Valu – The Wild Bull

Saw "Valu - The Wild Bull", a Marathi language film. I don't remember the last Marathi film I saw in the theatre. Did I ever see one?

Valu is about a small village in Maharashtra, which finds itself in fear of a destructive wild bull. Two city officials arrive to catch the bull, which they find far more tricky than they anticipate. They travel with a documentary filmmaker from the city who films their mission. The camera interests and involves the village folk far more than cornering the bull. After many adventures of their own and with the village elders and inhabitants, they finally succeed. The film looks at village life on many levels, ranging from political rivalry, family tensions, forbidden love, all of which is observed with wit and subtlety. What emerges are aspects of the human mind: on one side a sense of curiosity, mystery, competitiveness and friendship, and on the other, abrasive egos, the blinkered one-sidedness of religion, and the tenacious will and need to survive.

Source: http://www.screenindia.com/fullstory.php?content_id=18673

Everyone of us liked the film. Lakshmikant also gave his mark of approval on the technicalities of the film.

Pros:

  • Well defined characters and strong performances.
  • Universal humor. More of situational and character based humor.
  • Compact. Not even for a second did my mind wander away from the movie.
  • Beautiful picturization. The village has been portrayed realistically.
  • Relief. No fake looking enacting of popular Bollywood movies.

Promo of the movie:

View other promos.

A sure must see after Shwaas.

Chak De India

You right! Saw the movie yesterday and just loved it.

Chak De India is amongst those very few sports movies from India which look real on screen. For me, the only other movie which holds this distinction is Lagaan. You really feel that the game is on and end up cheering for your team.

[continue reading if you have already see the movie as I would be disclosing the climax scene. I recommend you to go and watch it in the theaters]

Now the most interesting part of the movie. Few week back I had read the review of the movie online. The reviewer said that he hoped India had won the World Cup Final at the end. So, I knew India is gonna loose the Final. Now everything at the end was turning to be too dramatic and in the back of my mind I was thinking whatever it is India is going to loose. Now just before Bindia Naik took the last shot in the decider penalty shootout which made the scores India - 5 & Aus - 4, I said to myself "I don't care about the review. India just has to win this. Chak De India." Thats what happened, Bindia scored and Australia missed the last penalty stroke. I am so HaPpY we won.