Pondicherry Movie Review: Beautiful Tale Of Love, Life And Relationships; Feel Good And Bittersweet

Movies where a city is a character and integrated into the plot are most enjoyable to watch if well made. This is especially true for Sachin Kundalkar's film Pondicherry that releases on February 25 in theatres. 'Feel good' and 'bittersweet' would be the best way to describe this beautiful tale of love, life and relationships - all unfolding in the tourist town of Pondicherry aka Puducherry in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The Marathi film has a sprinkling of other languages spoken in the town like Tamil, French, Hindi and English.

Story

Nikita (Sai Tamhankar) lives with her school-going son Ishan (Tanmay Kulkarni) in Pondicherry. Her husband Vishnu (not shown) is away and she runs the vintage family home as a homestay, while her mother (Neena Kulkarni) lives in Pune. Nikita also works as a tour guide to her guests, who come from all corners of the world. A guest from Mumbai named Rohan (Vaibhav Tatwawadi), although a bit difficult as a person, brings in a whiff of fresh air into Nikita's life. And her son's, too.

But is Rohan what and who he seems? He has something to hide. More secrets unfold when Manasi (Amruta Khanwilkar), a part of his past, lands up in the homestay with her fiancé (Gaurav Ghatnekar). As twists and turns happen in the lives of the characters, the city of Pondicherry and its peaceful air bring them all together. Life is not easy, but all's well that ends well.

Direction and Writing

While the director's wonderful Gulabjaam (2018) weaved a deep and poignant look at life through its story and also had its light moments, Pondicherry may leave you thinking about your own life and journey. Pondicherry isn't a story of oldies but of young people, so it shows that there's still time to right the wrongs. And that's the main message of the film.

While Gulabjaam literally gave you hunger pangs with not just its name but also the depiction and discussions of food in the film, Pondicherry will either make you nostalgic about your last trip to the town or make plans to go there if you haven't yet.

Pondi's French Colony, its cafes, colourful buildings, the promenade, the Pathe-Cine-Familial and other tourist spots form a backdrop of the story and do not intrude. Much like the French New Wave movies shot in Paris where the city is a backdrop as the story unfolds.

Kundalkar and Tejas Modak are delightful storytellers and continue their journey from Gulabjaam. Each character in Pondicherry has its place and its quirks. The mystique is maintained right from the beginning when Vaibhav Tatwawadi's Rohan makes an entry into the homestay.

Apart from being a writer, Tejas is an artist and has also done the new wall paintings shown in the film, as well as designed the title credits. It looks like he is going to write and direct a great film himself someday.

Performances

Which brings us to the acting. We have the most natural acting from all. Vaibhav is truly shining in the film and his acting is smooth, never missing a beat. Sai Tamhankar and Amruta Khanvilkar are wonderful and should have had some more intense scenes of only the two of them together. Child artist Tanmay Kulkarni is perfect. Bhupendra Jadawat is charming as the caretaker of the homestay. Gaurav Ghatnekar has a two-bit role of a rude Punjabi man and manages well. Veterans Neena Kulkarni and Mahesh Manjrekar (unnamed character) don't have to bat an eyelid to act. They are so seasoned as actors.

Technical Aspects

Pondicherry is the first Marathi feature film to be shot on a smartphone (Apple iPhone). It has been shot in a pictureseque manner by Milind Jog after a lot of prep. The general viewer will not even notice the difference - so engrossing are the visuals and the storyline, aided by Abhijeet Deshpande's editing and the music by Debarpito Saha.

Verdict

The film Pondicherry teaches you to live in the present and accept the past; it also teaches you that going back to the past and accepting mistakes is not a bad idea, after all. Pondicherry is a wonderful Sunday afternoon movie to watch with the family. Clean and feel good entertainment.

Rating

We will go with 3.5/5 for Pondicherry.