themes such as love, ego, jealousy, courage, arrogance, honor, revenge, and humiliation. It begins with a simple lower-class man, Dhairyadhar (Subodh Bhave), who finds an expensive ornament belonging to the princess, Bhamini (Vaidehi Parashurami)z which he fails to return at that moment. The third side of this love triangle is formed by sub-commander Chandravilas (Sumeet Raghavan), who loves Bhamini and wants to marry her. Bhamini rejects his proposal, and the next moment her father suggests that she should consider Dhairyadhar, who has recently been taken as a soldier in the commander's army. High on the ego and arrogance of her beauty and wealth, Bhamini becomes furious with her father's suggestion and insults Dhairyadhar's mother. After calming down, when she goes to apologize to Dhairyadhar, he insults her in rage. Bhamini now must take revenge on Dhairyadhar by exposing his secret agenda, and for that, she disguises herself as a kitchen maid named Vanmala. Will she be proven right?

Those who have seen the original play know that Manapmaan is more about Vanmala than Bhamini because it is only after becoming Vanmala that she realizes what Bhamini lacked. The first half hour of the film is filled with over-expressionism that does not suit modern cinematic standards. After an hour or so, things start to improve, and then the intermission comes at just the right time. The second half feels much better than the first half, but the finale is again dragged out and overly dramatic. For a moment or two, I couldn't believe that Subodh Bhave, who directed the masterpiece Katyaar Kaljat Ghusali, could make so many directorial mistakes while adapting another iconic musical play. He is not the only one to blame, but we must all accept that the story has become outdated for today's audience. Bhave was allowed to make those mistakes since the story was dated, but he could have modernized a few elements, which he failed to do. Even though it has lovable moments, one can't overlook the overly dramatic treatment of the narrative. Additionally, the overuse of sound design and background score further detracts from the viewing experience. In short, it's half a movie and half daily soap material.

Subodh Bhave is such a lucky fella! First, he gets to portray q female role of Bhamini while playing Balgandharva on screen, and now he portrays Dhairyadhar in the movie, opposite the female role made memorable by Balgandharva. In my opinion, Dhairyadhar is the true hero of this tale. I'd like to disagree with a large portion of the audience, who have portrayed Bhamini as the true hero over the years. Dhairyadhar is smart, brave, and kind. He hasn't done a bad thing in his life, unlike every other character in the story. Bhave portrays him with honesty, but it's nowhere near his own standard. He played Sadashiv much better than this. Vaidehi Parashurami has a meaty role, but I can't really imagine anyone else playing Bhamini and Vanmala after knowing that Balgandharva has made it memorable with his elegance, beauty, and voice, despite being a man. Nevertheless, Vaidehi deserves a few words of appreciation for her dedication and sweetness in portraying this character. I liked her more as Vanmala than Bhamini, just as the writer envisioned while creating this character. Many actresses have played similar roles in countless rom-coms, screwball comedies, and such, so there wasn't really much substantial to carry. Sumit Raghavan and Upendra Limaye's negative roles stand out much better on many occasions, which is a significant achievement. Neena Kulkarni, Nivedita Saraf, Archana Nipankar, Shailesh Datar, and others have done decently.

Sangeet Manapmaan lacks the musical magic of Katyaar, despite the same team. Thanks to Hrutu Vasant and some songs like "Nahi Me Bolat," "Mala Madan Bhase," and "Shura Me Vandile" from the original play that keep it afloat. The new original numbers should have been better. In the play, the songs are sung by the actors, so they cannot engage with the moving narrative. Here, playback makes it easy for Bhave and Parashurami to have their own moments of romance, love, dreams, and action. The action sequences here are poorly designed and fail to impress. In some scenes, the visual effects look grand and great, but the rest are strictly average. Shankar Mahadevan appears in a cameo and brings his magic yet again. I had high expectations from Subodh Bhave as a director, especially after what he achieved in his debut, Kartaar, but unfortunately, Sangeet Manapmaan didn't live up to my expectations. It's an okay project, but "okay" is not enough when you are adapting an iconic play, especially with such a good team and excellent production value. There has been a shift in audience preferences as well as our filmmaking since 2016, and the results are apparent to everyone. Today's audience doesn't really want to see any musicals. Katyaar got lucky that it came during the golden phase of Marathi cinema, and moreover, it was a great film. I doubt Manapmaan will come anywhere close to that!

RATING - 5/10*

A musical Fairytale that breaks all the old biases. It almost feels like a story of today. The story is set in Sangrampur, a fantasy kingdom. The locations are very beautiful, the costume play is unparalleled, some scenes are aesthetically so pleasing that they almost feel like coming out of a painting of Raja Ravi Verma. The movie has 14 songs, sung by 18 singers. The songs are not mere attachments, they are an important part of the narrative, they take the story ahead, so for the first time I heard each and every word of the lyrics and realized the lyrics were so meaningful. You want drama, it has drama, you want action it has the best action, you want romance, then it is definitely one of the most romantic movies you will watch this year, you want music, it has the best music for the soul, you want dialogues, it has the dialogues that will stay with you forever, you want grandeur, it has it all! The background music, cinematography, VFX, editing, designing everything is top notch.

Subodh Bhave as a director is a true magician, he raises the bar of expectations of the audience every time he directs. Katyar Kaljat Ghusli, his directorial debut was indeed a masterpiece, after which Sangeet Manapman yet again surprises us with his exceptional performance as a director and actor both! The candle lighting scene of Zarina and Sadashiv was aesthetically astounding, and the diya lighting another diya scene in Sangeet Manapman was phenomenal! This is a kind of a movie that you will regret watching on OTT. It is a must watch in the theatre kind of a movie!!

Happy Watching, -Siddhi Bhosale.

Sangeet Manapmaan, the iconic Marathi natak - a classic that's stood the test of time and will likely outlive us all. Remaking it into a film for the modern audience was always going to be ambitious, but here we are. The result? Well, let's just say it's a mixed bag.

The first half of the film is an absolute treat. It's like stepping into a time machine but with better lighting and sound. The actors? Marvellous! Each one has embraced their role with gusto, and they rightly deserve a standing ovation. It's the kind of effort that would make even the original playwright crack a smile.

But then comes the second half, and this is where things start to feel a tad, shall we say, creative. The filmmakers have taken liberties with the plot-so much so that at one point, it felt like watching Bahubali. The graphics and animations are fine, could have been done better maybe.

The climax, however, is drawn-out, loses the momentum and feels slow. Still, if you're judging the film solely on the performances, it's a solid watch. The actors shine bright, and the music-oh, the music! Hats off to Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy for their beautiful renditions, and the singers deserve a round of applause too.

Now, if you were to ask your parents or fans of the original play, they might have mixed emotions about the adaptation. But such is the challenge of reimagining a classic - it's a bit like trying to modernise Shakespeare. Bold, but you'll always have someone pointing out that the original was better.

All in all, it's worth a watch - just don't expect it to dethrone the original in your family's living room debates.

Watching Sangeet Manapman felt like reliving the golden era of Marathi musical theatre. Through this film, Subodh Bhave has not only brought a classic play to the big screen but also beautifully captured the emotions and rich cultural heritage behind it.

For those who appreciate Marathi musical dramas, this film is nothing short of a celebration. The background score, cinematography, and dedicated performances by the cast elevate the film to a whole new level. The authenticity in storytelling and the powerful performances make it a truly immersive experience.

Subodh Bhave's direction is impeccable. He has not just presented the story but has infused life into it. Every scene maintains the theatrical essence while immersing the audience in a different era.

10/10 Rating!

This film is an unforgettable experience. I give it 10/10 and wholeheartedly congratulate Subodh Bhave and his entire team. Anyone who cherishes Marathi musical theatre must watch this masterpiece!

A Masterpiece Musical Drama... subodh always awesome... with Nostalgical songs... the story plot great...best cinematography... all the actors are remarkable performance... sumit always fantastic... very well done all the singers... engaging storyline... superb dialoug... awesome costumes design... set designs recommendable... don't miss this fantastic experience... and see our marathi culture is very bright and beautiful... must show our youth generation this musical drama acted very appealing and remarkable... must enjoy this... worth it cinema start this new year... subodh congratulations for this great movie and all the best for many more to come like this one...lots of love.