Happily married

Directed by Sumitra Bhave and Sunil Sukhtankar,Gho Mala Asla Hava is one of the seven films in the Marathi Competition at the Pune International Film Festival (PIFF).

A story of Savitri a rural young girl,she revolts against the custom of matchmaking by elders and eventually involving the whole village to fulfill her wish.

Speaking on the theme Sukhtankar says,”It is typical that everyone else excluding the girl decides her marriage and she is the last one to be asked. Savitri,the protagonist is a valiant girl who marries her own choice. Also the mythological Savitri was a brave lady who chose her own husband and we have somewhat shown the legacy of this facet. Most of the films show the funny side through a male’s perception however we have tried to show it through a female’s point of view and probably the women audience would swiftly grasp it.”

Bhave had this idea in mind since many years and had thought of doing a short film. Adding further she says,”But the theme had a lot of matter so we thought of a feature film. The concerned story and its stubborn character could have no other cultural setting than that of Konkan. I always try to show the real human through the films and when I was doing a research on women psychology I have observed that the women rebel constantly due to suppression in various echelon that is never acknowledged. We have documented their efforts and shown them.”

Theatre artiste Radhika Apte who plays the character of Savitri and Omkar Gowardhan ,who has been an assistant director to them mark their debut through this film.

“They have seen our every play and we have been watching their cinema for years. The film was a knowledgeable experience. We extensively rehearsed to bring out the best in terms of the Konkan accent and the character’s conventional basis. Acting in the film was a deviation from that of acting on stage and a major learning,” adds Apte.

Produced by KBC productions,cinematographer Sanjay Memane brings forth a pragmatic Konkan and music composer Shrirang Umrani gives the musical comedy its cultural trace. “This is a subtle comedy; although a transition from our earlier themes I feel any change is a challenge and every subject matter demands a particular treatment. A good humor imparts a healthy vision to life to accept the absurdity and comprehend the hilarity. The issue is a serious one but the treatment is comical,” says Bhave.