Bhonsle review: A flawed story of discrimination

Bhonsle (Sony Liv)
Direction: Devashish Makhija
Screenplay: Mirat Trivedi, Devashish Makhija, Sharanya Rajgopal
Rating: 3/5

Bhonsle’ explores the anti-North India sentiments in Maharashtra.

The film does not touch any real-life incident or person. It focuses on a Maratha man named Ganpath Bhonsle, who is terminally ill and is forced to retire as a police officer. Vilas, a pro-Maratha party worker, regularly visits his residential building during the Ganesh Chaturthi time and is also in charge of a demonstration that calls for the Maratha caste’s revolution. The story takes a dark turn when a North Indian boy is forced by some residents to throw grease on a pro-maratha wall written by Vilas. It reaches a point where Bhonsle has to intervene and confront Vilas to save the boy.

One criticism of the movie is that it can be indulgent in its craft, without focusing much on the theme. The long takes give you the impression that the film is not moving till the third act.

The cinematography is great but the editing of the film should have cut short many shots. The film has enough elements that can be called artistic, but altogether, the film falters at making a mark.

Manoj Bajpayee gives an excellent performance as Bhonsle. However, the writers’ choice to use the cliched ‘messiah figure for the oppressed’ gives the wrong message. Towards the end, the film easily becomes an average drama owing to the climax that really belittles the issue of insider-outsider complexes that plague our societies.