𝗞𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄: 𝗔 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗮𝗯𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗽𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.

Ayushi Khandelwal

Away from the polished capitals and the urbanism of the mainstream society, Kondan is a heart-wrenching tale that gives us a tour of the interiors of our country to lay bare unabashedly the exploitations and the injustices that the lower stratum of society is often subjected to, all narrated brilliantly in Marathi.

The movie narrates the hardships faced by Rukmini (Samiksha Kadam) and her two children, left distressed and penniless by the suicide of Krushna Pawar (Vikrant Kedare), Rukmini’s husband. As a government compensation, the family gets the land at Nagewadi village of Maharashtra.

Upon reaching the land, Rukmini discovers that she has been cheated by the government as the land is barren. However, driven by her child, Deepya’s insistence (Gurunath Hindalekar), she takes it upon herself to cultivate this barren land that is her only home now.

Along with the film, the struggles of Rukmini also progresses. On one hand, we see her struggling to get access to the basic amenities like water and food, and on the other, we see her protecting her little ones from the animals and the likes of Tankernana (Satish Nikam) for whom the poor women are commodities.

Written by Sachin Ashok Yadav, the film shows us everything that is wrong in our society. The subtle references of caste discrimination, the rampant corruption and power abuse, the plight of the poor, and the vulnerabilities that have to be faced by the women, specifically the poor, all have been well churned out by the right amount of depth.

The film also has its fair share of light and heart-touching moments. The beautiful mother-son relationship marked by a series of jokes and laughter, a couple of dances, playful songs, and an emotional poetry recitation, all have been incorporated quite meticulously to water down the intensity of the tragic situation in which Rukmini finds herself in. The director, Sachin Ashok Yadav, managed to bring tears to our eyes but before they could start rolling down our cheeks, he moved on to the next scene.

The acting of lead actors has been exceptional, particularly that of Samiksha Kadamhas, who essayed the role of Rukmini. Her unconventional display of courage not only left us impressed but also made us took note of the double whammy (a woman and that too poor) that her character has to confront. The rawness in her emotions has been brilliantly captured by the director who made sure that we hear her silent cries as much as the sound of her laughter.

Gurunath Hindalekar, who played the role of bereaved yet joyful Deepya, whose deplorable situation reduced him to rags, has nailed the role with sheer perfection. The scene where he recites poetry is the soul of the film that lets us in on his deep understanding of his loss, pain, and a robbed childhood.

Satish Nikam as a cruel and ruthless Tankernana has done justice to his role. His screentime in the film is less but the force of his character is so strong that it felt as if he were present in every scene if not in person than in spirit.

Inspired by the true events, Kondan, very intelligently, brings forth the interplay between the binary oppositions of the society- national vs. regional, rich vs. poor, man vs. woman. The film takes a dig at this faulty base of our society that often gives more power to one and less to another that in turn gives rise to the basest practices. The writer-duo shows us that the only way this gross power abuse can be throttled is by knowing well the constitution of India. But to the likes of Rukmini, the book is merely fiction or just another barren land given by the government.

Now streaming on Cinemapreneur.

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