Majnu

Story: 'Majnu' is a film that tells a story of young love in a village setting. It deals with student politics, love and betrayal with a couple facing off against the college goon.

Review: 'Majnu' has a very well cut trailer that promises to be a classic romantic story. However, what was setup to be a people pleasing story of love and betrayal, set to the scenic backdrops of rural Maharashtra, ends up as a giant disappointment.

'Majnu' explores the story of Vishal (Rohan Patil) who is the field hand to Kasturi’s (Svetlana Ahire) family. Through a truly jarring flow of events both of them end up in a relationship. Sagar (Nitish Chavan) enters the story as a loud and obnoxious rich guy, interested in Kasturi. After multiple misplaced attempts at wooing her, the rivalry between Vishal and Sagar reaches its peak when the latter wins the student elections. This results in Kasturi switching sides leading to chaos ensuing in the blossoming relationship.

The Marathi film industry has multiple examples of simple heartfelt love stories that leave a lasting impact on the viewer. Majnu as a film, misses that mark completely. The film suffers from mechanical acting from most of the actors and poor setup. It leaves the audience with narrative whiplash as the story jumps dramatically, with little explanation given to characters’ actions.

The saving grace of the film is Nitish Chavan’s portrayal of the antagonist as well as the cinematography by Height Manju and MB Allikatti, which accentuates the beautiful landscapes.

All in all Majnu is a film that has good bones but fails due to poor delivery.
-- Anub George