Jayjaykar (Marathi) / Being humane

Cast:Dilip Prabhavalkar, Suhita Thatte, Sanjay Kulkarni, Bhushan Borgaonkar, Dhaval Pokale, Akash Shinde

By Sunil Nandgaonkar

Marathi cinema is rapidly gaining a reputation for experimenting with genres, and producing films with substance than mere masala entertainers.
Jayjaykar underscores this as the film revolves around the relationship between a gang of four eunuchs and an army major, who tries to ignite the spark of self-respect and dignity in them and attempts to give them a respectable status in the society. Eunuchs often face extreme social discrimination in our society, and are forced to beg for survival. Debutante director Shantanu Rode is successful is narrating the story in a very positive as well as entertaining manner.
One day, four eunuchs namely Mausi, Champa, Rani and Lajjo, who are beggars at a local railway station, barge into the house of Major Akhand (Dilip Prabhavalkar) in the night to take shelter from goons chasing them. Next morning, they tie up the Major with a rope before fleeing. Later the major realises that his expensive finger ring is missing. Suspecting the eunuchs, he requests them to return it to him but they refuse.
Major Akhand then follows them everywhere and eventually they return the ring, but he gets injured in an accident. Lajjo, the youngest of the four, attends to the major with empathy. Touched by the gesture, the major tries to dissuade Lajjo and her friends and shows them a new way to life which is more dignified and respectable. But they are unwilling to change. Then the major decides to make it his mission to transform their lives.
Versatile actor Dilip Prabhavalkar as Major Akhand displaysz remarkable flair, and truly carries the film on his shoulders. The four eunuchs are played by Sanjay Kulkarni (Mausi), Bhushan Borgaonkar (Champa), Rani (Dhaval Pokale) and Akash Shinde (Lajjo) who lend the characters a charm that makes the audience empathise with their lives. Kulkarni has, in particular, portrayed the character of Mausi with great balance.
Writer-director Rode uses comedy effectively to ensure that the off-beat subject connects with the audience, and succeeds in sensitising the viewers about the treatment of eunuchs through several hilarious situations as Major Akhand tries to use various ideas to transform his eunuch friends. Rode succeeds in entertaining the audience, as well as in conveying a strong social message through his debut film.