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Reviews
Ek Nirnay... Swatahacha Swatasathi (2019)
Pathetic
The writer has chosen a good subject but does not seem to have an intellectual calibre to understand or put forth the ideas related to liberalism or feminism. The movie comes across as confused as the writer of the story seems to be.
Yes, Vikram Gokhale's character is right when he support's daughter's right to choose to not go for a child since her choices can not depend on the expectations of the society. But that holds true even after divorce when she seeks sperm donation from her ex-husband. The choice the guy makes - whether to yield to her absurd request or not can not and should not depend on the expectations of what will make someone else happy. It can only be exercised by his own free will.
Yet the movie continues to drift away for what appears to be an endless number of hours.
Postcard (2014)
One of the best movies I have seen during the lockdown
Firstly, given the abrupt end, it is subject to interpretations and I am surprised I don't see the reviews here or on the net are not discussing the interpretation of the spookiness of the mask and the abrupt end.
Secondly, the review below has some spoilers so would like the folks to watch the movie first.
The story one: The old man was in a debt trap worth Rs. 1000 and earnestly wished for money to be able to pay off the debt before he can meet his children and wife living in a different village. He expressed his wish by writing a letter to God. The wish does get fulfilled to the extent of just 700 which the post-man's wife accidentally reads and she has just 700 savings that she could help with. An apparent deficit of Rs.300. He had the mask in his possession all through the time. Save this thought as you read through.
Second story: Lisa Kamble wished for her dad to come and see her ever since 1942 when unknown to her, he had died in a road accident. She kept writing the letter for years since but her dad (obviously) did not meet her nor replied. And yet his ghost comes to see her at the hostel suddenly. Turns out that as she is talking to the postman at the bar she owns, the postman sees a mask on the wall that looks the same like the mask the old in the first story had. She does mention that a drunkard drank Rs 300 worth of wine and did not have money to pay. So she compensated herself by taking that mask from the drunkard. So this mask value is set at 300 and incidentally her wish that her dad come to see her also gets fulfilled only after that incident.
Story 3: The tawaaif has a lover who rarely communicates with her or comes to meet her. When he does come, she begs him to take her with him but he is not able to because she is bonded to her profession and her owners won't release her free unless the bond is paid off and he doesn't have the money. Turns out that a magician in the village is selling same kind of mask (guess the amount) for Rs.300..A mask that fulfils your wish once you buy it. The tawaaif buys it and wishes for money that can pay off the bond and voila, the postman arrives with a money-order but deliberately does not deliver the letter that had come along with the money because it would have broken her heart. Point to note..She wished only for money and that's the only thing that arrived. She next wished that the guy who loves her also come to her. The postman returns this time out of guilt to deliver the letter of her beloved's death and the fact that the money was from his will. So again her wish to the mask comes true ..Left to our conclusion that the postman had fallen in love with her (also shown in an earlier clip when he had come to the kotha to just see her dance).
So apparently the mask was a wish-fulfilling mask that fulfilled the owner's wish only exactly. In the first story the old man already had the mask worth 300 with him and his total monetary need was 1000. So he got only 700.
In the second story Lisa's wish that her dad come to see her gets fulfilled after she owns the mask.
In the third story, both the wishes of the tawaaif are fulfilled after she buys the mask.
But the soldier of the second story continues to haunt as seen in the last scene..Apparently because he did come to see his daughter but he doesn't actually get to meet her. So he is still not resting in peace.
The movie is absolutely must watch for not just those who love marathi cinema but those who love movies in general. My 10/10 for the story, cinematography, brilliant acting by all and choreography (kathak in the 3rd story).