Bicycle marathi film

 At times we are fortunate to see rare good films or read a rare book .

Today I saw a Marathi film Bicycle of course with subtitles.

Way back in 1948 Vittoria de sica took the first neo realistic film Bicycle thieves which even inspired Satyajit Ray in his Pather panchali .

This film is definitely not a copy of the legendary one but for the theme of the search of a bicycle which gets stolen .

In this film the protaganist is an astrologer Keshav  living in a small village leading a simple honest life with his wife small daughter and father .

The film starts with keshav taking his daughter back home ftom school in his cycle and daughter wants to hear the story of his bicycle though he had told it hundreds of times .

He repeats it with his daughter filling the gaps as she knew it so well .

Even the villagers know the story so well .

His daughter tells him to give the bicycle to her when he leaves the world !

Keshavs grandfather too was an astrologer and indeginous physician .

He once cures a British officer of his perpetual colic and the officer when he retired and before he leaves India to go back to Britain gives his prized bicyle to him .

The bicycle thus gathers great fame in the region .

The grandfather not only teaches astrology to Keshav he bequeaths the cycle to him to even the consternation of his father .

Keshav loves his cycle and takes meticulous care of it even keeping it inside his house .

Hes a gentle human and treats anyone who comes to him with affection and hospitality and has great concern for the poor villagers whom he knew were innocent simple folk .

During the temple festival when the whole village is gathered in the temple to watch the yearly ballet two thieves break open a house stealing jewelery and while returning see keshavs cycle parked outside his house .

As he had to urgently leave to temple keshav had left it outside for the first time .

The thieves find it convinient to ride away in the cycle .

Its a great shock for the whole village when they hear of the theft and they all turn up to console Keshav who is very sad .

Though the other house had lost costlier jewels theres so much sympathy for Keshavs loss as his bicycle is famously a village heirloom as everyone knew his passion for it ,above all Keshav was liked by all .

After a few days Keshav decides to go in search of his cycle and tells his family he would return only after he gets it back .

The thieves meanwhile get great welcome wherever they go in nearby villages as all recognise Keshavs cycle and question them on it which the younger thief weaves a tale that being Keshavs cousins he gave them the cycle for a few days .

Though this was difficult to believe the villagers were simple folks they accept it and give the best to the thieves because every one of them had some experience with Keshavs kindness.

The thiefs even get invited to adress a school and one of the children even gives her saved tooth to be given back to keshav when the cycle is returned !

In a house of a local big man where they are taken they are asked to stay the night as its late and they were Keshavs cousins .

When they leave in the morning the thieves realise they had accidentaly left  thier stolen jewels  in that house .

They realise thier risk and by now they had formed an opinion of the stolen bicycles owner as all respect they got really belonged to no not to the cycle but to its owner .

So they decide to return the cycle too and so leave it in a shop with a letter to him .

A tired Keshav gets back his cycle but the journey had opened his eyes on attachment to matireal things and he thus becomes a greater human being .

Director Prakash kunte got best director award and it also got best film and best screenplay .

The brilliant photography of scenic Marathi villages should have got an award too I feel .

Such a simple but wholesome feel good film do see this .

Pics from online

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