Start the week with a film: In ‘Shala’, love in the time of the Emergency

It’s 1975. Emergency has been declared in India. For the nation, it’s a time for “discipline”, whose true meaning eludes its practitioners. For some, however, it’s a time for love, which needs no explanation.

Mukund (Anshuman Joshi) has fallen for Shirodkar (Ketaki Mategaonkar), the classmate known mostly by her surname. Mukund is not alone – the other 14-year-old boys in his group at the Kanhegaon village’s main school are losing their hearts too. Through the coming-of-age experiences of these pupils, particularly Mukund, director Sujay Dahake delivers a sweet-natured film about minor rebellions in a time of an attack on free expression.

The Marathi-language Shala (2012), which is available on Prime Video, is based on Milind Bokil’s novel of the same name. The 104-minute movie examines in a light-hearted manner the education that Mukund receives in the classroom as well as beyond its confines.

The episodic plot ambles from one incident to the next. Geography teacher Manjrekar (Santosh Juvekar) explains the meaning of the Emergency to the curious students – it’s a manufactured crisis meant to rein in citizens, rather than benefit them, Manjrekar says.

Mukund wonders about the best way to gaze upon Shirodkar without staring at her outright. His English-speaking uncle Naru (Jitendra Joshi) is a cool cat...

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