Marathi movie Jayanti, directed by Shailesh Narwade, produced by Meliorist Film Studio and starring Ruturaj Wankhede, Titeeksha Tawde and Milind Shinde, has been making records in Maharashtra, despite a strong competition from the Bollywood, and pandemic-induced constraints. Ahead of its screening in Toronto, IBNS Canada writer Debarati Mukherjee reports
The unconventional theme of Marathi movie Jayanti celebrates the path-breaking solutions to unite the youth against idolatry and casteism.
According to director Shailesh Narwade, his inspiration and idea behind the film came a few years ago during the 125th birth anniversary celebrations of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, the architect of India’s Constitution.
“In April 2016 I saw many big and small social movements and organizations in India and abroad preparing for and organizing the 125th birth anniversary of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar,” says Narwade.
He adds, “I started wondering what will happen to those youth who are spending so much of their time and energy for such celebrations? How do such celebrations align with the purpose of their lives? Do they even have any purpose in life? How can Jayanti become a catalyst and therefore lead to a true occasion for celebration of not only the icons but also the transformation of these youth?
“The more I thought about it, the more I realized the complexity of the subject and eventually realized that perhaps a full-length feature film script could be a good way to explore answers to these questions.”
But directing an unconventional film has its own challenges.
