Ekulati Ek

Cast: Sachin, Supriya and Shriya Pilgaonkar with others

Direction:  Sachin Pilgaonkar

Language: Marathi

Year of Release: 2013

Rating: ***

Ekulati Ek (The only one) is about the father and daughter relationship. The father in this movie, played by Sachin – the Director himself, is a successful playback singer. One day, his daughter Shriya, who wants to pursue a career in acting, arrives at his house. Shriya’s parents – Sachin and Supriya – have had a troubled married life and are now living separately.   So, Shriya has a mission: She wants to experience life with her father before her marriage. Do Sachin and Supriya reconcile? Will Shriya become a successful actress? Does Sachin accept Shriya as his daughter or does he even refuse to believe she is his daughter? Does Shriya live a happily married life?

In 2013, with the release of this film, Sachin Pilgaonkar has completed a golden jubilee (50 years) in the film business. So, naturally, the audience expects a first rate product from him. He chose to make this movie and help with the launch of his daughter in show business. Does he succeed?

In my opinion, Sachin has delivered a good movie on this occasion.  The screenplay moves at a good rate but the story needs to be experienced with all its nuances to fully enjoy it.  His direction is very good; so is his acting, but I felt that he over-acted a tad bit in some scenes, Supriya, who plays his wife, is very expressive and confident in the portrayal of her character. In her maiden act, Shriya delivers a commendable performance. The daughter’s character and the actor are spunky, just as the film script demands.  She gives the right expressions in all the scenes and does not allow the audience to realize that it is her debut film as an actress. The show-stealer, though, is Ashok Saraf who plays the role of Sachin’s assistant. His comic timing is spot on. The others have lent good support in this family drama.

In short, this movie is about how people have to strike a right balance between family and their professional lives – an important thought for today’s hectic lifestyle. Moreover, the audience is made to realize the invaluable importance of the love and care that a child receives from its parents. Interestingly, as the audience might realize from the names, the main trio of actors is a reel-life as well as real-life family! A very inventive idea I might add.

Thankfully, people who don’t understand the Marathi language can also enjoy the movie because it has English subtitles.  The dialogues, penned yet again by Sachin, resemble the usual family conversations.  The opening credit sequence has an unusual idea for a film: people, who can read the Devnagri script, will be able to read names; and the director has very cleverly added a small clip-art to show the job of each individual. A nice detail there!

Technically the film is very well made. Sonu Nigam has sung two songs including the title track. They are both quite enjoyable – especially the second one. Though not unforgettable, these songs go well with the mood of the film. The movie could have been trimmed by 10-12 minutes pre climax. A fine tune in the editing process could have improved the film.  But, in spite of this, the impact of the movie isn’t spoilt a great deal in my opinion. I am going with a rating of three stars for this movie. A movie that is enjoyable and relatable for the whole family. Not just for the father and daughter!

#Daughter #Father #Family #Drama #Marathi