Release Date: August 21, 2015
Star Cast: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Radhika Apte, Tigmanshu Dhulia, Gaurav Dwivedi
Directed by: Ketan Mehta
Produced by: Nina Lath Gupta, Deepa Sahi
Music by: Sandesh Shandilya, Hitesh Sonik
Written by: Ketan Mehta, Anjum Rajabali, Mahendra Jhakar
Duration: 2 hours 4 minutes
Genre: Biopic, Drama
Censor Rating: (U)
About Manjhi – The Mountain Man
Based on the life of an ordinary man, Dashrath Manjhi, a poor labourer in a backward village in Bihar, the movie Manjhi – The Mountain Man is like a tribute to his extraordinary strength and spirit who despite of overwhelming obstacles, could carve a path through the mountain for love.
With its promising trailer, Manjhi had already created abuzz with its simple yet exemplary narratives, inspiring dialogues and glimpse of promising performance by Nawazuddin Siddiqui. Let’s find out how Director Ketan Mehta with his newest biopic Manjhi – The Mountain Man leaves us astounded!
Plot of Manjhi:
Based in a remote village of Bihar during 1960s, the movie revolves around the true life story of Dashrath Manjhi and his inexplicable love for his wife Phaguniya. But one day she slips off while climbing a mountain which the villagers had to cross to gain access to the nearest town Wazirganj, and dies. Overwhelmed by this loss and grief, Manjhi with just a hammer and a chisel resolves to carve out a path through the mountain which he completes in 22 years!
Manjhi Music:
With such a strong and sincere plot, one does not expect much from the music of the film. The rustic background score goes well with the narrative of the movie and there are three songs composed by Sandesh Shandilya and Hitesh Sonik. Overall, the music gels well with the earthiness of the movie with its folk flavours, and inspires and impress with their unique elements.
Details of songs in the movie:
1. “Gehlore Ki Goriya”
Music: Sandesh Shandilya
Singers: Bhavin Shastri, Pawani Pandey
2. “O Rahi”
Music: Sandesh Shandilya
Singer: Bhavin Shastri
3. “Dum Kham”
Music: Hitesh Sonik
Singer: Divya Kumar
Manjhi Performance Review:
“Where there’s a will there’s a way.”
Manjhi, the man himself as well as his biopic, both exceptionally live up to this proverb! Our desire to achieve something triggers the passion to chase it, but it is our will and determination which actually make us achieve it. Passion, love, craze, chase, determination, go-getter attitude, hard work, revenge – every element which can possibly push someone to the extent to succeed is there in this extraordinary story of an ordinary man.
Taking the challenge of successfully presenting a biopic of such a strong willed, simple man would have obviously not been easy for the director Ketan Mehta but he has absolutely outdone it with perfection! What Dashrath Manjhi did in his life was exceptional, narrating the valor of a simple man like him, highlighting the deeds and charisma of his will, through a simple script and the passion and energy with which Nawazuddin Siddiqui takes up the challenging character, everything deserves respect, applause and appreciation. Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s passion for acting is clearly expressed by his work, the way he gets into his characters and as Dashrath Manjhi, he has established a new milestone for himself. His performance keeps you intrigued throughout the movie.
Radhika Apte as Phaguniya, Manjhi’s wife and sole inspiration behind his act of honor for his love, suited her character. She seemed to be a wise choice for the role.
Tigmanshu Dhulia plays the landlord of the village and absolutely reminds you of his performance in Gangs of Wasseypur. Pankaj Tripathi as the landlord’s son and Gaurav Dwivedi as a journalist were also seen in the movie.
It would not be fair to miss on the one-liners scripted for the movie while doing this review. Manjhi’s 22 years journey towards knocking out the gigantic mountain kicks starts with “Bahut Akkad Hai Tohra Main… Dekh… Dekh Kaise Ukhaadte Hain Akkad Teri” and concludes with “Bhagwan Ke Bharose Mat Baithiye, Kaa Pata Bhagwan Humre Bharose Baitha Ho!” -these definitely have power to leave an impact.
What’s good:
The movie is simply an amazing cinematic experience. The story, powerful performances and strong inspiration absolutely makes it a great watch. Nawazuddin Siddiqui has done a brilliant job!
What’s bad:
The bond and the intimacy between Manjhi and his wife seem to be over-highlighted and made the entire thing appear too filmy and fictitious that could have been toned down.
Verdicts:
Like Manjhi used to say: ‘Shaandaar Jabardast Zindabaad’, such is the film! Please do not endorse the leaked version by watching it online. The movie deserves respect so book your tickets now!
Manjhi Rating: ****
Trivia about Manjhi!
- Preview version of the movie got leaked online on 9 August 2015.
- The film was declared tax free by Bihar State Government on 30 July 2015.
- Dashrath Manjhi died on 17 August 2007 while suffering from gall bladder cancer. He was honored with a state funeral by the Government of Bihar and 4 years later, in 2011, Government made a metalled road to Gehlaur, Bihar.
- For his idea of flattening the entire mountain, Ketan Mehta honored Dashrath Manjhi by addressing him as “the poor man’s Shah Jahan”.
- Director Ketan Mehta actually chose Nawazuddin for the role of the “Mountain man” not just for his exceptional acting skills but for his unmissable, intense eyes!
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