When Balgandharva preformed to packed drama houses during his heydays, the state of the audience could be described in one word: Mesmerized. So captivating was his charm (he performed more female roles as women were not allowed by society to perform in those days) and his voice, the audiences felt as if he was a performance from god. Legendary freedom fighter Bal Gangadhar Tilak once heard him sing and gave him the name of Gandharva - a heavenly being.
Almost a century later, Nitin Chandrakant Desai has attempted to recreate the magic through his movie Balgandharva. Desai is known for his grand sets and costumes, which contributed a big way towards the success of Jodha Akbar. Thats suits the movie's script as Balgandharva himself was known for his high living.
The duration of two hours is probably too short to showcase the life of a "happening" personality of those times.. as they say in Marathi..akashala chimpit pakdu pahanya sarkha aahe..but the writer has made a good attempt nevertheless. Subodh Bhave fits the role perfectly. His performances of Sangeet natak (musical drama), for which Balgandharva was really known, makes you feel you are actually in those old days. Balgandharva worked with many personalities of those times, like Govindaro Tembe, and always believed in giving the best to his audiences. His unwavering commitment to art is shown when he performs even on coming to know about his daughter's death.
The movie does not devote much time to his family life. Vibhavari Deshpande (of Harishchandrachi factory fame) again plays a similar role, this time it gets more poignant towards the end.
Balgandharva's talent brought him enormous wealth, but his opulent lifestyle and his reluctance to appreciate commercial realties also resulted in huge debts, which took years to repay. With his increasing age and with the audience for drama decreasing rapidly with the advent of movies, the sun starts setting in his life.
As he accepts the new reality, his words remind you of of Shakepeare's quotes :
All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts...
This movie is a must watch for many reasons, even for those (like me) who do not understand or appreciate classical music. Firstly it tells the story of an artist who was probably the greatest ever Maharashtra has produced . Secondly Subodh Bhave's performance makes you feel as if you actually watching the great man himself. And thirdly the excellent sets and jewelery make the whole thing grand on a scale never seen in Marathi movies.
As with balgandharva's performances, this movie deserves a "once more".
