Zee Studios, Chalk And Cheese Films and Film Jazz’s Aata Thambaycha Naay (Marathi; UA) is a story about sanitation workers of the Bombay Municipal Corporation.
Municipal commissioner Uday Shirurkar (Ashutosh Gowariker) has the good of the sanitation workers at heart and wants to uplift their lot. With this aim, he asks sweepers and gutter cleaners working in the BMC and who haven’t cleared their Std. X to enrol themselves in evening school which they must attend after their hours of duty. Not just that, he also gives them monetary aid to motivate them to study hard and clear their examinations. Nilesh Mali (Om Bhutkar) is the dedicated teacher who takes it upon himself to help the middle-aged school dropouts to clear their examinations. But the going is not easy — neither for the municipal employees who are low on self-esteem and struggling to make ends meet nor for Nilesh Mali Sir. What happens finally?
Dharam Walia’s story is heartfelt and with a strong message. The story is so fresh and novel that it strikes a chord in the viewers’ hearts. Shivraj Waichal and Omkar Gokhale’s screenplay, with additional screenplay by Arvind Jagtap, is beautifully written. The drama involves the audience emotionally because most of the characters are endearing and relatable. However, while the back stories of some of the municipal employees have been dwelt upon, adding to the emotional appeal of the drama, there are other characters (municipal employees) who have not been given similar footage. That makes the drama appear a bit lopsided. Having said that, it must be added that overall, the screenplay is a very honest attempt and touches the heart at a number of places. Shivraj Waichal and Omkar Gokhale’s dialogues, with additional dialogues by Arvind Jagtap, are excellent.
Bharat Jadhav shines in the role of Sakharam Manchekar. Siddharth Jadhav is splendid as Maruti Kadam. Ashutosh Gowariker does a fine job as Uday Shirurkar. Om Bhutkar leaves a wonderful mark as Nilesh Mali Sir. Prajakta Hanamghar is extremely entertaining in the role of Jayshree Kamble. Kiran Khoje is earnest as Apsara Jadhav. Pravin Dalimbkar lends fine support as Pravin Sawant. Parna Pethe has her moments as Nilesh Mali’s girlfriend, Seema. Deepak Shirke is wonderful as Maruti’s father, Dattabhau. Shrikant Yadav makes his presence felt in the role of Kamble. Rohini Hattangady is lovely in a brief appearance. Others provide good support.
Shivraj Waichal’s direction is mature. He has handled the subject with the sensitivity it deserves. Gulraj Singh’s music is melodious. The title song and Sang sang bolanath are very nice and it grows on the listener. Manoj Yadav’s lyrics are meaningful. Saurabh Bhalerao’s background music is effective. Sandeep G.N. Yadav’s cinematography is of a nice standard. Ankur Sanjay Aserkar’s production designing is proper. Sanjay Sankla’s editing is pretty crisp.
On the whole, Aata Thambaycha Naay is an entertaining film with a nice message too. It will do impressive business.
Released on 1-5-’25 at Metro Inox (daily 2 shows) and other cinemas of Bombay by Zee Studios. Publicity: good. Opening: nice (because of the Labour Day and Maharashtra Day holiday).
