Naal (2018)

Naal (English : Bond ) is a Marathi film. Written & directed by Sudhakar Reddy Yakkanti. Produced by Nagraj Manjule. Starring Shrinivas Pokale, Nagraj Manjule, Devika Daftardar.

Chaitanya, nicknamed Chaitya, is an eight year old mischievous boy living in a remote village in Maharashtra. His father is a small-time landlord. Chaitya has a loving mother & an old grandmother.

The family also owns a chicken farm, a cow & a calf. The film explores his family relationships when he comes to know that his mother is not his real mother. His entire world comes crashing down.

It was released on 16 November 2018. It was shot in the real locations than sets & was mainly shot in Bhandara- Gondia.

A box office hit, it garnered est. Rs 31.3 crores. It received Critical & commercial success upon release. It is year’s highest grossing Marathi film.

At the 66th National Film awards 2019, the film won the Best First Film of a Director trophy. Sudhakar Reddy Yakkanti, ace cameraman of ‘Deool’, ‘Nautanki Saala!’, ‘Sairat’, ‘Veere Di Wedding’ debut as a director of this film.

He also wrote story & screen play as a ‘small world of a boy, his clumsy nature & ultimate unexpected turn of events’.

The Times of India review said ‘Naal’ is a beautiful piece of work, mostly because of it’s emotional story & performances’.

Jimmy Cage of Rotten Tomatoes described the film as , ‘Naal is a beautiful little film with a heartwarming, fresh story, a great cast & wonderful, rousing cinematography’

Scroll.in concluded as ‘ Naal has moments that cause lumps in the throat. While Chaitanya’s adventures border on the comic, it’s advisable to keep a box of tissues handy when the boy confronts the confounding world of grown-ups.’

The song ‘Jaav De Na Va’ was a hit then. It has all the emotions that the child wishes to do.

In search of his biological mother he resorts to certain tricks. Tossing marbles on the ground, so the grandmother should fall. He wants to go & meet his mother. Come what may.

Finally when he meets his mother, that scene is so sweet. What I liked is that no scene is dragged nor is anything out of place. The village, inhabitants come across as real, naïve & innocent.