Kokanastha

Script and Direction – Mahesh Manjrekar

Producer – Great Maratha Entertainment LLP

Music – Akshay Hariharan

Cast – Sachin Khedekar, Sonali Kulkarni, Upendra Limaye, Rohan Talwalkar, Vaidehi Parshurami, Vijay Kadam, Jitendra Joshi and others.

          If an individual with strong morals and weak outlook is challenged by the society then he ends up being a revolutionary. That’s the basic plot of any Mahesh Manjrekar flick, be it Mee ShivajiRaje Bhosale Boltoy, Shikshanachya Aaicha Gho, Kakasparsha or the recent release Kokanastha which is a remake of his own dud ‘Viruddh’. This film sucks to such an extent that you’ll feel the urge to stage a dharna outside Manjrekar’s office for misguiding the people to spend their money on it.

          An elderly Kokanastha couple’s (Sachin Khedekar and Sonali Kulkarni’s) life is disturbed when Gautam Pagare (Upendra Limaye) opens a garage in their outhouse. In due course both parties exchange an olive branch. The couple is overjoyed when their son Rohan (Rohan Talwalkar) returns to India with his newlywed wife Vidya (Vaidehi Parshurami). Shortly Rohan is murdered by the Home minister’s son and is indicted as a drug dealer. When legal remedies for justice fail the father seeks vengeance.  

          Thus the film has nothing new to offer. The title itself is misleading. Accurate KoBra culture is not at all covered (except one background score wherein the word is repeated like the Govinda chant of Sarkar). Where in Pune will you find a woman approaching their rich neighbours for a thing as simple as coffee powder?  This is the ‘chawl’ culture of Mumbai and not the Konkanastha culture of Pune. Plus those rich bungalow dwellers definitely do not begin their morning with the word ‘Suprabhat.

          The repetitive acting (and overacting) will not escape your eyes. I have some genuine suggestions for the actors. Sachin Khedekar is the new Vikram Gokhale of Marathi industry – a stereotype with the same expressions in every film. He should consult Alok Nath for improvements. Sonali Kulkarni must first search and then scan her NSD Delhi textbooks. The newcomers Rohan and Vaidehi are in desperate need of funds to join an acting school. And last but not the least..... Upendra Limaye needs to live in Sadashiv Peth to get over that village tone.  

          The biggest culprit is Mahesh Manjrekar. Let me first highlight the minor flaws. The song in the first half is unnecessary and inserted purely to increase the length of the film. Rahul Ranade never fits in the group of old men (he’s way too young). Bhalchandra Kadam and Vaibhav Mangle have been wasted. The poem (or whatever that was) by the father-son duo (to express their affection) has the worst possible rhymes (Kanti Shah’s Gunda had better).  What was Akshay Hariharan’s contribution as the music director? There’s only one song in the entire film. Two brands - Sumeru and Gold Ringe have been poorly placed in the film.

          And now we come to some noticeable flaws. Sachin Khedekar’s spectacles include only the frame. Vaidehi’s tone suddenly transforms from being ‘part Gujarati’ to ‘complete Marathi’. In his background role Rohan looks more like a Southie (due to his attire). Vijay Kadam recovers immediately after getting a thrashing from Upendra Limaye. When Khedekar visits the culprit’s office to record his confession the logo of Amanora is clearly seen on furniture while the reception board suggested something else. A threat by a gang is enough to infuse the spirit of RSS which is limited to a fight scene. And here’s the best – the RSS stick blow can create a ‘south super effect'.

          I expected some positives out of this film. But it’s trash and hence you should trash it. I’m going with one out of five stars for ‘Kokanastha’. Take a break Mr Manjrekar. You need it.