Butterfly Marathi Movie Review: Exudes warmth!

BUTTERFLY (Marathi)

Producers- Ajit Bhure

Director- Meera Welankar

Cast- Madhura Welankar-Satam, Abhijeet Satam, Pradeep Welankar, Radha Dharne and Mahesh Manjrekar

Platform of Release- Theatres

Rating-

By Jyothi Venkatesh

The woman-oriented film helmed by a woman director like Meera Welankar is all about pursuing one’s passion in life, whether one is married or not. Megha Deshpande (Madhura Welankar-Satam) , a housewife bogged down by the daily chores lives with her loving husband, Viraj Deshpande (Abhijeet Satam), their daughter, Ananya (Radha Dharne), and her father-in-law (Pradeep Welankar).

Though she joins badminton classes conducted by the coach Sahil (Mahesh Manjrekar) which she attends during the time her daughter takes tuitions, Megha doesn’t inform her family about her badminton coaching and trouble erupts when, in spite of being a fantastic player, she is unable to play in the first round of a match because the timing of the tournament clashes with her family commitments.

Sahil sir’s tough but effective training ignites Megha’s competitive spirit and teaches her the value of dedication. But a domestic misunderstanding spirals out of control and Megha’s double life catches up with her. Though the intentions of the drama are good, the path which the screenplay takes is not at all convincing enough. After a point of time, the screenplay becomes one of such convenience that it also becomes very predictable and sets out to let down the viewer.

Also read: Raveena Tandon Felicitates Filmmaker Onir with Kashish Rainbow Award at the 14th Kashish International Queer Film Festival

The first time director Meeraa Welankar takes naturally to the artform and it is evident by the creative narrative devices she uses, especially in the intro sequence. As far as performances are concerned, I’d say that Madhura Welankar-Satam lives her character of the housewife as Megha Deshpande, while Abhijeet Satam is good in the role of her doting husband Viraj Deshpande. Sonia Parchure is good as Megha’s sister-in-law, Amarja.

Mahesh Manjrekar lends able support as the badminton coach. Pradeep Welankar is just about adequate as Megha’s father-in-law. Radha Dharne is alright as Ananya, the daughter of Megha and Viraj. All the other actors lend just about routine support.

There is certain freshness to the film, which is highlighted by the effortless and also fluid cinematography. The film also sets out to explore a simple topic and manages to make you think without sermonising. All said and done, I’d sum up the film Butterfly as a film that exudes the warmth and familiarity of a play. The spot on casting of the characters coupled with beautiful dialogues writing breathes life into the story.