It is surprising how so few movies can hold up well over time. Most comedies that were made years ago do not age well and their jokes seem juvenile. Charlie Chaplin is one, for instance, who bores the hell out of me. His jokes only evoke a slight chuckle, if at all.
Not so with Dada Kondke. His sense of slapstick was remarkable. His sense of timing and his wit was nothing short of genius. He also remains one of the most misunderstood and loathed film maker in Indian cinema. Its too bad that not too many people have seen any of his works.
In saying all of this I must also mention that it helps to understand basic Marathi since the village accent makes it more difficult to understand. However Dada always throws in a smattering of Hindi and English in most of his movies which gives them a universal appeal. Not knowing Marathi will not take too much out of his movie watching experience.
Dada used to make movies for the masses and based his movies in local Maharashtrian villages. The main lead he played was usually the same person much like Tati and his Monsieur Hulot. However Tati does not create the raucous laughter that Dada's films generate.
Dada's movies are usually about the struggle of the main protagonist, who is usually a simple minded fool, against people holding power in society or the family. In all of his movies the weirdo's the one who gets the girl. And don't we just love that? He also tackles social issues in his movies but in hilarious ways.
Hyoch Navra Pahije is classic film making. The storyline is quite simple but the fun lies in the execution. The acting is top class and none of the actors seem wooden. The pacing of the story and the jokes are excellent which shows the brilliance of the film maker.
The only drawback in this movie was that it was only available on VCD format which creates a lot of problems in the player and the quality of the film is not too good. It may not happen but hopefully some company will revive the film and provide subtitles for his movies to be made available to world audiences.
Not so with Dada Kondke. His sense of slapstick was remarkable. His sense of timing and his wit was nothing short of genius. He also remains one of the most misunderstood and loathed film maker in Indian cinema. Its too bad that not too many people have seen any of his works.
In saying all of this I must also mention that it helps to understand basic Marathi since the village accent makes it more difficult to understand. However Dada always throws in a smattering of Hindi and English in most of his movies which gives them a universal appeal. Not knowing Marathi will not take too much out of his movie watching experience.
Dada used to make movies for the masses and based his movies in local Maharashtrian villages. The main lead he played was usually the same person much like Tati and his Monsieur Hulot. However Tati does not create the raucous laughter that Dada's films generate.
Dada's movies are usually about the struggle of the main protagonist, who is usually a simple minded fool, against people holding power in society or the family. In all of his movies the weirdo's the one who gets the girl. And don't we just love that? He also tackles social issues in his movies but in hilarious ways.
Hyoch Navra Pahije is classic film making. The storyline is quite simple but the fun lies in the execution. The acting is top class and none of the actors seem wooden. The pacing of the story and the jokes are excellent which shows the brilliance of the film maker.
The only drawback in this movie was that it was only available on VCD format which creates a lot of problems in the player and the quality of the film is not too good. It may not happen but hopefully some company will revive the film and provide subtitles for his movies to be made available to world audiences.
