Kakasparsh, Manjrekar’s magnum opus and labour of love, is a must-watch venture, one that you do not want to miss.
Set in the pre-Independence era, the movie showcases the social values prevalent at the time and deftly handles the myriad subtleties of human nature: love, promises, ethical values, morals, sacrifice...
The story revolves around a Brahmin family that resides in a small, picturesque hamlet in the Konkan of the 1930s.
Haridada Damle (Sachin Khedekar) is the head of the family who has successfully shouldered all his responsibilities after his father’s demise. When Mahadev, Haridada’s younger brother, is about to obtain a law degree, he arranges his wedding with Durga (Ketaki Mategaonkar), renamed Uma by her husband, who is just 13 at the time.
But Fate intervenes. Tragedy strikes the Damles soon after the wedding, as Uma is widowed the very day she marries Mahadev. In the 1930s, women had even fewer rights than they do now and a young widow had to lead a life devoid of all colour and joy.
However, Haridada remains rock solid and stands by Uma. He is steadfast in his resolve to keep her (Priya Bapat plays an elder Uma) in the Damle family. In doing so he has to fight social mores, peer compulsions and familial pressures.
His family and other villagers begin to question his intentions. Haridada’s wife, Tara (Medha Manjrekar), while on her death bed, asks him to marry Uma. But after a shocking incident Haridada is forced to take some hard decisions that rattle Uma leaving her disheartened.
When things begin to spiral out of control, Haridada has no option but to disclose the truth about his rebellious behaviour.
Kakasparsh literally means the ‘touch of a crow’. It refers to the belief that if a crow touches the pinda – a ball made of rice, etc and offered to crows when someone dies -- it signifies that the departed soul would rest in peace.
So what is the truth that shocks the family and the viewers alike? Does the society and Uma accept his truthfulness?
Kakasparsh answers these and many more questions as the audience finds itself riveted to their seats for the entire duration of the movie as it unfolds languidly before it.
It’s a film with such distinct and beautifully crafted characters that they will stay with you long after the movie has ended.
Usha Datar’s touching story has come alive on screen through Girish Joshi’s screenplay and dialogues. Director Mahesh Manjrekar knows what he wants to show and so does his excellent team of actors.
Though essentially this is Uma’s story, it eventually becomes the story of Haridada. The Damle family has one more female: Haridada’s widowed aunt, Namu atya (Savita Malpekar), who’s been tonsured according to the custom of the time when widows were forced to have a bald head.
Though not the protagonist, she plays an equally important role in the movie, a role which Savita has performed exceptionally well.
Sachin Khedekar is at his best, as is Priya. She shows her abundant acting talent as Uma in a role that changes with growing age. Ketaki has done well too but she looks little older than what the character demands.
Upadhyaya (Vaibhav Mangale) and Balwant (Sanjay Khapre) are two other characters that help keep the story moving. The poem ‘arey sansar sansar’ cited twice in the movie seems a bit out of context.
The characters’ costumes and the make-up fit the 1930s quite well, except for the finely carved eyebrows of females.
Rahul Ranade has done a good job in adapting the folk song. The two songs penned by Soumitra are very creative, too.
Kakasparsh has other plus points. The cinematography by Ajit Reddy, Rahul Bhatankar’s editing, Ajit-Sameer’s background score, the locations, the lighting all add up to make it a wonderful viewing experience.In a nutshell, Kakasparsh offers you time travel into the pre-Independence era even as the lives of people in rural Maharashtra then reach out to touch you with a softness that is poignant and emotive
