Lai Bhaari (Marathi) / Masala entertainer

Story: Sajid Nadiyadwala

Cinematography: Sanjay Memane

Cast: Riteish Deshmukh, Radhika Apte, Tanvi Azmi, Uday Tikekar, Sharad Kelkar, Aditi Pohankar, Sanjay Khapre, Amita Khopkar and others.

By Sunil Nandgaonkar

Riteish Deshmukh starrer Lai Bhaari has added to the glamour of the Marathi film industry. With the actor making his debut in a larger-than-life role, the film is essentially a masala entertainer, and sets a new trend in Marathi cinema. Needless to say, Deshmukh has succeeded in adding the right amount of punch and smoothly fits into the role of a volatile hero.
The story revolves around Prince Nimbalkar and his family. Prince’s father is a well known man and is respected in society for his business ethics and social work. However, Prince and his father are killed by their own kith and kin, the villainous cousin brother Sangram who usurps their property. Prince’s mother Sumitra Devi takes a vow of vengeance and takes the blessings of Lord Vitthal at Pandharpur to avenge the death of her husband and son. Although revenge is a familiar plot line in Hindi and South Indian films, director Nishikant Kamat adds a twist to the tale with the introduction of Riteish’s character, Mauli, who takes on Sangram and his goons.
Lai Bhaari is a regular formula film. Riteish’s transition as one of the faces of Marathi cinema could be considered the USP of the film. He has become an instant hit with the Marathi speaking audience who were won over with his dialogues, especially the catch phrase —Tanta nai tar ghanta nai (without struggle one cannot get anything). National Award winning director Kamat lends his unique touch to raise the film from a run-of-the-mill story to an unique experience for the Marathi audience. Music director duo Ajay-Atul are also seen to make their comeback with Lai Bhaari.
The film seems to be heavily borrowed from Bollywood hits like Rowdy Rathod, R… Rajkumaar and Rohit Shetty style action-formula. The music is bland and one can hear familiar strains from old Hindi films, especially the Holi song evokes memories of similar songs from yesteryear Hindi movies. One would have expected a better fare from the composers, Ajay- Atul, especially since they chose to make a come-back with this film. On the whole, Lai Bhaari is a mass entertainer.