Recent efforts in Marathi cinema have been tremendous. It has been more fulfilling and satisfying than the brainless Bollywood films. So I decided to check out the movie that had an intriguing title.
Gabricha Pais is a great first effort by its director. It is the first movie on the farmer suicides that have been steadily increasing over this past decade. It tells us the story of a farmer called Kisna and his family.
The movie opens with the suicide of a farmer and everyone is worried now as it is the first suicide of the season. Kisna's wife beings to worry that he too will commit suicide. She along with her mother in law begin to keep watch on him to prevent his suicide.
What follows is one man's attempt to farm. Farm through too much rain, farm through no rain but steadily this man begins to fall into the pit of despair as he falls deeper into debt and no yields. There are some tiny bits of what you might call black comedy and the ending is one of the most powerful scenes I have witnessed in Indian Cinema
There are a few things lacking in this film. A good editor would have gone a long way in making this film a masterpiece and a more human side but even so these things must be overlooked. Indian cinema is becoming more realistic and intelligent and Gabricha Paus is helping it along.