Fandry

Plot: A story of teenage love based in an interior village of Maharashtra, the film focuses on the problem of caste discrimination by incorporating a love angle in it.

Review: Jabya (Somnath Awghade) is a teenager who falls in love with his classmate Shalu (Rajeshwari Kharat). But Jabya belongs to the kaikadi (untouchable) caste while Shalu belongs to an upper caste and this prevents him from expressing his love due to the existent caste system in their orthodox village.

The film has so many ironic situations that you are left thinking about how our society functions. Fandry is a slang word for pig and Kachru’s (Kishore Kadam who plays Jabya’s father) job is to catch pigs and do all the dirty work of the village. There are harsh words and scenes in the film but you don’t feel pitiful and that is where Nagraj has scored by getting the message through in a light hearted way without bombarding the viewer with the agony of the characters. There is a scene towards the end of the film when Kachru’s family catches a pig and is carrying it out of the village. On their way, they pass the paintings of revolutionaries who championed the cause of eradication of the caste system and this scene sums up the irony of the society that we live in today.

Somnath and Suraj have performed extremely well considering it is their debut performance. Kishore has mastered the art of slipping into any role he does and is brilliant as usual. Nagraj does a great job behind and in front of the camera as the eccentric Chankya.

The film, which has won the critic’s appreciation at various film festivals, is a well crafted one and is a sure shot watch for all those interested in knowing more about caste discrimination.