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Join UsStar Cast: Riteish Deshmukh, Saiyami Kher, Jitendra Joshi, Siddharth Jadhav
Director: Aditya Sarpotdar
What’s Good: Ajay-Atul’s sensibilities to understand the nerves of Marathi audience & hence amidst all the efforts, Mauli’s background score remains the best thing about it, Bollywood casting people, it’s high time we use Riteish in a true blue masala film!
What’s Bad: The story just goes from intriguing to unconvincing in the second half, Riteish & Saiyami’s love angle starts on a high note but starts fading with every scene!
Loo Break: A few in the second half but if you’re okay with the loud action, you can just watch it without any break (as I did)!
Watch or Not?: Watched Lai Bhaari? Liked it? Found it a one time watch? Watch this & if you hated that film, skip this!
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So, the story of Mauli follows an ages-old similar Bollywood template which I’m not going to reveal right now. But, once you watch the film, you’ll realise how much this has ingredients from all the renowned masala flicks of Bollywood. We’ve our fearless yet tied to the corrupted system cop Mauli Sarjerao Deshmukh (Riteish Deshmukh) beating multiple goons with a brick tightly tied in a cloth.
We’ve a beautiful spice-seller in Renuka (Saiyami Kher), who easily gets annoyed when something wrong happens in the village. We’ve got a local goon in Nana Londhe (Jitendra Joshi), who has certain illegal things going on. Also, we have a lot of helpless villagers who’re literally of no use because they just stand still whenever injustice happens. Connect all these characters together and see what you can get, that might be the story of the film.
Mauli Movie Review: Script Analysis
I tried a lot to not compare this with Lai Bhaari but once you see this film you’ll know it’s organically bound to happen. Kshitij Patwardhan, known for some good from/dramas steps into an unexplored territory of masala cinema with Mauli. He gets some nerves right but most of the times it’s just yet another attempt to cash in the popularity of Lai Bhaari.
Starting with a deserted police station, silhouette shots of the hero and some impactful slo-mo scenes, Amalendu Choudhary’s camera brings in so much that it’s overwhelming at times. Sanjay Sakla’s editing is the weak point of the film as he could’ve easily trimmed this for a more 10-15 minutes. The massy dialogues go well with the script but the good ones are very limited. Also, if you’re still thinking about the headline, you’ll get it once you watch the film.
Mauli Movie Review: Star Performance
Riteish Deshmukh is fabulous! He has shown his range with Ek Villain but Mauli screams his absence from Bollywood’s masala films. Presenting the two shades – one of a notorious, strong man and other of a helpless, weak one, Riteish is very good in the former and very childlike in the latter.
Saiyami Kher – loved her since the trailer of Mirzya (though I refrained from watching the film because of obvious reasons) and she delivers a beautiful performance in this one. She has looked alluring but unfortunately has a very limited scope.
Jitendra Joshi, everyone’s favourite from Sacred Games, is very apt for the role of Nana Londhe. He has this annoying baritone but works in certain scenes. Siddharth Jadhav is royally wasted. A talent such as his should’ve been used as the comic relief but becomes the victim of poor character writing.
Mauli Movie Review: Direction, Music
Aditya Sarpotdar from the first frame makes pretty clear how he’s not here to please a certain section of the audience. It’s a massy will, it’ll have over-the-top moments, just sit back and enjoy. The movie falls flat at the script level but Aditya holds his fort. Minus the excessive usage of slo-mo sequences, Aditya manages to impress.
The music of Ajay-Atul is one major reason why I elevated my rating up. They have mastered the usage of silence in their songs & making them more effective. Their finesse in Marathi songs could be the only reason why their music got the chance to open the film. Majhi Pandharichi Maay is goosebumps & very well used in the film. Holi song is nothing impressive but Riteish and Genelia look endearing together.
Mauli Movie Review: The Last Word
All said and done, Mauli is not for everyone. It surely lies in the Singham, Wanted and Rowdy Rathore zone but still has its own limitations. A brilliant performance by Riteish Deshmukh and a treat for the ears by Ajay-Atul.
Three stars!
Mauli Movie Trailer
Mauli Movie releases on 14th December, 2018.
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