Tapal

Director – Laxman Utekar

Screenplay – Mangesh Hadawale

Cast – Nandu Madhav, Veena Jamkar, Milind Gunaji, Urmila Kanetkar

Let me begin by saying that Tapal is one of the best Marathi films of 2014. Rarely do you come across films which are made sans flaws. This film kept me glued to my seat right till the very end. And it had nothing exotic other than its simplicity.  

Two parallel stories run side by side. A child, Ranga, who is madly in love with Kokie (Yes that’s the girl’s name) and the Postmaster’s barren wife who is desperate for a child. The link between the two is the Postmaster who does his job without any expectations. Ranga writes a letter to express his love for Kokie. But an unfortunate incident forces him to resolve that it should not reach her. He seeks the help of the Postmaster which brings a twist to the tale.

Unlike Dadababu in Rabindranath Tagore’s story ‘The Postmaster’ (who hates his job and aspires to move to the city) our film’s ‘Master’ loves to deliver letters to villagers and share their moments of joy and sorrow. The film has little to do with letters and more to do with human emotions. A small misunderstanding can raise serious doubts on a man with deep integrity. And he won’t get an opportunity to explain.

Nandu Madhav has managed to deliver a gem of a performance as the Postmaster. Ditto for Veena Jamkar (as the Master’s wife) Child actors with buck teeth gained prominence after Taare Zameen Par. One of the many reasons which help Rohit Utekar (Ranga) steal the show. Jaywant Wadkar provides a valuable support as Patil.

The director has managed to depict village life of the 70’s with utmost ease. Cinematography is brilliant. Certain scenes shot on hillocks will blow you away. Other than the Lavani (which was an unnecessary addition) music lives up to the mark.

I am going with four out of five stars and two big thumbs up for Laxman Utekar’s Tapal. You will make an immediate connection and you might just shed a tear.