Sumbaran Movie Review: A Self-Realising Journey Back To Your Roots

Nostalgia is a bitch, they say. The excitement that old memories generate is inevitable. This is particularly true of the places where one grows up. My grandmother had told me innumerable stories about the ancestral house where she had grown up. She had told me how once upon a time there used to be around 25-30 people living in that house celebrating each and every festival with great fanfare. During the summer many more cousins and relatives from the cities used to come on a vacation and have a blast. It used be one big happening place. A few months ago, I accompanied my father to this house which is in a scenic village by the sea-side called Vijaydurga in the Konkan region of Mahrashtra. As mostly everybody from the family had migrated to the cities the big bungalow was empty. All the rooms except for a few were locked. There was an eerie silence spread in the manor. I could see my father getting emotional while greeting his old and lonely Uncles and Aunts. The movie Sumbaran was a striking reminder of that visit to Vijayadurga. It was as if those moments I had witnessed were being dramatized on screen. Needless to say I was completely blown away by the film.

Sumbaran is a fascinating tale which feels like a fable. It touches so many issues that it is so very difficult to pin-point what the movie is about. The basic story is that Veeru(Jitendra Joshi), a struggling but free-willed musician, is on a trip back to the village where he has grown up. His elder brother Vasanta(Makarand Anaspure) and his wife are also returning to the ancestral house which Vasanta plans to sell-off. The trip revives all the good, bad and ugly memories of the past forcing Vasanta to reconsider his decision to sell the ancestral plot which is rich in heritage and also has all the bitter-sweet memories of his childhood attached to it.

The movie does take time to find its grip, but once the grip is found it never lets go. Though high on drama in most parts, it doesn’t fall off the hook even once. The most easily comprehensible level the movie works on is the need to save our cultural heritage. At some level it deals with idea of doing what one wants to do in life without worrying about the consequences. Another issue touched upon is about facing the dark moments in life with a brave face. Even if you run away from them they won’t run away from you. Then there is an interesting argument put forth by the director where he compares the act of keeping a mistress with a live-in relationship. It is commendable that all these issues are dealt with sincerely and convincingly, not in a superficial manner. And this is not all, I am sure there are many more layers one can peel off from the movie.

‘Sumbaran‘ stands for Sheperd’s song. The nomadic shepherd community known as the Dhangars sing and dance on these songs.

The actors, well most of them, are up to the task. Star of marathi cinema Makarand Anaspure carries off the role of Vasanta(a middle-aged man in emotional turmoil), surprisingly well. Ashwini Kalesekar, as the mistress is very impressive. Ravi Kale, as usual, doesn’t fail to have an impact. Another star Siddharth Jadhav who is aptly casted in the role of a broker does well too. Seema Deshmukh, Aditi Bhagwat, Jitendra Joshi, Ravindra Mankani, Vrunda Ahire all do justice to their role. But special applause should be reserved for the young actors Dushyant Wagh and Swarali Patil who played the role of Young Vasanta and his love interest Shakku. But, Saee Tamhankar and Shushrut Mankani are used as mere showpieces who strum guitars even when a flute is playing in the background.

The cinematography by Surya Mishra is effective in portraying the dry, sunny and dusty geographical features of the place. Rahul Ranade’s music, though a mixed bag, certainly deserves applause for the folk song in the movie. During a scene where Ravi Kale sings the folk song the whole Bharatmaata cinema hall started singing along.

But without any doubtof any sort, ‘The Man’ here is the writer-director-lyricist Gajendra Ahire. This is his follow up to the impressive ‘Paaradh’. Amazingly, he scores in each and every department. But the department that takes the cake is his script. There are motley of characters in the flick. His screenplay has at least 8-10 major characters, all playing an equally important part. All of them so skillfully developed that you can’t help but admire them. One character that my mind is obsessed with is that of ‘Shakku’. She is a girl in her teens belonging to the nomadic tribe and falls in love with the young Vasanta. Swarali Patil does a fabulous job in pulling off the role. She hardly has any dialogues but the acting and the character sketch is so haunting that I just can’t get over her. Last time a character from an Indian movie that had such an effect on me must be Ransa from Gulaal.

Some scenes in the movie are so impactful that you fly to a state where you stop noticing anything and just derive pleasure from the pictures unfolding on the screen. It was my first movie in a non-a/c cinema hall with creaky fans, virtually non-existent legroom and a highly volatile crowd. But believe me none of that troubled me even one bit. Now I have sworn to avoid over-priced and arrogant multiplexes especially for a Marathi movie.

Gajendra Ahire who burst into the scene with his film Not Only Mrs. Raut is known over the years for making meaningful cinema which doesn’t shy away from showcasing the ugly belly of the society. Here too the childhood memories of Vasanta and Veeru are with all the inconvenient truths intact. Expectedly he is in full control over the gray stuff. But pleasantly his treatment of scenes involving innocent childhood mischief and the tenderness of adolescent love are the ones which actually stand apart.

Dialogues not being in sync with sound at times and such other minor technical flaws are excusable for a low budget film. So apart from the characters of Saee Tamahankar and Sushrut Mankani and a little time taken in the beginning to let the ball rolling there are no other prominent faults that can be pointed out.

Gajendra Ahire is, thus, very much victorious in weaving an endearing and engaging tale.

This is a a modified version of a post first published on December 8th, 2010.