Rating: 
️️1/2
Plot: Shraddha’s unusual vow before marriage puts Lamby, her fiancé, in a fix. Her parents along with the two, embark on a pilgrimage of divinity to complete the vow.
Story, Screenplay and Direction: Sachin Pilgaonkar
Music: Avadhoot Gupte, Jitendra Kulkarni, Raviraj Koltharkar
Cinematography : Nitin Bandekar
Editor: Faisal Mahadik
Cast: Sachin Pilgaonkar, Ashok Saraf, Swapnil Joshi, Supriya Pilgaonkar, Vaibhav Mangle, Jaywant Wadkar, Siddharth Jadhav, Nirmiti Sawant
Read More Marathi movie reviews here.
Navra Maza Navsacha 2: Marathi Movie Review
Navra Mazha Navsacha 2 is undoubtedly the most anticipated Marathi film of the year. It has returned back to the big screen, with audiences expecting the magical charm of the original one to be back as well. But as life puts it, you never get what you want. Even though the story seems to have moved forward, the world remains the same. The sequel feels so uncalled for, because of the unoriginal premise.
Even though the original one had corny dialogues along with stereotypical characters, the plot was so interesting and iconic that it worked like a charm! The supporting cast was so legendary that, to be very honest, I visited Ganpati Pule because I saw the movie. So riding on these expectations was always going to be a huge task, never mind surpassing it.
The sequel starts with Vacky (Sachin Pilgaonkar) and Bharti (Supriya Pilgaonkar) living happily with their daughter Shraddha (Hemal Ingle). One fine day she reveals her love for Lamby (Swapnil Joshi) and her wish to marry him. Her parents agree to meet him and decide the further proceedings. But to their surprise, Lamby refuses to carry forward their legacy of pilgrimage since he is an atheist and doesn’t believe in God. This puts their marriage in a fix and to get out of this Shraddha takes up an unusual vow. Will Lamby be able to fulfil her vow and get married? Or will he put his ethics and beliefs before everything else as the ride moves forward?
The one factor on which the film heavily relies on is the dose of nostalgia, be it in the form of Ashok Saraf as TC or some repetition in dialogues. The film works just fine there. But where it falters is the weak and lazy plot. The sequel feels unnecessary and not even worth the legacy of the original.
The addition of Swapnil Joshi is a miss for sure. He doesn’t fit in as the romantic chocolate boy anymore. Hemal Ingle does her job well. The show stealers are once again the cutie pair of Sachin and Supriya. The effortless chemistry and comic timing shows their relationship with each other quite nicely. Just when you start feeling the movie might derail, enters Ashok Saraf, the king of comedy, to save the day. Ashok Saraf’s impeccable comic timing makes the railway journey even better. Vaibhav Mangle also does a fantastic job.
Half the songs in the film are unnecessary. The cinematography is very limited and does not offer anything extra ordinary. The writing and direction by Sachin feels very lazy and convenient. The attempt to take a dig at the current generation is horrible and doesn’t work. Trying to blend the old school characters with the modern ones fails. The pacing is quite uneven and the film never picks up after a point. The climax is one of the worst and laziest endings I have ever seen.
The difference between devotion and superstition is something the film has tried to bring out as the theme of the film. It never really comes off like that. Instead it feels like the film pushes you to believe in God and praying will actually solve all your problems. Giving this hope for someone down and out might help but again there is a limit to what amount of beliefs you can push to the audience.
All in all, if you expect disappointment, you will not be disappointed. But if you expect the original one’s magic here, you are in for a crass and bumpy ride. Celebrate the National Cinema Day with your families, and watch this movie for the sake of reliving the legendary Navra Mazha Navsacha magic!
