Songya Marathi Movie Review: Poignantly thought provoking!

SONGYA (Marathi)

Producers- Nishant Kakirde, Rahul Patil, Milind Inamdar

Director- Milin Inamdar

Cast- Rutuja Bagwe, Ajinkya Nanavare, Ganesh Yadav, Anil Gavas and Pradeep Doifode

Rating:

By Jyothi Venkatesh

Though we often set out to mouth platitudes in favour of women, it is indeed very sad that we seldom make it easy for them to live their own lives on their own terms and conditions as we thrust our own fads and foibles on them and make them toe our lines.

Even though women are free from bonds and the shackles of the societal norms today, sometimes they are seen falling prey to the insidious values of societal culture and the modesty of the family. Nirami Films has tried to draw attention to such a subject through sugar coating entertainment in a very light-hearted way.

Based on real events in modern India, Shubhra is a well-educated young girl, who financially supports her family. She falls for Yashraj, a well-educated boy, and decides to get married. Things turn ugly when she opposes the virginity test which puts her against powerful village leaders, even as her fiancé stands silent without speaking in her favor.

Deepak Yadav has penned this sensitive and poignant issue-based story based on two lovers, Shubhra and Yash Raj (Ajinkya Nanavare and Rituja Bagwe).  This love story unfolds about the two who get stuck in the entanglement of old customs and traditions. Shubhra, who does not surrender to the society, not only tolerates the injustice done to her but also raises her voice against such norms in order to open the eyes of the society at large.

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The representative character Shubhra raises awareness through her traditional bharudas, and hopes that she is able to save countless girls from becoming victims of blind beliefs. While Rituja Bagwe is excellent as the protagonist and gets into her character effortlessly with ease, Ajinkya Nanaware plays a half-baked character lacking integrity. It is Ganesh Yadav who elevates the plot with his character of the antagonist father-in-law of Shubra.

Along with entertainment, ‘Songya’ also sets out to deliver a poignant and vital message to the society, as far as emancipation of women is concerned.The film’s lyrics penned evocatively by Guru Thakur have been composed by Vijay Gawande. Cinematography is by Arvind Kumar and the slick editing is by Nilesh Gawand. To sum up, all said and done, I’d say that Songya, which awakens women’s power, is a sad but very contemporary commentary on the social situation in villages. The film is poignantly thought provoking though it is doubtful whether it will be patronised by the audiences especially since it lacks face value.