Start the week with a film: ‘Gharat Ganpati’ gets into the festive spirit

The two abiding strengths of Marathi cinema – strong writing and naturalistic performances – are evident in Gharat Ganpati. Navjyot Narendra Bandiwadekar’s comedy uses to smart effect the familiar device of a family coming together and threatening to come apart during a religious event.

The Gharat clan has been celebrating the Ganpati festival at their ancestral home in the Konkan for generations. This year too, Janaki (Sushama Deshpande) and her husband Jayantrao (Sharad Bhutadia) prepare to welcome their brood for the seven-day event. Not every one of their children is happy about the financial and emotional costs of maintaining the Ganpati and Gauri idols for a week.

City slickers Sharad (Ajinkya Deo) and his wife Ahilya (Ashvini Bhave) carp about having to frequently bail out Sharad’s brother (Sanjay Mone) and his wife (Shubhangi Latkar). The sniping between the ones who moved out and the ones who chose to stay behind escalates when Sharad’s son Ketan (Bhushan Pradhan) turns with his girlfriend from Delhi.

Kriti (Nikita Dutta) tries very hard to please this Marathi-speaking cohort – perhaps a bit too hard. Kriti’s ignorance of local customs as well as her tendency to put her foot into her mouth divides the family.

Gharat Ganpati can be rented from Prime Video. The device of...

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