Ata Thambaycha Naay review: A simple and emotional drama offers optimism and hope.
There are films that inspire you to give it your all and not be scared of failure. 'Ata Thambaycha Naay,' the maiden directorial venture of actor-turned-director Shivraj Waichal, is undoubtedly a simple, endearing drama about the everyday hardships and emotional journey of BMC's (Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation) underpaid sweeper workers as they finish their elementary school education. The movie is based on the true experience of 23 employees who were asked by Assistant Municipal Commissioner Udaykumar Shirurkar to finish their basic education in 2016-17. Even though there are a few overly dramatic moments, needless pauses, the movie manages to offer you optimism and motivation. This film will have you rooting for these BMC workers as you laugh and cry right alongside them.
Shivraj Waichal's film also throws light on people's lack of sympathy towards these hard-working, underpaid sweeper and drainage workers. The film begins with a scene in which a drainage worker dives down a dirty drain without any protective equipment. This little but significant scene depicts how these workers must suffer humiliation from everyone despite putting their lives in danger by cleaning the sewers without proper safety equipments.
Sakharam (Bharat Jadhav), who has worked as a drainage worker for BMC for 35 years, is asked to attend night school and pass the 10th grade exam alongside Maruti (Siddharth Jadhav), street sweepers and garbage collectors Apsara (Kiran Khoje) and Jayshree (Prajakta Hanamghar). Nilesh (Om Bhutkar) takes on the burden of not only teaching them at this night school, but also inspiring them to never give up hope and to regain people's respect despite their jobs as sweepers and drainage cleaners.
From the opening scene, the film makes you cheer for these workers as you witness their everyday struggles to provide for their families' fundamental necessities. Someone works as a cab driver at night after working all day at the BMC's water department, and someone's crippled husband owns a business in a slum. Naturally, these workers are initially reluctant to attend night school. However, Shivraj Waichal and the co-writers Omkar Gokhale, Arvind Jagtap do an excellent job of making you cheer for them while avoiding melodramatic tone except for couple of scenes.
There is a brief romantic subplot involving the teacher and a young girl (Parna Pethe) that helps to add some emotional depth to Nilesh's character. But there are some logical flaws in the movie. One thing that irritated me about this film was that, aside from the simple mention of subject names, it never showed these students actually learning and struggling to understand the Maharashtra state board's 10th standard's syllabus, particularly in subjects such as Maths, Science, and English. What we see students learning for the tenth grade exam in this film was actually part of our sixth and seventh grade curriculum. (We've all struggled to learn and recall Sin, Cos, and Tan in maths, the periodic table of elements in chemistry, and all of the rules of physics when we were in 9th & 10th standard.)
However, these flaws are compensated for by the outstanding performances of every performer. In this movie, Bharat Jadhav is unquestionably exceptional. He does a fantastic job as a hopeless man who doesn't even care about his life. Bharat Jadhav is careful not to overreact when expressing his inner distress. Siddharth Jadhav excels in the role of a guy who will stop at nothing to provide for his young daughter's education. He creates a sense of emotional intensity by putting genuine muscle into his act. Patna Pethe, Kiran Khoje, Om Bhutkar, and Prajakta Hanamghar have all had outstanding performances.
Despite depicting the realities of these people, the film maintains a light-hearted tone and even some humour throughout. The majority of the outdoor sequences in 'Ata Thambaycha Naay' are shot in genuine locales and slums, which helps viewers, particularly those from Mumbai, feel more emotionally linked to them. The film is 144 minutes long, but you never feel bored. However, if the director and editor had trimmed just couple of scenes, they could have left an even greater emotional impression.
Shivraj Waichal's directorial debut with 'Ata Thambaycha Naay' is a modest, lovable drama that offers optimism and hope.
Cast: Siddhartha Jadhav, Om Bhutkar, Bharat Jadhav, Ashutosh Gowariker, Prajakta Hanamghar, Parna Pethe
Writers: Shivraj Waichal, Omkar Gokhale, Arvind Jagtap
Director: Shivraj Waichal
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