Thespo X Film Club

Tendulkar and Violence - Then and Now - Vikalp

Run time: 105 minutes  
Director: Atul Pethe
Label: Rudraa in association with Time Out 
Language: Marathi with English subtitles

Plot: The documentary explores the themes of violence in Vijay Tendulkar's plays. Vijay Tendulkar is regarded as one of the greatest playwrights of modern India. Tendulkar heralded a revolution in Indian theatre, both in the content and style, by his bold themes and natural expression. He was the first Indian playwright to consistently explore the theme of violence in a direct way. This documentary examines the origin, expression and character of violence in his plays in the context of the period of writing as well as similar attempts worldwide.  
Makarand Sathe interviews Vijay Tendulkar, Prof. Ram Bapat, G.P Deshpande, Nilu Phulay, Shreeram Lagoo, Jabbar Patel, Vijaya Mehta and Satyadev Dubey. The film includes rare archived excerpts from his plays 'Kanyadan', 'Sakharam Binder', 'Ghashiram Kotwal', 'Kamla' and 'Shantata Court Chalu Aahe'. 

Description/Synopsis:  A recent documentary on DVD titled Tendulkar and Violence: Then and Now (Marathi with English subtitles) seeks to answer these questions through an extensive interview with the playwright himself and viewpoints of people who have worked with him or have followed his journey like Vijaya Mehta, Nilu Phule, Shriram Lagoo, Satyadev Dubey, Prof Ram Bapat and Jabbar Patel. 
Theatre director Atul Pethe has directed the video and playwright Makarand Sathe is the scriptwriter and interviewer. In a way, this is a tribute from the new generation to a writer who has shaped their sensibilities. 

There are a few representative scenes from five important Tendulkar plays that explore violence in different milieus, situations and class structures—Gidhade, Shanta, Court Chalu Aahe, Sakharam Binder, Ghashiram Kotwal and Kanyadaan.  

Intentionally, the city of Mumbai forms the backdrop to the film with shots of Tendulkar travelling in a car through the grime and harsh landscape of slums and gutters lining the overbridges. The visual is apt because Tendulkar has constantly explored the rough underbelly of the city and drawn inspiration from it.