Marathi film Pindadaan

Their journey from being coveted Fashion photographers to filmmakers was a natural transition.Bunty Prashant, the maverick fashion photographer duo, is best known for turning the most average person into a glamorous diva with the click of the camera. The duo forayed into filmmaking couple of years ago by making a trilogy of short films. Now after testing the waters Bunty Prashant are making their debut Marathi feature film titled Pindadaan.

Ask them, how they came up with the idea of making Pindadaan and the filmmaker -duo says, “A close friend narrated a real life incident experience related to final rituals which were performed after death. The subject remained in our minds.

Later when we were hunting for scripts for our debut feature film, we read many scripts but liked none of them. It’s an unwritten rule that the subject of your first feature film should be close to your heart and one should relate to the subject. Then we accidently met scriptwriter Avinash Ghodke who expanded the story. From a one line story, it was turned it into a hard bound script.”

Prashant further adds, “For an artist it’s very important to like the subject. You should be able to visualise the film in its entirety before you can put it down on celluloid. Like a painter, you have to a clear picture in your mind before you actually start painting it. If you want to make a film, you should be inspired enough to ‘see’ it in your mind first.”

                                                          (Filmmaker duo Bunty Prashant)

The story of the film touches upon the sensitive subject of woman not allowed to take part in certain rituals. “The story of the film is very unique and it will definitely make one think about this issue which is considered a taboo in our society. It is very much today’s film. Considering that the audience has matured and is accepting different concepts, this is an ideal time to make this film,” avers Prashant.

But isn’t it a huge risk to choose such a serious subject for their debut film?  Prashant says, “The thought of the film is spiritual but the film itself is not very heavy. The writer has kept the story lighter while keeping its crux intact. Pindadan also has a sweet love triangle. It’s about three people falling in love and the intricacies of their lives.”

Making a debut film wasn’t a cake walk for the duo who faced many challenges along the way. “Even after script of the film was ready, the tough part was to find and cast a foreigner. We needed a good looking London based girl who could speak Marathi throughout the film. For us it was important that the girl should understand the sensibilities of Maharashtrian culture. We auditioned many foreign actresses. It took us two months to finalize the girl. It was only later that we finalized the main lead accordingly.”

The interesting part is they zeroed on a Pune based girl Paula to play the role of the firangi girl from London. Though Paula came for the audition, she was cast in the film without her actually appearing for it. “Her sensibilities and understanding of Marathi culture and her command on the language were mindboggling. She could even understand the nuances of the Marathi language. Paula plays a parallel lead in the film. Since our main lead, played by Siddharth Chandekar is tall, good looking and charming, we wanted somebody who looked equally good and matched his style. Both the characters hail from  London and are very polished and stylish,” informs Prashant.

The film stars Manava Naik as the female lead opposite Siddharth. “We wanted a mature looking actress for the part with a clear understanding of the film medium and Manava Naik fitted the role perfectly,” explains Prashant.

The lyrics of the film are penned by noted lyricists Mandar Cholkar and Vaibhav Joshi. The music is composed by young and upcoming music director Sagar Dhote. “Music is one of the strong points of our film apart from Cinematography. Sagar Dhote has composed melodious soulful music and we are very happy with it,” says the filmmaker duo.

  ( The leading man: Siddharth Chandekar)

 ( Class apart: leading lady Manava Naik)

The songs in the film are rendered by Anandi Joshi, Priyanka Barve, Abhay Jodhpurkar, Savani Ravindra, Rohit Shyam Raut.

The film was shot in a heritage wada in Phaltan. “This wada is an integral part of the film. We had been hunting for the perfect location for a long time. Finally we stumbled upon Naik-Nimbalkar’s heritage wada in Phaltan and it fitted the bill perfectly. The wada is 400 year old and 50 percent of the shooting took place there while rest was shot at Bhor. Pindadan is a very powerful film, visually. You will find beautiful shots of nature – wide open skies, rolling mountains and shimmering lakes.”

Interestingly the entire film was wrapped in 25 days. “Since it was our first film, rather than indulging in too much pre-shoot publicity, we decided to wrap it up first . A total of 70 people were stationed at Phaltan for 18   days. The local people were extremely co-operative which is why the shoot proceeded without a hitch.

( On the set of the film)

The duo is very confident that though it is a Marathi film, it has good prospects both in Indian as well as overseas market. “The look and the feel of the film are very universal and that is its USP. Even the sensibilities of the film are global.

Just like their earlier ventures, Prashant Patil has directed the film while Bunty Deshpande has handled its cinematography. “Since our vision is similar and he visualizes every shot before scanning, he becomes half a director. We are the perfect collaborators,” smiles Prashant.

Pindadaan is co-produced by Ashtika Era .L.LP.The star cast of the film comprises actors Siddharth Chandekar, Manava Naik, Sanjay Kulkarni, Prasad Pandit, Madhav Abhyankar, Milind Dastane and Farida Dadi. The story, screenplay and dialogues are written by Avinash Ghodke. Costumes designed by Deepali Deshpande are the highlight of the film. While makeup is done by Rahul Raj Ponkshe, the dance sequences are choreographed by Sai and Shreyas. Art direction is done by Satish Chipkar and Nilesh Gavand has edited the film.

The film is presently at post-production stage. “We are looking at an October release.  “We need to tie up with a presenter or a release partner. Conceptually, it is a very different film and will be a visual treat for the audience,” promises Prashant.

Even as Pindadan readies for a release, Bunty-Prashant have another Marathi film in their kitty. “We have been offered a film by a Pune based producer. We are looking out for a script,” concludes Prashant.