Valu and Village

Valu- bull that has been sent after God- very important from village point of view. It’s a sacred, its divine, its traditional!
But why am I talking about Valu?
Today I watched Marathi movie-Valu. Marathi film industry certainly reaching new heights each year. And yes we all have witnessed this. What I remember, I grew up watching late Laxmikant Berde, Ashok Saraf, Mahesh Kothare, Prashant Damale (though he enjoyed more success in Marathi Drama than Marathi film industry) and of course not to forget Sachin Pilgaonkar. Those were the days of Ashi Hi BanwaBanwi, Shejari Shejari, Ekapeksha Ek, Takluhaivan to name a few. Not to mention, sops like Maherchi Sadi and alike those were typical of Marathi Culture, either depicting immense power of faith in God or showing daughter-in-laws who against all odds fight with their mother-in-laws mostly. Here, I have not mentioned late Dada Kondke, but not to offence anyone, its simply on my personal taste. But really speaking, when everyone was worried about Marathi film industry being dying away, yet again the wheel has turned around. And for last two years, I personally have witnessed industry’s great strides. Movies like Shwas, Dombiwali Fast, (this one I will never forget, it has disturbed me, it has forced me to think hard and it has depressed me at times),Nital, that venture in new storylines and carry some message though sometimes not explicitly and others like Kaydyache Bola, Issha, Aga Bai Areccha, that serve their purpose of pure and bland comedy. Valu continues this trend of new ventures and new stories. Though I am not claiming that I am connoisseur and a great film critique.
A forest officer who is immensely proud of his bravado catches of wild cats and tigers is given a job of entrapping a bull that has gone wild in one small village. He is obviously reluctant and thought of this job as degradation of his courage- how can I be given a job of catching a Bull in some village? But as a government servant he has to do his job. And then the real story starts. Film very well shows life in a small village. We have to give full credit for the choice of the village. it is truly a village! Then film touches life in village in general, and more of people from village who become very excited to welcome this forest officer and also very proud because someone form outside has come to rescue them from this great danger! This is not a film where you get those great chase of wild bull, narrow escape or where romance blossoms while chasing wild bull but it is certainly a film where you can experience village, people living in it, very little flavor of politics but free from any ill feelings amongst villagers, and a village where wild bull itself becomes a great topic to talk about and how it affects their life in general. Not to forget little love story indeed blossoms in all this drama but thankfully it has not given much importance. However when forest officer did eventually able to catch wild bull, and when he was returning back to his posting, one of the villager Jeevnya who has helped him in all this comes and offers him some vegetables as a symbol of his love for that officer who has taken trouble to visit this village and help them. At this moment when the forest officer, Atul Kulkarni, looks into eyes of Jeevanya, and yes this one look conveys all his feelings towards villagers. It does say that he has collected some unforgettable memories, he has really enjoyed this little adventure and yes his heart will want to visit that village all the time even if its not possible he will definitely not forget this adventure.
And yes I have experienced same feeling when I visited tribal areas. It all started with Chikhalgaon, small tribal village (pada) near Pune. Me and all my friends who went there share the same feeling. We want to go there. We have said this many times. And it has not been possible for us to go there back. We had promised them that we will come back, we will visit them again and we will give them their photographs. But it didn’t happen and it didn’t happen again and again whenever I visited to new tribal areas I promised them but could not live up to that promise. I may go and visit them in future or may not but one think I am sure that they must have forgiven me and whenever I go back, it at all, they will share same love because this is the place called Village and they are Villagers.