Of love and madness

Recently I was a part of the Pune International Film Festival (PIFF), watched many films, met many interesting people. Will post reviews of films that touched me..starting with ......

The Man Beyond The Bridge (Paltadacho Munis) is a 96 minute Konkani film set in Quepem, a village in Western Ghats of Goa. Vinayak, a widowed forest ranger lives on the other side of the bridge that connects his world to the village. He is attracted a mentally disturbed woman who visits his house every night for food and shelter. Vinayak decides to marry her in spite of the fear of being ostracized by the villagers who outcast anyone with a mental illness.
Laxmikant Shetgaonkar tells this love story weaving it beautifully with the culture of the region. The film based on a short story by Konkani writer, Mahabaleshwar Sail, explores the dilemma of a sensible man against the social taboos that still engulf our society.
A message subplot introduces a village headman who builds a temple on forest land. It is Vinayak’s duty as a forest ranger to oppose this development risking his new love interest. The Man Beyond The Bridge takes audiences beyond the huge crowded cities and gives us a glimpse of rural India. Stuck between the dilemma of humanity and social ethos, Vinayak chooses to go where his heart leads him.
Shetgaonkar does justice to the narrative by keeping it simple yet visually appealing. Shades of realism reflect throughout the texture and bring the audiences closer to the characters. Chitranjan Giri as Vinayak brings out a perceptive portrayal of the character making it an endearing performance.
The film has recently been added to the “Films 101” database for the year 2009. It has also won an award in the "Discovery" category of the Toronto International Film Festival recently. It been screened at other festivals like the IFFI and Cairo International film festival. Not to mention, it is rare that an Indian film competes in the "World Competition" section at PIFF and The Man Beyond The Bridge has achieved that honour too.
It was surprising to know that the Goa state had rejected funding to this film four years back, but today it has brought international fame to the state. This film is Shetgaonkar’s second directorial venture and is produced by the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC). It is commendable that he could represent India in international platforms, creating a hopeful picture for many. The film proves that there is a lot of potential beyond the tinsel town which needs to be tapped.