For
a
film
with
such
a
grand
vision, Sangeet
Manapmaan needed
more
flamboyance
to
make
it
a
memorable
affair,
feels
Mayur
Sanap.
What
can
be
more
pure
and
primal
than
seeing
a
piece
of
cinema
that’s
culturally
rooted
and
musically
rich?
With
Sangeet
Manapmaan,
Actor-Director
Subodh
Bhave
takes
up
the
challenge
to
turn
over
a
century
old
Marathi
theatre
production
into
a
big
cinematic
spectacle.
Based
on
Krushnaji
Prabhakar
Khadilkar’s
iconic
play
of
the
same
name,
the
film
is
gleaming
with
possibilities
not
just
for
Marathi
cinema,
but
also
for
Hindustani
classical
music.
For
the
very
reason,
Bhave
returns
with
the
musical
team
of
Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy
that
made
his
2015
directorial
debut
Katyar
Kaljat
Ghusali
a
winning
affair.
And
yet,
Sangeet
Manapmaan
ends
up
as
crashing
letdown
because
of
its
shockingly
prosaic
treatment
to
the
material.
It
is
shocking
because
Bhave
skillfully
delivered
the
magic
with
panache
in
his
earlier
film
but
his
latest
endeavour
is
too
loyal
to
the
source
material.
It
results
in
a
dated
experience
for
the
modern
day
audience.
Much
like
Katyar…,
which
was
about
two
singers
vying
for
musical
greatness,
Sangeet
Manapmaan has
a
similar
theme
of
one-upmanship,
albeit
it
is
blazoned
in
the
romantic
setting.
Dhairyadhar
(Subodh
Bhave)
is
cattle
herder
who
lives
with
his
widowed
mother
(Neena
Kulkarni)
in
the
kingdom
of
Sangrampur.
Despite
his
forefathers’
legacy
and
his
own
strong
will,
Dhairyadhar
is
dissuaded
by
his
mother
to
join
the
army.
When
Sangrampur’s
military
commander
Kakasaheb
(Shailesh
Datar)
gets
into
trouble
by
the
neighbouring
kingdom’s
ruler
Dhiren
(Upendra
Limaye),
Dhairyadhar
heroically
saves
him,
which
prompts
Kakasaheb
to
recruit
Dhairyadhar
into
the
army.
Kakasaheb
is
so
impressed
with
Dhairyadhar’s
valour
and
honesty
that
he
wants
his
daughter
Bhamini
(Vaidehi
Parashurami)
to
marry
him.
Bhamini,
headstrong
and
egoistic,
refuses
the
proposal
and
questions
Dhairyadhar’s
integrity.
The
matter
is
further
aggravated
by
Bhamini’s
smug
friend
and
sub-commander
Chandravilas
(Sumeet
Raghvan),
who
wants
her
for
himself.
Staying
true
to
its
title,
Sangeet
Manapmaan
has
an
operatic
grandness
to
it
and
each
frame
is
pleasant
to
look
at.
But
the
novelty
begins
to
wear
thin
as
it
becomes
clear
that
there
isn’t
much
in
the
premise
to
surprise
us
as
viewers.
The
musical
pieces
are
among
the
film’s
strong
suit
but
despite
the
quality,
most
of
these
songs
don’t
gel
well
with
the
narrative
and
even
obstruct
the
flow
at
times.
Take
an
earlier
example
of
another
Marathi
musical
Phullwanti
or
even
the
streaming
show
Bandish
Bandits,
there
the
songs
are
almost
perfectly
placed
to
maintain
the
rhythm
of
a
musical.
What
works
majorly
against
Sangeet
Manapmaan
is
the
flawed
casting.
Subhodh
Bhave
is
way
past
his
youthful
days
to
make
a
character
like
Dhairyadhar
believable.
The
same
goes
for
Sumeet
Raghavan’s
Chandravilas.
At
least
Bhave
makes
up
for
his
shortcomings
by
putting
up
a
strong
performance.
Raghavan,
on
the
other
hand,
is
mostly
hamming
up
that
makes
his
scenes
look
amateurish.
The
overdramatic
tone
to
dialogues
also
spoils
every
other
important
scene,
and
Vaidehi
Parshurami’s
struggle
to
emote
is
especially
apparent
in
those
scenes.
She
is
much
better
in
quieter
moments
but
overall,
she
fails
miserably
to
bring
out
different
shades
of
Bhamini.
There’s
a
decent
set
piece
featuring
Bhave
and
Parshurami
that
reminds
of
an
iconic
archery
sequence
from
Baahubali
The
Conclusion.
I
wish
the
film
had
more
such
sizzle.
The
film
is
laced
with
an
army
of
veteran
stars
Shailesh
Datar,
Neena
Kulkarni,
Nivedita
Saraf,
Upendra
Limaye,
but
they
are
just
generic
placeholders
in
a
film
that
doesn’t
give
them
anything
substantial.
For
a
film
with
such
a
grand
vision,
Sangeet
Manapmaan
needed
more
flamboyance
to
make
it
a
memorable
affair.
Truly
disappointing
that
it
ends
up
as
a
lost
opportunity.
Sangeet
Manapmaan
Review
Rediff
Rating:
