If you consider the city Pondicherry or Puducherry only as a weekend beach getaway, then there are many things you might be missing from the place. The town is not only vibrant from the outside but also chaotically beautiful from the inside. Be it the people who live there surviving on commercial aspects of the city, or the visitors who fall in love with the essence of the town, Pondicherry has many hidden stories to tell. Thanks to the director Sachin Kundalkar for coming up with a heart-warming story based on the city Pondicherry. With a steller star cast and a unique storytelling way, Kundalkar released his film ‘Pondicherry’ in association with Planet Marathi and Creative Viibe on 25th February in the theatres.
Starring Vaibhav Tatwawadi, Sai Tamhankar, Amruta Khavilkar in main leads ‘Pondicherry’ is a film depicting the lives of three individuals intertwined with the city. The evolution and the complexity of relationships between these three are skilfully captured in the entire film. Kundalkar’s portrayal of Vaibhav Tatwawadi’s character is mysteriously unfolded in the film. The brilliancy that he brings in the acting is thoroughly utilised through his multi-shaded character. Similarly, Sai Tamhankar’s single mother depiction is grounded in reality. The no-makeup looks and natural portrayal of her character can make people relate to it. Amruta Khanvilkar is an aspiring photographer who is burdened by her past life traumas. It is all about how the characters are handing their dual personalities and want to escape from their reality.
Sachin Kundalkar and cinematographer Milind Jog brilliantly shot this film on smartphones only. This is the first feature film shot without any high-profile video camera. Despite many challenges to shoot with phones, the film does justice to the technical part pretty well. Be it those stunning wide shots of the city or closely capturing the moments of the protagonists, ‘Pondicherry’ promises to be a trendsetter. From the aesthetic frames, the vibrancy of the backdrop, the feel-good factors are beautifully captured while making this film.
The screenplays and the story development through the portrayal of the city has been challenging task for the makers. But the evolution and the complexity of relationships are skillfully captured. The film is made on the backdrop of the town of Pondicherry and its livelihood. From the complex life of Sai’s character to Amruta’s survival on bitter incidences, everything comes out as a heart-warming story to be told in the core of this beautiful city. Each character brings its beauty to the story.
Apart from Vaibhav Tatwawadi, Sai Tamhankar and Amruta Khavilkar, the film features Mahesh Manjrekar, Neena Kulkarni and Gaurav Ghatnekar in pivotal roles. The film is presented by Planet Marathi which is a platform known for its unique and most promising content. ‘Pondicherry’ can be considered as another great addition in Planet Marathi's list of movies after Amitabh Bachchan-starrer ‘AB anni CD’, and critically-acclaimed film, ‘June’.
(Sponsored Feature)
