An epic retelling of an interesting chapter from Maratha history

After Farzand and Fatteshikast, Digpal Lanjekar’s to start with two videos in the sequence of movies focused to the bravery of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and the Maratha military, the author-director returns with a bang in the 3rd film of the series – Pawankhind.

The movie, which was delayed owing to the pandemic, is dependent on 1 of the most well known incidents from Maratha heritage – the Struggle of Pavan Khind. At the outset, the makers make it apparent that this is not a complete documentation of the battle, its prelude or aftermath, but a cinematic recreation intended to showcase the bravery of the Marathas associated in this fight. So, there are cinematic liberties taken in this retelling, but the crux of the story is managed.

The story about the Struggle of Pavan Khind (earlier regarded as Ghod Khind) and the bravery shown by Bajiprabhu Deshpande and the Bandal military of 600 against the Siddhi Masud and the soldiers of the Adilshahi Sultanate is perfectly recognised throughout Maharashtra. The outcome – Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s productive escape from Panhalgad to Vishalgad. But, does Lanjekar succeed in recreating this crucial chapter from Marathi historical past on display screen? Totally!

Pawankhind is a extensive cinematic working experience that is fit for the big monitor. The film is ambitious in making an attempt to take a look at this story in two and a half several hours, but it mostly succeeds in generating the suitable build up and ambience that qualified prospects to a wonderful climax. From laying out the cause and the characters associated in it, to the siege of Panhala by Siddhi Jauhar, the escape plan and the actual fight, Pawankhind lays out all its playing cards in front you chronologically, while inducing a dose of history, drama and even comic relief in amongst. The film doesn’t miss out on providing due credit score to the vast majority of the generals who served Shivaji Maharaj realise his desire of Swarajya.

As for the actors, it’s not an quick job to convey some of the most very well –known names from the Marathi movie and Television set field with each other in a multi-starrer of this scale. But the casting section 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 each actor has provided his most effective to their roles. Even the supporting solid has some unforgettable performances from Kshitee Jog as Badi Begum, Harish Dudhade as Bahirji Naik, Shivraj Waichal as Harpya, Rishi Saxena as Rustam Zaman. A further 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 provide tears to your eyes.

Though Pawankhind excels in storytelling, the specialized features, nevertheless good, could have been greater. The history rating overpowers dialogues in some vital scenes, and the motion choreography in some scenes fails to make the lower. However, all mentioned and done, the overall crew has done its ideal to make this a major monitor expertise. It’s possible with a larger spending budget, these issues can be ironed out in the pursuing movies of Lanjekar’s series.

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