The third Hindi movie released this Friday is 'Pranali -The Tradition'. Its producer Nikhil Mathur had decided as early as July 20007 to make this film based on the centuries old Indian tradition of Devdasis. In fact, he had visited several places where this tradition of Devdasis exists even today. Really, the producer seems to be nourishing the idea of giving legal sanction to such women who are practicing this age-old tradition in the name of God. So, Nikhil thinks of changing the social concept of treating Devdasis in a disrespectful way. He wants the society that has created this tradition to give due respect to them. That's why he involved himself in this socially awaking script. This is another matter that the society or the larger Indian audience that is accustomed to viewing movies at present may not like to watch it. They may not like to identify themselves with whatever Nikhil wants to show them on the screen. Very small and enlightened strata may agree with the producer as the movie talks about legalizing the profession of prostitution.
The audience needs to be told about it in a more convincing way. Nikhil has assigned this difficult task to debut director Hirdesh Kamble. Though the latter has taken upon his shoulders this very difficult, if not impossible, task, he fails in implementing the producer's concept for lack of precision in implanting script onscreen.
Let's analyze the movie's story. This begins when a foreigner known as Judy comes across a prostitute named Pranali whose husband is writing a book on her life. Then the movie goes into flashback: In a famine hit poor village, the parents of a little girl (Pranali) get convinced by a priest to allow their daughter enter into the system of Devdasis. Under this system in the name of God young girls are forced to carry out prostitution. The rich and famous strata of the society is afflicted to the Devdasi system. So, Pranali is handed over to the priest to carry out the system of Devdasis. No sooner Pranali reaches the Mumbai red light area than she decides to give birth to a baby and she seeks education for her child but her kid is barred from getting education from the place where all the socially sanctioned people are teaching their kids!Here enters the scene a NRI who helps Pranali to get her kid educated; he also writes a book on Pranali's life. The NRI helps Pranali's co-sex workers to get out of the wretched tradition and also tries to get a legal sanction for the so-called profession of sex-workers. However, the movie suffers in several departments. Let's talk about the performance of its cast. But for Nargis the others fail miserably in doing their jobs.
They include Sudha Chandran, Deepshikha , Upendra Limaye, and Raman Trikha besides others. Performances of almost all these actors fall below average. Yes, some of them, especially Upendra Limaye, Sudha, Deepshika and Vinay Apte had any good scope for their roles. This is in spite of the fact that the director had organized two workshops for its cast. This is another matter that the workshops helped the director to complete the movie within forty days.
That's why it has cost the producer around Rs 80/85 million. Though the screenplay and music prove ineffective in bringing out anything from the movie, its music is a little satisfactory inasmuch as Kailash Kher is beginning his innings as a singer with this movie. Besides eminent kathak guru Birju Maharaj has given lessons to Deepshikha for this movie. Incidentally, the movie is simultaneously releasing in Hindi, Telugu and Tamil. The movie may not ring its cash registers because of its failure to appeal to the general moviegoers.