‘Ventilator’ – A must-see for every film connoisseur

‘Ventilator’ – No prizes for guessing what the movie is all about. But then the movie is not only about health, hospitals and death. It’s much more than just that. Hrishikesh Mukherjee ‘s timeless masterpiece ‘Anand’ spoke about death as reality that most of us try to evade but Ventilator uses a critical patient counting the last moments of his life to symbolize our dying relationships that we seem to have put on ventilators, to be kept alive as per our conveniences. ‘Ventilator’ depicts this reality very effectively and convincingly. Unlike most of the Marathi cinema that leaves you disturbed ‘Ventilator’ doesn’t. ‘Ventilator’ leaves with a you a lasting message – ‘Avoid being Judgmental!’

 One hundred and sixteen characters played by thespians of Marathi theater and cinema, makes you wonder as to what made them opt for such small roles but eventually they convince you with their strong performances that it would require only them to pull it off so well,being required to deliver such huge range of contrasting emotions in such small time frames. This is more so in case of role of Sukanya Kulkarni. In the initial part of the film, one wonders why some one of her caliber would have opted for such a small role but then as the climax draws to a close one sees the reason as to why Rajesh Mhapuskar, the director, was adamant in having her in the role. No one could have conveyed emotions so strongly,without dialogues to his aid the way Sukanya did. Jitendra Joshi delivers a brilliant performance scaling great heights as the climax of ‘Ventilator’ draws to a close. And definitely his hard work shows. Ashutosh Gowarikar’s performance is equally praiseworthy and convincing. Usha Nadkarni,Swati Chitnis and Viju Khote like Sukanya Kulkarni and Jitendra Joshi deliver a visibly great performance in a minuscule role. Sulbha Arya too baffles you with her performance, especially with her Marathi diction. Deepak Shirke who is usually known for his villainous shades does a complete turnaround with a heart touching role. Rohan- Rohan’s music is good and gels so well with the script that one cannot virtually separate the two much like the commercial entertainment aspect of the film that gels so well with its aesthetics that they become virtually inseparable. The script of ‘Ventilator’ is so strong and lucid that the movie keeps you glued to your seats till the very end and takes you through a range of emotions from ecstasy, to being emotionally charged, to being enlightened.

In terms of Cinematography ‘Ventilator’ is a visual treat. The outdoor cinematography of the song ’Ya re Ya’ leaves you baffled and so do the close ups towards the climax. Full marks to Savita Singh for her brilliant cinematography. The editing of ‘Ventilator’,with so many interwoven stories and characters, poses a huge challenge and the editor, Rameshwar Bhagat,successfully meets these challenges with his polished editing skills.Overall, ‘Ventilator’ is a brilliant production by Purple Pebble Productions, a work that transcends all possible linguistic boundaries and a must-see for every film connoisseur.

 Bhushan Sarmalkar, Mumbai. 08.11.2016.