the_wrinkled_mind

'YZ' is yet another delightful product to emerge from the booming new-wave Marathi film industry, which is daring to think differently.

At core, YZ is a tale about the 33 year old, virgin, history lecturer, ABaB/Gajanan (played brilliantly by Sagar Deshmukh). Sagar is the quintessential nerd who hasn't grown up to be a man. Having invested all his youth in acquiring other essential things in life like degree,knowledge from books, job, etc, Gajanan never allowed himself to blossom into an adult, leaving him timid. He is scared of women, people and confrontations. He is terrified of expressing himself. Until he finds Batees (again wonderfully played by Akshay Tanksale), the complete opposite of him.

When Batees vows to make him more confident, we are left with a surprise. What Gajanan ends up learning in the end of the movie is a delightful little message for the audience.

The movie is from the stable of Sameer Vidwans and Kshitij Patwardhan, who gave us the equally wonderful Double Seat. The dialogues are one of the strongest attributes of this movie. Sai Tamhankar in a different kind of role is wonderful to see. Once again, Mukta Barve, who has a small part, steals the show. She is by far one of the best actresses in the country.

Go find your inner child with YZ. It's truly a beautiful movie.

I came across this movie on YouTube, and decided to give it a look. I firmly believed that this would be one of those good bad movies, which are corny but harmless fun movies to watch. But boy was I surprised.

The best thing about this movie, despite Steve Guttenberg and his lack of acting, and few loopholes, is that it keeps you absolutely hooked, from the start to the finish. Everyone else does their part well, but Brad Greenquist is absolutely brilliant. I loved Elizabeth McGovern as well, who did a good job with her character. She also gives strong Audrey Horne vibes.

Overall, it feels like a Alfred Hitchcock movie, and that in itself is a huge compliment.

Killa is a simple tale of a young Chinmay Kale and his short time in a village in Konkan, and yet it has so many layers. His anger towards leaving his old city, the loss of his father, the anxiety about living in a new place and meeting new people, the joy of making new friends and being accepted and finally the realization of his mother's importance, her grief, her struggles and acceptance of his own life.

All of the above is showed beautifully --- without exploiting any emotion or incident by overplaying the drama. Despite of that, every scene grabs you and your attention.

Debut film-maker Avinash Arun has done a fantastic job with direction and cinematography. But then again the canvas to work with was also beautiful. As someone who has a house in Konkan I can vouch for its beauty. Its white-sand beaches, clear blue seas, gorgeous light houses and lots and lots of coconut trees. Goa maybe the go to destination for many, but there are many hidden gems above in Maharashtra on that coastal line.

Amruta Subhash has done a good job, but that is expected from an actress of her caliber. But the movie belongs to the kids. They are the ones who surprise you and all of them are amazing. Parth Bhalerao will take all the credits for his role as the naughty Bandya, but Archit Deodhar (who played Chinmay Kale), Gaurish Gawade, etc are all brilliant as well. A special mention must be made to Umesh Jagtap who has a very small role of a drunk fisherman and he still leaves a mark.

Killa makes you laugh a lot and makes you sad in places, but best of all it takes you back to your own childhood, which would have been sprinkled with similar moments and friends.