In a country that loves debating language identity almost as much as it loves debating cricket, ‘English vs vernacular’ has become a familiar battlefield. As the bar of political will and public initiative to support vernacular languages lies depressingly low, vernacular-medium schools are quietly fading into extinction.
Jhimma-fame director Hemant Dhome, in his latest directorial, Krantijyoti Vidyalay Marathi Madhyam (KVMM), focuses on the slow erasure of Marathi-medium schools. It confronts but with a good intention – that of preserving identity, local language, and questioning the rapidly evolving definition of what defines ‘quality education’. Here’s an unfiltered, unbiased review of the film, now running in theaters!
Krantijyoti Vidyalay Marathi Madhyam: A Detailed Film Review
Cast And Crew Details
Director: Hemant Dhome
Cast: Sachin Khedekar, Amey Wagh, Siddharth Chandekar, Prajakta Koli, Kshitee Jog, Kadambari Kadam, Harish Dudhade, and Pushkaraj Chirputkar
Duration: 149 minutes
Language: Marathi
Plot Synopsis
A 90-year-old Marathi medium school in Nagaon, Alibaug, is about to be demolished to make way for a new, glossy, international English education school. As the headmaster of the school, Dinkar Shirke (Sachin Khedekar) strives to save the school. Helping him in this mission is one of his ex-students Baban (Amey Wagh), who lives in the same town. Baban and Shirke decide to bring together some of the latter’s favorite students in an attempt to save the school from demolition.
While not all students that they reach out to show up or support their cause, Deep (Siddharth Chandekar), Anjali (Prajakta Koli), Salma (Kshitee Jog), Rakesh (Harish Dudhade), Vishal (Pushkaraj Chirputkar) and Suman (Kadambari Kadam) extend their support. As these ex-students bond over nostalgic memories and unhealed wounds, the film progresses slowly (but steadily) to address the elephant in the room – the closure of this school and, in the larger picture, the impending fate of Marathi language schools.
Where The Film Shines
Breathtaking Cinematography And Evocative Music
In the technical department, the film deserves all its flowers. The setting of the film, in the gorgeous locales of Alibaug, pays off well. The cinematography of KVMM is stunning, with many of its frames looking like actual postcards from Konkan. The lush-green hills, foaming seascapes, and quaint villages have been shot (and color-graded) extremely well.
Additionally, the music and the background score of the film is simply superb. In an age where most songs tend to only flutter faintly in the screenplay, songs in KVMM make you sing, dance, sway, and linger with you. ‘Swargaat Akashganga’ and ‘Haakamari’ are songs that stand out for their picturization, composition, and the emotions they carry with them.
Solid Acting Performances
With an ensemble cast that includes some of Marathi cinema’s most prolific actors, you can’t expect the film to falter in the acting department. Marathi cinema veteran Sachin Khedekar carries the film ably with impeccable restraint. Among the young cohort, Amey Wagh steals the show with his affable performance as Baban, the know-it-all guy every small town has. He’s jolly, likeable, yet is fierce to fight for his cause – and that Agri accent only makes it better!
Siddharth Chandekar, Kadambari Kadam, Pushkaraj Chirputkar, and Harish Dudhade too perform well, each of them bringing their own charm. Kshitee Jog, as the orphaned, bullied girl in school, highlights how school life is not always pleasant for some. Prajakta Koli, in her Marathi debut, is effortless and elegant, delivering her part with utmost sincerity. After leaving an impression in Netflix’s Single Papa, the actor shines in a completely new, uncharted territory.
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Where The Film Falters
A Social Message That Takes Time To Build Up
The first half of the film builds up the personal stories and takes us into flashbacks as it establishes the connection of these ex-students with the school. It is in these portions that the film feels dragged out.
A tighter screenplay and edit could’ve easily given the film some more time to focus on the social message more than the soap opera-like flashbacks it invests in. These scenes are definitely enjoyable and nostalgic, but could have used more efficient writing.
However, the second half, for the most part, focuses on the social message. It does so without holding back, presents real-life data, and does not shy away from breaking the fourth wall to ask audiences glaring rhetoric concerning the fate of Marathi education. In the final act, it is talky, drives the message with a burning passion, but the writing does not overwhelm you with the preach. The film also highlights how political willpower and social media, when used rightly, can single-handedly empower local culture and identity.
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Final Conclusion: Should You Watch It?
In its entirety, the film is an honest, heartfelt attempt to highlight the glaring issue that most vernacular medium schools are facing in this country. It highlights how excessive commercialization of education, under-the-table corruption, and the sheer lack of political will, along with ingrained prejudice against one’s own mother tongue, are factors contributing to the erasure of the very mother tongue that we speak. The film does so without turning accusatory in its tone, and this is where it really shines.
KVMM is a film with a strong social message, and is one of the finest Marathi films in recent times, both from a story and technical perspective. Yes, it falters in some parts from a storytelling perspective, but it has its heart in the right place.
It ends with an optimistic note, subtly passing the baton of responsibility from the screen to the seats. As the theater lights come on and credits roll, the question lingers: Will audiences stand by the questions the film asks or simply let the moment pass?
