Dhag (Marathi) /An emotional journey

Cast: Upendra Limaye, Usha Jadhav, Hansaraj Jagtap, Nagesh Bhosale, Suhasini Deshpande, Neha Dakhinkar

We may think the world has changed today, with better education facilities, advanced technology and understanding the scientific reason for whatever happens in one’s life. But that’s not true. Even today, some people, mainly in the villages, are stuck with the old ways of life and are rooted to traditions and superstitions.
Young Kisnya, belonging to the low caste, yearns for a better future for his family comprising of a school-going sister Kanchi, mother Yashoda who binds the family together and father Shirpu who works in the crematorium burning corpses like his ancestors did. The grandmother, who is always waiting for a death in the village, a news that also brings a smile on Shirpu’s family’s face, as that is their only source of income, believes that if the tradition is not continued, curse will befall the family. However, when he sees the fire in his son’s eyes, Shirpu wants his son to study and move out of their village. But when Shirpu dies of snake-bite, Kisnya’s dreams are shattered and the entire burden of taking care of the family falls on him. He starts working in a sugarcane juice centre on the pretext of going to school. When he realises that the men in the village cast a lecherous eye on his young mother, he is forced to take up the family tradition of burning dead bodies, even as he continues his job at the sugarcane juice centre and going to school with a hopeful smile on his sad face.
Upendra Limaye as Shirpu working at the crematorium, Nagesh Bhosale as his helpful friend Mangya, Suhasini Deshpande as the grandmother and Neha Dakhinkar as Kanchi have performed very well. But it is Hansaraj Jagtap as Kisnya and Usha Jadhav as his mother Yashoda who are the soul of the film. Their frustration, helplessness and understanding of each other’s trouble is portrayed not only through their acting, but through their eyes as well. Your heart goes out to them when Yashoda finds her son helpless and alone near the pond after losing his father.
Director Shivaji Lotan Patil has explored a simple story of caste and creed, and given it a treatment that touches a chord. He has maintained the same tone and texture throughout the film without missing a beat. Editing by Nilesh Gavand is seamless, while music director Aadi Ramchandra who has also the sung the sole song in the film, needs a special mention as his music and rendition suits the rhythm and pace of the film. Except for night shots, Nagraj M Diwakar maintains the same colour tone throughout the film through his camerawork. A cremation ground in the premise of a house, designed by art director Bhupendra Singh, takes our breath away, literally, wondering about the circumstances in which some people live.
Dhag not only makes you sit back and think, but is also an emotional journey sensitively told by Patil.