There comes a day in a person’s life that changes their fate forever. Sometimes it is for their good while at other times, it is an unpleasant change that teaches them the value of certain things in life. Marathi film Nashibvaan is based on one such incidence in a person’s life. Starring Bhau Kadam along with Mitalee Jagtap Varadkar and Neha Joshi, the film has been directed by Amol Vasant Gole.
The team of Nashibvaan paid the Sakal Times office a visit and shared their experience of shooting the movie and how fate sometimes can bring about positive changes in life.
Amol Gole has been a cinematographer for commercially hit Bollywood movies like Stanley Ka Dabba, Hawaa Hawaai and the National Award-winning Marathi movie — Elizabeth Ekdashi. These were the movies that made an impact on the audiences not only for their content but also for the way the story was told through visuals.
Nashibvaan is the story of Babanrao played by Bhau Kadam, a cleaner with Bombay Municipal Corporation who lives with his wife (Mitalee) and two kids. The movie shows the struggles of his life, the primary among them being the ordeal of cleaning filthy places. But one day an event takes place in his life and he starts earning lots of money. That brings a great change in his lifestyle but also creates a few problems in his family life.
Amol says that when it came to directing Nashibvaan, his experience of working with the best of the best from the movie industry came handy. “I have always believed in being like a sponge or a blank slate. I love learning new things and try working with them every now and then. Shooting Nashibvaan was an experience in itself because of the challenges we faced and also because I got to work with the biggies of the Marathi industry.”
For Bhau Kadam too, shooting for the film was a one-of-a-kind experience. “Right from preparing for the role to actually shooting, it was good fun to appear absolutely with no makeup, in the most natural way,” Bhau says.
He believes it was fate that he was chosen to play the role. “I understood the importance of the khaki uniform that the sweepers wear. Just like the police, cleaners too play an important role in our lives. I realised the kind of hardships they face to earn money to provide for their families,” he adds.
Mitalee, who plays the role of Bhau’s wife, says that the character she has played is the mirror image of her off-screen self. “The role I play is a very loving and homely woman. Moreover, I am the only person in the movie who knows exactly what is going on with Babanrao, no matter how people outside of his work and friend circles look at him,” says the actor who had won the National Award for Babu Band Baaja.
The experience of shooting in a 10x10 room was something that she enjoyed the most other than the storyline which is so new and refreshing, Mitalee says. “The room that we shot in was so tiny that when we shot the scene of me cooking a meal on the chullah, the entire room was very hot and we were literally sweating. And Amol did not let us take a break to get our touch-up done because he wanted the movie to be as realistic as possible. When you watch it, you will realise these details,” she says.
Talking about the risk of directing a comedy with a message, Amol says that these days, investing in a movie or directing it is full of risks anyway. “Last year, we saw how even the biggest names in the industry could not leave a mark on the minds of the audience. It is the content that leads the movie, be it in Bollywood or Marathi industry. And sometimes it is worth taking a risk when you know the story is worth telling and the cast consists people you believe in,” he observes. Nashibvaan is set to release on January 11.
