This is what I call a perfect movie. Natsamrat is a must watch movie. Nana Patekar proves yet again that not only is he an actor par excellence, but also he has a power to totally grip you till the end of his films. His performance is so brutally honest, that it will tear your heart into pieces as you sit transfixed, watching him with rapt attention. Just as Nana's Ganpatrao says in the movie, a true skill of any actor is not to let his viewer get distracted by a packet of snacks while watching him on stage. Nana does the exact same thing to you. It is not like this actor has not impressed us with his stage or screen presence before. But this film is different. Simply, because it is just so him. Nana does it with panache and adds value complete with some wonderful layers to the character in his own trademark style. Here is why you must start your New Year with his wonderful, wonderful movie. For those who don't know, Natsamrat is a cinematic adaptation from V V Shirwadkar (Kusumagraj's) iconic play by the same name. Natsamrat essayed by Nana is a celebrated veteran Shakespearean theatre artiste who is struggling to negotiate with the harsh realities of life once his fame begins to fade away. This character is based on Shakespeare's King Lear. Vikram Gokhale is Nana's companion, confidante and also a competitor. Together, they rule the theatre world before they age and decide to retire gracefully. The film deals with an actor's confusion of the whole 'To Be or Not To Be' question which life poses before him after his glory fades. It is essentially about the performer lurking in every retired actor who just can't enough of the stage and his audience. It is also about the better half and family of such an actor who in Medha Manjrekar's (who plays Nana's on screen wife in the movie) words, "Don't leave theatre, but get it to their homes and lives." The film is also mainly about the ruthless society we reside in. Natsamrat on its own is a powerfully written play. Nana's rendition of Kusumagraj's heart wrenching soliloquies will make you cry but will your heart will feel light and deliriously content, I guarantee. This film is intense and extremely honest but it has its light moments. Moments which will make you laugh hysterically but will sometimes leave a sombre aftertaste. Interactions between Nana and Vikram Gokhale are beyond fabulous. They are wry, sarcastic and funny as hell. Though the focus is on Nana, all the supporting actors play their part very well. An actor can put act into his performance superbly well only he completely forgets himself in front of the camera and becomes one with the character he plays. Nana does exactly that. We forget Nana Patekar while watching him playing the Natsamrat. And, that's the success of any actor. Story, screenplay, background score, cinematography, acting and direction everything is superb. One should not miss this unforgettable movie experience.
72 Reviews
Phenomenal acting and poetry
ashus-251847 January 2016
I cant figure out any flaw with any part of this movie. This movie actually urged me to open an IMDb account and rate it as 10 stars as I really want the world to see what a masterpiece has been created by a small community of enthusiasts. Though the story has been adapted from an old Marathi play the movie does justice to every aspect of film making. The poems are mesmerizing. The acting is outstanding. The movie makes you question the harsh reality of relationships and standing up for what you believe in. A post retirement story of a down to earth actor parallels with the different acts he has played in his lifetime. Every aspect of human emotion including love, hate, betrayal, empathy, forgiveness, trust has been elegantly painted in the entire movie.
Movie Review: My reverence to "Natsamrat" Nana Patekar
saurabh_bapat1 May 2016
Some movies go beyond the visuals, the dialogues, the script & even the actors to make an ineffaceable mark on your memory lane. Natsamrat is one such astonishing piece of cinema!
A screen adaptation of Kusumagraj's iconic Marathi play "Natsamrat", this movie takes us through the life of a veteran theater actor named Ganpat "Appa" Belwalkar (Nana Patekar), the fame & stardom during his heydays & the tragic upturn of his life after his retirement. The agony of the lead character is heartbreaking and the story telling is path-breaking. This movie leaves you with moist eyes & a scratched soul.
Nana Patekar is outstanding as Ganpat Belwalkar. He owns this movie with unmatched conviction. "Natsamrat" in literal sense means the "The King of Actors" & this man makes you realize that he indeed is amongst the best in Indian cinema. You laugh when he cracks the jokes & you cry when he suffers. He has portrayed this character with such a proficiency that you leave the cinema hall with a reverence to the phenomenon called Nana Patekar!
As Amitabh Bachchan is the "Shenshah"& so is Shahrukh the "King Khan". Nana Patekar, should, with due authority, be rechristened as "Natasamrat Nana Patekar" after this performance.
Vikaram Gokhale as Rambhau is superlative. The veteran actor plays the role with such a conviction that in few scenes he given even Nana Patekar a run for his money. The sequence on his deathbed when Gokhale recites lines from the Mahabharat gave me goosebumps. This movie will be a milestone for this "Best Man in the Marathi theater". The scenes of Nana & Vikram Gokhale are the life of this movie. What a camaraderie! It's like watching Sachin & Ganguly bat together. Sheer brilliance!
Medha Manjrekar as Kaveri Ganpat Belwalkar is serene. The romance between Anna & Kaveri is ethereal. Mrunmayee Deshpande, Neha Pendse, Sunil Barve play their parts well.
The director, Mahesh Manjrekar needs a serious applause for steering the ship such beautifully. The film is an ode to the theater greats from V V Shirwadkar to Shakespeare. The story telling is refined, to-the-point & touches you to the core. Even though the plot is melodramatic & you would have seen similar plots of aging Parents suffering in the hands of their children in movies like Baghbaan, Avatar and many more, Mahesh Manjarekar's Natsamrat hits you the hardest. The director makes you feel the weight of Nana's pain & suffering.
Such a kind of cinema needs to be celebrated & it's high time that Marathi Cinema gets its due acclaim & admiration. This movie will make Bollywood realize what they have missed by not using an actor of Nana Patekar's class to his truest potential.
My take: A must watch! Go & experience the acting prowess of Nana Patekar.
A screen adaptation of Kusumagraj's iconic Marathi play "Natsamrat", this movie takes us through the life of a veteran theater actor named Ganpat "Appa" Belwalkar (Nana Patekar), the fame & stardom during his heydays & the tragic upturn of his life after his retirement. The agony of the lead character is heartbreaking and the story telling is path-breaking. This movie leaves you with moist eyes & a scratched soul.
Nana Patekar is outstanding as Ganpat Belwalkar. He owns this movie with unmatched conviction. "Natsamrat" in literal sense means the "The King of Actors" & this man makes you realize that he indeed is amongst the best in Indian cinema. You laugh when he cracks the jokes & you cry when he suffers. He has portrayed this character with such a proficiency that you leave the cinema hall with a reverence to the phenomenon called Nana Patekar!
As Amitabh Bachchan is the "Shenshah"& so is Shahrukh the "King Khan". Nana Patekar, should, with due authority, be rechristened as "Natasamrat Nana Patekar" after this performance.
Vikaram Gokhale as Rambhau is superlative. The veteran actor plays the role with such a conviction that in few scenes he given even Nana Patekar a run for his money. The sequence on his deathbed when Gokhale recites lines from the Mahabharat gave me goosebumps. This movie will be a milestone for this "Best Man in the Marathi theater". The scenes of Nana & Vikram Gokhale are the life of this movie. What a camaraderie! It's like watching Sachin & Ganguly bat together. Sheer brilliance!
Medha Manjrekar as Kaveri Ganpat Belwalkar is serene. The romance between Anna & Kaveri is ethereal. Mrunmayee Deshpande, Neha Pendse, Sunil Barve play their parts well.
The director, Mahesh Manjrekar needs a serious applause for steering the ship such beautifully. The film is an ode to the theater greats from V V Shirwadkar to Shakespeare. The story telling is refined, to-the-point & touches you to the core. Even though the plot is melodramatic & you would have seen similar plots of aging Parents suffering in the hands of their children in movies like Baghbaan, Avatar and many more, Mahesh Manjarekar's Natsamrat hits you the hardest. The director makes you feel the weight of Nana's pain & suffering.
Such a kind of cinema needs to be celebrated & it's high time that Marathi Cinema gets its due acclaim & admiration. This movie will make Bollywood realize what they have missed by not using an actor of Nana Patekar's class to his truest potential.
My take: A must watch! Go & experience the acting prowess of Nana Patekar.
Nana Patekar brilliance reminds us what Bollywood is missing out on
tlrg-legend13 September 2017
Warning: Spoilers
The words uttered by Ganpatrao in Natsamrat feels like a religious discourse, falling on ears like a soothing balm. It is after many a long years that dialogues with such finesse have been put up on the screen. They seem nothing less than those featured in plays Ganpatrao cherishes and brings to life on stage. Screenplay writers nowadays dumb down their content in a disquietude that the audience will not comprehend the gems of emotions they hide beneath the curtains called words. Here, the writing is intelligent treating the audience with the reverence it is often penurious of.
A forlorn Ganpatrao asks in an address to the characters he religiously brought into life 'When will my grief be considered worthy as yours?' Nana Patekar rises to this very question and breathes fire into this character. There are rare times when an actor just draws you into a movie, when he rises above the movie itself and well, puts you in a state of limbo where you are divested from your physical abilities to move. You just stare and get amazed. I hate to say it because I believe staunchly that every actor has untapped potential beyond realization, but this is a career-defining performance by Nana. He can't rise above this unfortunately and it is an amalgamation of sadness and joy when I come to this realization.
As to the movie itself, it is left miles behind in the inter space between it and Patekar's performance. It is ridden with the very clichés I had expected it to be free from the shackles of. The premise, although bases on a play by V.V.Shirwadkar, brings back memories of a much-superior Tokyo Story(or a much inferior Baghban as well), which forever immortalized the theme of the neglectful children-old parents through the mastery of the profound Ozu himself .
While being a compelling character-study, Natsamrat is lagging behind on adapting itself to the familiarity of its concept to the audience. But, with Nana Patekar's visceral performance the movie is aeons ahead of what it could have been without him. It is Manjrekar's ode to the purity and greatness of theater and its dialogues which remain forever etched in the minds of the audience, and peering through that field of vision, it is a beautiful and heartfelt ode, a one which should be watched at least once. Patekar's performance embodies every emotion that actors strive to put up on screen through courses of their lifetimes, which in most cases unfortunately, bears not even a dint of success.
A forlorn Ganpatrao asks in an address to the characters he religiously brought into life 'When will my grief be considered worthy as yours?' Nana Patekar rises to this very question and breathes fire into this character. There are rare times when an actor just draws you into a movie, when he rises above the movie itself and well, puts you in a state of limbo where you are divested from your physical abilities to move. You just stare and get amazed. I hate to say it because I believe staunchly that every actor has untapped potential beyond realization, but this is a career-defining performance by Nana. He can't rise above this unfortunately and it is an amalgamation of sadness and joy when I come to this realization.
As to the movie itself, it is left miles behind in the inter space between it and Patekar's performance. It is ridden with the very clichés I had expected it to be free from the shackles of. The premise, although bases on a play by V.V.Shirwadkar, brings back memories of a much-superior Tokyo Story(or a much inferior Baghban as well), which forever immortalized the theme of the neglectful children-old parents through the mastery of the profound Ozu himself .
While being a compelling character-study, Natsamrat is lagging behind on adapting itself to the familiarity of its concept to the audience. But, with Nana Patekar's visceral performance the movie is aeons ahead of what it could have been without him. It is Manjrekar's ode to the purity and greatness of theater and its dialogues which remain forever etched in the minds of the audience, and peering through that field of vision, it is a beautiful and heartfelt ode, a one which should be watched at least once. Patekar's performance embodies every emotion that actors strive to put up on screen through courses of their lifetimes, which in most cases unfortunately, bears not even a dint of success.
A 'play' full of life !!!
saarangp8 January 2016
This movie is a mixture of all emotions - love,sadness,anger,trust,surprise, etc. It perfectly balances and portrays the happy and sad moments in life alternately and surprises the audience all the times. Also, this movie is worth watching because first of all, it is the adaptation of one of the most famous Indian (Marathi) play - 'Natsamraat'; secondly,it has stellar and noteworthy performances from supreme actors like Nana Patekar, Vikram Gokhale, Medha Manjrekar and all other actors / actresses have also performed extremely well !! And last but not the least, since this is another screen adaptation of famous Marathi play (first was 'Katyar Kaljat Ghusali' based on the famous Marathi musical play), 'Natsamrat' movie is, no doubt, worth watching on the big screen !!! Go watch it now :-)
A Shakespearean tragedy of epic proportions
shoreup23 January 2016
Natsamrat is a tribute to a bygone era of Marathi theater which was probably the last great art movement that shaped the texture of the society it inhabited and which it took inspiration from. Life has since moved on and theater has become relegated to the margins of society but a glimpse of what it was capable of has been presented in this great work of art which should become a classic in time.
It tells the story of a once - celebrated giant of the stage whose retirement from theater also starts the beginning of his fall from glory into a miserable state of existence, bought about by ungrateful children and a society that has retreated further into its hypocrisy and shallowness. It has no need of a larger than life actor who lives his life with much of the flair and celebration and truthfulness with which he decorated the roles of the great tragedians of the past. Impotent political correctness and circumspect sheepishness is now the order of the day where truth of any kind is banished and manipulative strategies are encouraged, indeed celebrated. Whereas this larger critique of society and a lone man's fight is nothing new to cinema or art, Natsamrat's unique claim to greatness comes from its brilliant synthesis of searching dialogues and superb acting. There are outstanding exchanges between Vikram Gokhale and Nana Patekar musing on the nature of life and its trials. For our generation raised on easy clichés of feel good relationships, these two actors show what the essence of a truly honorable friendship over years really is. The culmination of this brilliant friendship invokes the famous dialogue from the Mahabharata in which Karna questions Krishna on the unjust nature of Fate and Krishna begs forgiveness. A more memorable display of acting will be difficult to find.
Its a testament to the acting prowess of Nana Patekar that he is able to take on a role which has been considered a milestone in Marathi theater for decades now. The tragic story of an actor is shown through his identification and questioning of the great roles he has performed. He reminiscences of Lear whose folly and tragic pain mirrors his own. Theatre we are shown is not just a means of entertainment but a profound mirror in which we can seek answers to life's most difficult questions, including the greatest of them all: What's the purpose of life itself ? Its another question whether we have the desire to seek these answers. A society is defined by the questions it asks and not necessarily by the solutions it invents. Out great misfortune today is that we don't question the mysteries of existence anymore. The film deals with many more issues of life, death, suffering and the paradoxical depth and shallowness of the actor. Mention must be made of Medha Manjrekar who plays the dignified stoical wife whose self effacing dedication to her husband is only matched by her lifelong resolve to protect him. She keeps having high temperatures, perhaps because she always takes the storms on herself. A film that should be seen many many times.
It tells the story of a once - celebrated giant of the stage whose retirement from theater also starts the beginning of his fall from glory into a miserable state of existence, bought about by ungrateful children and a society that has retreated further into its hypocrisy and shallowness. It has no need of a larger than life actor who lives his life with much of the flair and celebration and truthfulness with which he decorated the roles of the great tragedians of the past. Impotent political correctness and circumspect sheepishness is now the order of the day where truth of any kind is banished and manipulative strategies are encouraged, indeed celebrated. Whereas this larger critique of society and a lone man's fight is nothing new to cinema or art, Natsamrat's unique claim to greatness comes from its brilliant synthesis of searching dialogues and superb acting. There are outstanding exchanges between Vikram Gokhale and Nana Patekar musing on the nature of life and its trials. For our generation raised on easy clichés of feel good relationships, these two actors show what the essence of a truly honorable friendship over years really is. The culmination of this brilliant friendship invokes the famous dialogue from the Mahabharata in which Karna questions Krishna on the unjust nature of Fate and Krishna begs forgiveness. A more memorable display of acting will be difficult to find.
Its a testament to the acting prowess of Nana Patekar that he is able to take on a role which has been considered a milestone in Marathi theater for decades now. The tragic story of an actor is shown through his identification and questioning of the great roles he has performed. He reminiscences of Lear whose folly and tragic pain mirrors his own. Theatre we are shown is not just a means of entertainment but a profound mirror in which we can seek answers to life's most difficult questions, including the greatest of them all: What's the purpose of life itself ? Its another question whether we have the desire to seek these answers. A society is defined by the questions it asks and not necessarily by the solutions it invents. Out great misfortune today is that we don't question the mysteries of existence anymore. The film deals with many more issues of life, death, suffering and the paradoxical depth and shallowness of the actor. Mention must be made of Medha Manjrekar who plays the dignified stoical wife whose self effacing dedication to her husband is only matched by her lifelong resolve to protect him. She keeps having high temperatures, perhaps because she always takes the storms on herself. A film that should be seen many many times.
Brilliant; deserves a National Award
indianature2 March 2016
Natsamraat had a pretty good run in theatres, especially for a Marathi movie in Bollywood's heartland Mumbai! With every review being good, and of course with Nana Patekar, I too wanted to see this film and eventually I did last night on DVD.
This movie is brilliant and 10 is not high enough a rating.
Nana Patekar is at his very best. The story is riveting, so real and so poignant, a story of our times, unfolding through the powerful dialogues of a Natsamraat who certainly deserves the title.
This is so different from the stereotyped roles Nana Patekar plays in Bollywood films.
Natsamraat has English sub titles. My Marathi is of the spoken variety and I read the sub titles for some of the dialogues but as the movie progressed, they were not necessary because the manner in which Nana delivered his dialogues was sufficient to convey the meaning of every single word.
This film ought to have sub titles in all major regional languages for a wider audience, and it surely deserves the National Award.
This movie is brilliant and 10 is not high enough a rating.
Nana Patekar is at his very best. The story is riveting, so real and so poignant, a story of our times, unfolding through the powerful dialogues of a Natsamraat who certainly deserves the title.
This is so different from the stereotyped roles Nana Patekar plays in Bollywood films.
Natsamraat has English sub titles. My Marathi is of the spoken variety and I read the sub titles for some of the dialogues but as the movie progressed, they were not necessary because the manner in which Nana delivered his dialogues was sufficient to convey the meaning of every single word.
This film ought to have sub titles in all major regional languages for a wider audience, and it surely deserves the National Award.
Cant have words
jigalon7 January 2017
I don't have good knowledge of Marathi language. But on a friends recommendation I have watched this movie. Believe me my first question to him "How many times you cried while watching this movie?". I could not control my emotions and cried like a child. Each and every characters have strong role to play. Each part of movie is not to be missed. This is masterpiece.Thanks to Mahesh Manjrekar, Nana Patekar and all cast to pour liveliness in character. I must have missed some core Marathi words to understand but acting says it all. Movie will not allow you to get disturbed while you watching it. I don't have words as I am still in influence of movie while writing this review. IMDb please don't force to write 10 lines :). Thanks. Must watch it.
Theatre of life, giving you all sort of emotions in just 170 mins
coolchetangarg17 January 2016
What a splendid movie
After so many years such a drama full of all sort of emotions Anger, Fear, Joy, Jealousy, sorrow, grief, fear, hope, love, hate, cruelty, greed, frustration, disappointment, desire, curiosity, surprise, gratitude, sympathy what was not there
. Such a lovely drama opening all the threads of all possible worldly relations naively narrating in an eloquent manner. I don't know how many times in the middle of the movie i just wanted a pause to capture all of it into my soul. Every scene every dialogue was building it's own impact/impression or sense in the parallel world, even if u leave behind the whole story plot. Be it Karn and Krishna Sequence or the king lear one. Nana Patekar no words to his performance, you can clearly see how this great actor has worked throughout his life, It looks like he has lived his own life in this movie. Still now these words "To be or not to be" are resonating in my mind.
An ode to the Forgotten STAGE
gokscasm7 January 2016
Natsamrat is the answer to what Marathi cinema can do. Spell Magic. Nana Patekar delivers a stellar performance though falters in the parts he is gripped with alcohol. You have an answer there. Vikram Gokhale excels and takes over the baton with a dash of whiskey. Cheers!! I easily cry watching movies but something was amiss here that even emotional scenes to the hilt couldn't roll down a tear down my face. The direction is pretty good but somewhere the writing lacked depth that it couldn't move a weakling like me. All things said, I doubt an actor or a film can better this in Bollywood. Regional cinema in India is gold. Needs to be excavated more. Yes! Excavated!! I am a Keralite born and brought up in Pune and had to rely on subtitles owing to the tough Marathi used in the movie. Medha Manjrekar who played is better half is good and Mrinmayee Deshpande also delivers. Nana Patekar is supreme and he steals the show.
Natsamrat is the best movie of the 2016 with award winning performance from Nana Patekar and brilliant taking of Mahesh Manjrekar.A Masterpiece work....Loved it...
shobanchittuprolu8 November 2016
Natsamrat (2016): Till now I haven't watched any Marathi film but I had heard lot of praise all the times for Nana Patekar and Mahesh Manjrekar.When I have heard about Natsamrat,I have decided that let this movie introduce me to Marthi cinema so I gave it a try..So how is Natsamrat??Did it gave me a good start??
Plot: The film is a tragedy about a veteran theater actor named Ganpat "Appa" Belwalkar (Nana Patekar) who has been the best of his lot during his heyday, garnering fame and fortune acting in plays based on various works, especially William Shakespeare's. It is a tragedy of a veteran actor who enjoyed a very vital importance in his life but who becomes the victim of old age alienation and estrangement. The film reveals an intensely tragic fate of an actor who becomes victim of fate and fortune in old age, which is similar to the fate of Lear. Natsamrat suffers the pangs of old age and dishonor inflicted on him by his own children. It is a tragedy of great humanist and actor who succumbs to the ill fate and destiny. In fact, Natsamrat is a story of Ganpatrao Belvalkar, who withstands great suffering after his retirement from stage acting.
Plus Points:
1)Performances: Nana Patekar is truly a Natsamrat.He deserves an award for sure for his mind blowing performance.Patekar, at 65 proves that great actors don't fade away. They simply burn brighter with the growing awareness of mortality. This performance of a man raging against human injustices and God's quirky decree will rank among the most towering performances of Indian cinema.Vikram Gokhale as Rambhau is equally compelling. The sequence on his deathbed when Gokhale recites lines from the Mahabharat makes our hairs stand on-end. This is an actor at the crest of his performing ability.Medha Manjrekar as Sarkaar is brilliant in her role.
2)Dialogues Screenplay and Direction: Natsamrat is a very old-fashioned melodramatic morality tale, and that's the highest compliment I can pay this extraordinarily rich emotional drama. One of the residual joys of watching this expansive tear-jerkier is its affectionate and enthusiastic evocation of theater greats from V V Shirwadkar to Shakespeare and, yes, even Tenesee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire. The director, rather dexterously brings in the idea of 'Old Theatre' versus 'New Theatre', of changing mores in theater and life.Writers Kiran Yadnopavit, Abhijeet Deshpande for bringing alive a 45-year old play to remind us that great writing is ever renewable.Thank you, Mahesh Manjrekar, for restoring our faith in a cinema that speaks a straight emotional language and doesn't borrow its sensitivities from European cinema.
3)Music: Background score is brilliant and carries the feel of the movie perfectly.
So,Natsamrat is the best movie of the 2016 with award winning performance from Nana Patekar and brilliant taking of Mahesh Manjrekar.A Masterpiece work....Loved it...
My rating 10/10
Plot: The film is a tragedy about a veteran theater actor named Ganpat "Appa" Belwalkar (Nana Patekar) who has been the best of his lot during his heyday, garnering fame and fortune acting in plays based on various works, especially William Shakespeare's. It is a tragedy of a veteran actor who enjoyed a very vital importance in his life but who becomes the victim of old age alienation and estrangement. The film reveals an intensely tragic fate of an actor who becomes victim of fate and fortune in old age, which is similar to the fate of Lear. Natsamrat suffers the pangs of old age and dishonor inflicted on him by his own children. It is a tragedy of great humanist and actor who succumbs to the ill fate and destiny. In fact, Natsamrat is a story of Ganpatrao Belvalkar, who withstands great suffering after his retirement from stage acting.
Plus Points:
1)Performances: Nana Patekar is truly a Natsamrat.He deserves an award for sure for his mind blowing performance.Patekar, at 65 proves that great actors don't fade away. They simply burn brighter with the growing awareness of mortality. This performance of a man raging against human injustices and God's quirky decree will rank among the most towering performances of Indian cinema.Vikram Gokhale as Rambhau is equally compelling. The sequence on his deathbed when Gokhale recites lines from the Mahabharat makes our hairs stand on-end. This is an actor at the crest of his performing ability.Medha Manjrekar as Sarkaar is brilliant in her role.
2)Dialogues Screenplay and Direction: Natsamrat is a very old-fashioned melodramatic morality tale, and that's the highest compliment I can pay this extraordinarily rich emotional drama. One of the residual joys of watching this expansive tear-jerkier is its affectionate and enthusiastic evocation of theater greats from V V Shirwadkar to Shakespeare and, yes, even Tenesee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire. The director, rather dexterously brings in the idea of 'Old Theatre' versus 'New Theatre', of changing mores in theater and life.Writers Kiran Yadnopavit, Abhijeet Deshpande for bringing alive a 45-year old play to remind us that great writing is ever renewable.Thank you, Mahesh Manjrekar, for restoring our faith in a cinema that speaks a straight emotional language and doesn't borrow its sensitivities from European cinema.
3)Music: Background score is brilliant and carries the feel of the movie perfectly.
So,Natsamrat is the best movie of the 2016 with award winning performance from Nana Patekar and brilliant taking of Mahesh Manjrekar.A Masterpiece work....Loved it...
My rating 10/10
Overindulgent
gautam-moharil19 July 2020
This is a screen adaptation of a famous play from the 70s and 80s of the same name. I haven't seen the play and cannot comment on the authenticity of the adaptation.
This film is a story of a stage actor who after retirement finds it difficult to adjust living with his children. It's a very long film which seems overindulgent. The same story if told in half the time would have been more effective. The performances are good but it's way too long and tests your patience.
This film is a story of a stage actor who after retirement finds it difficult to adjust living with his children. It's a very long film which seems overindulgent. The same story if told in half the time would have been more effective. The performances are good but it's way too long and tests your patience.
Slow burn theatre
x_d_7112 March 2021
Reasonable production, setting and photography. Storyline of family dramatic events but ultimately not particularly fascinating. Good acting but pacing was a real challenge to sit through. Persevered to finish due to the high rating but ultimately had to finish it over 4 sittings.
Not memorable unfortunately.
Not memorable unfortunately.
everyone should watch it !
dippatel-213649 August 2016
Warning: Spoilers
Just finished the movie and what an emotional ride it has been for me. Yet another brilliant master-piece of Marathi cinema that makes u feel the immense potential of Marathi film industry and people involved in it !
A much needed message for Indian youth abandoning their duties toward their parents which is displayed in a way that guarantees to fill your eyes with tears of harsh truth that our society is facing. Most of the movie we can relate but few scenes were a bit stretched still story- line full of rich vocabulary and dazzling performance of Nana makes u hold your seat for non-stop 165 minutes.
Very Well directed,acted and moreover beautifully scripted its a 10 out of 10 and i wish it could reach out to bigger audience through out the country.
A much needed message for Indian youth abandoning their duties toward their parents which is displayed in a way that guarantees to fill your eyes with tears of harsh truth that our society is facing. Most of the movie we can relate but few scenes were a bit stretched still story- line full of rich vocabulary and dazzling performance of Nana makes u hold your seat for non-stop 165 minutes.
Very Well directed,acted and moreover beautifully scripted its a 10 out of 10 and i wish it could reach out to bigger audience through out the country.
Why not enjoy it...!!
fmtonsan24 November 2018
This Natsamrat Lived For The Stage And Ultimately Died On And For The Stage.
Vivekmaru451 November 2016
Masterpiece. No word else can describe what I had just witnessed. Nana Patekar is a great favorite of mine and he has captivated me in films like Parinda(1989), Prahaar(1991), Angaar(1992), Krantiveer (1994), Agni Sakshi(1996), Ghulam-E-Mustafa(1997) Yeshwant(1997), Ab Tak Chhappan (2005) and sequel Ab Tak Chhappan 2(2015), Tarkieb(2000) and Aanch(2003). He has starred in a lot of other films, but these above are a good guide.
Back to the film. This film concerns the later years of a great and accomplished actor Ganpat Ramchandra Belwalkar (Nana Patekar), who has retired from the stage with the honorific Natsamrat (King of the Theater). He finds life out of stage awkward. He often makes rude and crude jokes in front of his family and friends. This often leads to a great deal of embarrassment afterwards.
Also Ganpat is fond of liquor and gets drunk on many occasions. One day he teaches his grand-daughter a rude nursery rhyme which causes a great stir at school when it is overheard by her teacher. This immediately causes friction between him and his daughter-in-law.
Ganpat wills his house to his son and all his money to his daughter. He says he does not need any wealth as he is very old and wants his son and daughter to take care of him and his wife. But however a great tragedy is out to befall him which will test him till the very end.
William Shakespeare was a great English playwright specializing in tragedies like Hamlet/Romeo And Juliet/Julius Caesar and many others. This film can be compared to a Shakespearean tragedy and those of you who are of an emotional nature will be driven to tears by what befalls this Natsamrat.
The film deals with a major topic not only in India but I feel all over the world. Our parents, who have given birth to us and have taken care of us till early adulthood, suffering all the hardships to make ends meet - should we abandon them in their old age? In American, children rarely live with their parents. The elderly are only seen living in their own homes or at an old age home/institution. The core of the Hindu family revolves around the whole family staying together.
Lately, due to the great increase in cost of living and healthcare, due largely to the fact of world overpopulation, a single man of low income can't earn enough money to feel his parents and his children. Thus more and more cases in India and the rest of the world, of the youth abandoning their parents. I think its high time that society need to think about the care of the elderly.
Other tragedy films Do Bigha Zamin(1953-this is the film I love the most), Anand (1971 film), Mili(1975), Prem Geet(1981).
Thank you for reading my review, live long and prosper.
Back to the film. This film concerns the later years of a great and accomplished actor Ganpat Ramchandra Belwalkar (Nana Patekar), who has retired from the stage with the honorific Natsamrat (King of the Theater). He finds life out of stage awkward. He often makes rude and crude jokes in front of his family and friends. This often leads to a great deal of embarrassment afterwards.
Also Ganpat is fond of liquor and gets drunk on many occasions. One day he teaches his grand-daughter a rude nursery rhyme which causes a great stir at school when it is overheard by her teacher. This immediately causes friction between him and his daughter-in-law.
Ganpat wills his house to his son and all his money to his daughter. He says he does not need any wealth as he is very old and wants his son and daughter to take care of him and his wife. But however a great tragedy is out to befall him which will test him till the very end.
William Shakespeare was a great English playwright specializing in tragedies like Hamlet/Romeo And Juliet/Julius Caesar and many others. This film can be compared to a Shakespearean tragedy and those of you who are of an emotional nature will be driven to tears by what befalls this Natsamrat.
The film deals with a major topic not only in India but I feel all over the world. Our parents, who have given birth to us and have taken care of us till early adulthood, suffering all the hardships to make ends meet - should we abandon them in their old age? In American, children rarely live with their parents. The elderly are only seen living in their own homes or at an old age home/institution. The core of the Hindu family revolves around the whole family staying together.
Lately, due to the great increase in cost of living and healthcare, due largely to the fact of world overpopulation, a single man of low income can't earn enough money to feel his parents and his children. Thus more and more cases in India and the rest of the world, of the youth abandoning their parents. I think its high time that society need to think about the care of the elderly.
Other tragedy films Do Bigha Zamin(1953-this is the film I love the most), Anand (1971 film), Mili(1975), Prem Geet(1981).
Thank you for reading my review, live long and prosper.
Bring all tissues you can find for this masterpiece
doctor_ledo24 September 2017
At first twenty minutes my wife told me i feel it's another repeated theatrical movie so let to turn it off, after that we started continuous crying for 2 hours.I thought before for long time that no movie will be near from shawshank redemption or god father and really after watching this phenomenal masterpiece i confirm it's superior than them by thousands of miles but no fair in this world.what a genius acting from Nana Patekar if he is actor in Hollywood he would be for sure a basket for many Oscars but again no fair.Adapting a play for the big screen is always a risky proposition, since stage plays are a live medium and has a bigger advantage of making an impression among the audiences. The tropes, scenes and moments that work in a play, may backfire in a film but this not happened here.all your emotions will hit you strongly as you watch every minute so be ready for this magical phenomenal movie.Thanx for Mahesh Manjrekar for super directing and a bundle of thanx for all actors but special ones to Nana Patekar and Medha Manjrekar really you are great actors.the last thing if any one need to watch real magical movie this is the one.
Movie that can be watched again and again and again.....
paritharun26 January 2016
Warning: Spoilers
Now This is called a Movie and this is called acting. Nana patekar acted the same way as he describes how an actor should act in the movie.
This is my first review for any movie and I am writing this only because of this movie.
No Matter how many times you watch the movie Nana patekar can make you cry each and every time.
And so is the Vikram Gokhale and remaining cast and crew of the movie.
Each and every scene between Nana patekar and Vikram Gokhale is spell bounding especially the Mahabharata scene.
And Last 30 min of the movie belongs only to Nana Patekar and no other actor from India currently can even touch it. Hats off!!!!!!!!
Current generation need such movies to understand the essence of acting in the world of just Glamour and money.
This is my first review for any movie and I am writing this only because of this movie.
No Matter how many times you watch the movie Nana patekar can make you cry each and every time.
And so is the Vikram Gokhale and remaining cast and crew of the movie.
Each and every scene between Nana patekar and Vikram Gokhale is spell bounding especially the Mahabharata scene.
And Last 30 min of the movie belongs only to Nana Patekar and no other actor from India currently can even touch it. Hats off!!!!!!!!
Current generation need such movies to understand the essence of acting in the world of just Glamour and money.
Powerhouse performances
samabc-3195217 October 2020
A soulful, devastating and deeply touching performance by 'ek machchar aadmi ko......' Nana Patekar, .. in a Shakespearen style.. superb .. actually one of his best performances.. a thought provoking and a movie that reminds us the bitter reality of old age.... loneliness and helplessness ..
Want to know what's called a mind winning film.Watch Natsamrat.
mjdancer-2351215 February 2016
I never done review for anything before. But after watching Natsamrat movie, I wanted to write something. It's a perfectly capable movie for winning Oscar award. Oscar for story, Acting everything. Today's generation want to become Hero n Heroin. Very few say they want to become actor n actress. In this time Marathi industry is making great films. We can say bestest in India. And movies like Natsamrat makes us feel proud. It's the best ever film I've seen in my entire life. Nana Patekar is the bestest actor of the ages. There isn't one thing to say bad. Everyone one did a great role.Nana Patekar, Vikram Gokhale, Medha Manjarekar n all others. No one can beat actor like Nana n film like Natsamrat. I gave 10 stars cause I am feeling like we can get Oscar for real. Above that it's the 1st ever film which touched everyone's heart n made everyone cry in theater for every time I watched. Everyone should watch Natsamrat on big screen.
Marathi movie quality redefined
santosh5310 January 2016
A movie to be remembered for a lifetime. The conversion of a play into a movie is simply beyond expectations. Hats off to Nana Patekar and Vikram Gokhale for the flawless acting. What we see here is acting, direction, screenplay and drama at its best. Tears flow down the eyes of the entire audience by the time the movie ends, something which only a few movies have been able to achieve until now. Indeed, Marathi cinema seems to have reached a new high this time.
Those who have seen the original play in which the character was played by Dr Shreeram Lagoo will try comparing the movie with it, and while the play still holds its numero uno position, making a movie out of such a legend is not an easy task, which Mahesh Manjarekar has achieved flawlessly.
Those who have seen the original play in which the character was played by Dr Shreeram Lagoo will try comparing the movie with it, and while the play still holds its numero uno position, making a movie out of such a legend is not an easy task, which Mahesh Manjarekar has achieved flawlessly.
Exceptional Nana Patekar with phenomenal Direction,Script & Dialogue, a Must watch movie !!
akdabu011 February 2016
The dialogue delivery is exceptional can't ignore this epic family drama script. This is a movie that will stay in your heart for decades very realistic and emotional movie. Hats off to Mr.Nana Patekar you surely capable of winning hearts and "OSCAR". Fabulous dialogue writing. The movie will teach you the family values which we have almost lost in present culture, it has no age limit every character in the movie has shown his/her potential on every frame(scene) there is no doubt the characters have given more than 100%. These watching hours you will not even blink Ur eyes you cant ignore this one. I would suggest to watch this movie & for sure you guys will feel the emotion with your parents. Go watch !!
Absolutely Stunning
nareshbhandare10 June 2018
The last 30 minutes of this movie are riveting. Nana Patekar, a great actor at most times, has possibly given his best performance of all time.
Like some others here, I am also writing my first review because this movie was THAT good. However, I disagree that this is a movie about family estrangement - I feel this movie is basically about what happens to artists when they retire - the estrangemnt only provides the backdrop.
To start with, I thought Vikram Gokhale did some great scenes, but I think Nana was giving him the stage so to say. Nana's daughter also had a great scene when she asks him not to leave them. All this while, I thought Nana was ok, considering his high standards. But he absolutely turns it on in the last 30 minutes or so - it is a long drawn out soliloquy in the end as he is the only major character in most scenes - and Nana's eloquence comes to the fore.
I am tempted to call this the greatest movie I have seen - definitely the greatest Marathi movie and there have been some really good ones in the last few years. Hats off to Nana for an immense performance - over the last few years, I had my doubts if he had another great performance left in him - but this one blows away anything else I have seen from anyone.
Thanks also to Mahesh Manjrekar fro giving us yet another great Marathi movie.
This is MUST watch - I am two years late to it, but I am happy I got there in the end.
Like some others here, I am also writing my first review because this movie was THAT good. However, I disagree that this is a movie about family estrangement - I feel this movie is basically about what happens to artists when they retire - the estrangemnt only provides the backdrop.
To start with, I thought Vikram Gokhale did some great scenes, but I think Nana was giving him the stage so to say. Nana's daughter also had a great scene when she asks him not to leave them. All this while, I thought Nana was ok, considering his high standards. But he absolutely turns it on in the last 30 minutes or so - it is a long drawn out soliloquy in the end as he is the only major character in most scenes - and Nana's eloquence comes to the fore.
I am tempted to call this the greatest movie I have seen - definitely the greatest Marathi movie and there have been some really good ones in the last few years. Hats off to Nana for an immense performance - over the last few years, I had my doubts if he had another great performance left in him - but this one blows away anything else I have seen from anyone.
Thanks also to Mahesh Manjrekar fro giving us yet another great Marathi movie.
This is MUST watch - I am two years late to it, but I am happy I got there in the end.
This movie is a gem of a Indian cinema...
himanshudongre-626712 August 2019
This is one of the best Marathi movie I've ever seen in my life and also this is one of those movie which made me cry. It has great direction, cast, story and dialogues. After all I've to say this is a masterpiece. Hats off to specially Nana patekar and Vikram gokhale.
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