An epic retelling of an interesting chapter from Maratha history

Right after Farzand and Fatteshikast, Digpal Lanjekar’s 1st two videos in the series of movies devoted to the bravery of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and the Maratha military, the author-director returns with a bang in the 3rd movie of the collection – Pawankhind.

The movie, which was delayed due to the pandemic, is dependent on 1 of the most famous incidents from Maratha background – the Fight of Pavan Khind. At the outset, the makers make it obvious that this is not a complete documentation of the struggle, its prelude or aftermath, but a cinematic recreation meant to showcase the bravery of the Marathas concerned in this struggle. So, there are cinematic liberties taken in this retelling, but the crux of the story is managed.

The tale about the Fight of Pavan Khind (earlier known as Ghod Khind) and the bravery shown by Bajiprabhu Deshpande and the Bandal military of 600 in opposition to the Siddhi Masud and the soldiers of the Adilshahi Sultanate is effectively recognised across Maharashtra. The end result – Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s productive escape from Panhalgad to Vishalgad. But, does Lanjekar realize success in recreating this important chapter from Marathi record on display screen? Totally!

Pawankhind is a thorough cinematic expertise that is fit for the big screen. The movie is ambitious in striving to discover this tale in two and a fifty percent hrs, but it mainly succeeds in producing the suitable develop up and ambience that qualified prospects to a wonderful climax. From laying out the motive and the people included in it, to the siege of Panhala by Siddhi Jauhar, the escape program and the real battle, Pawankhind lays out all its playing cards in front you chronologically, even though inducing a dose of heritage, drama and even comic relief in in between. The movie does not skip out on providing thanks credit history to the majority of the generals who aided Shivaji Maharaj realise his dream of Swarajya.

As for the actors, it is not an uncomplicated process to convey some of the most very well –known names from the Marathi film and Tv set market with each other in a multi-starrer of this scale. But the casting division and makers pull off this feat. Chinmay Mandlekar as Shivaji Maharaj, Ajay Purkar as Bajiprabhu Deshpande, Sameer Dharmadhikari as Siddhi Jauhar, Aastad Kale as Siddhi Masud, Ankit Mohan as Rayaji Bandal, Mrinal Kulkarni as Maasaheb Jijau, Akshay Waghmare as Koyaji Bandal every single actor has offered his greatest to their roles. Even the supporting cast has some memorable performances from Kshitee Jog as Badi Begum, Harish Dudhade as Bahirji Naik, Shivraj Waichal as Harpya, Rishi Saxena as Rustam Zaman. One more noteworthy general performance that stands out is that of Ajinkya Nanaware as Shiva Kashid, the man who resembled Shivaji Maharaj and sacrificed himself for his king. The scenes involving Ajinkya and Chinmay are certain to deliver tears to your eyes.

Although Pawankhind excels in storytelling, the specialized features, however fantastic, could have been greater. The background score overpowers dialogues in some essential scenes, and the action choreography in some scenes fails to make the cut. Nevertheless, all claimed and done, the overall team has accomplished its greatest to make this a big screen expertise. Possibly with a even larger spending budget, these matters can be ironed out in the next films of Lanjekar’s sequence.

For now, Pawankhind is a fantastic enjoy, and at the cinemas only.