Anuradha Productions’ Chowk (Marathi; UA) is a story about politics, politicians and their workers. It exposes how politicians are all the same — they use people to progress in life, and then discard them like dirt.
Sunny Shinde (Kiran Gaikwad) helps Anna (Pravin Tarde) in winning elections to the corporator’s post, but Anna doesn’t so much as even help Sunny be released from prison. Sunny had murdered the brother (Akshay Tanksale) of the then corporator, Tiger (Upendra Limaye). However, Sunny’s friend, Adhyaksh (Shubhankar Ekbote), takes the blame for the murder committed by Sunny. Ultimately, Sunny murders the person who had killed Adhyaksh. It is for this second murder that Sunny has to serve time in jail. And Adhyaksh had been murdered when Anna surreptitiously joined forces with Tiger to serve his own political ambitions.
Devendra Arun Gaikwad’s story is average because it doesn’t convey anything new. Everyone is aware that politics is a dirty game and that politicians can go to any length to achieve their goals. His screenplay is ordinary and, like the story, doesn’t offer any novelty. The twists and turns are plenty but most of them are so predictable that the drama never really rises above the ordinary level. Gaikwad’s dialogues are okay.
Kiran Gaikwad does very well as Sunny Shinde. Pravin Tarde performs ably in the role of Anna. Upendra Limaye acts ably as Tiger. Ramesh Pardeshi is okay as police inspector Mule. Sanskruti Balgude does a fair job as Kat. Shubhankar Ekbote does a fine job as Adhyaksh. Snehal Tarde lends good support as Mona, wife of Adhyaksh. Akshay Tanksale is okay as Balya, brother of Tiger. Anjali Joglekar (as Sunny’s mother), Sunil Abhyankar (as Sunny’s father), Sagar Pable (as Kat’s brother), Sandeep Juwatkar (as Naresh Chavan), Devendra Arun Gaikwad (as Ex) and Suresh Vishwakarma (as the jailor) pass muster.
Devendra Arun Gaikwad’s direction is quite nice. Onkarswaroop’s music is alright and so are the lyrics (Dr. Vinayak Pawar and Suhas Munde). Umesh Jadhav’s choreography is hardly eye-filling. Sai-Piyush’s background music is effective. Mayur Hardas’ camerawork is okay. Pradyumna Kumar Swain’s action is realistic. Nitin Borkar’s art direction is alright. Mayur Hardas’ editing is quite good.
On the whole, Chowk is an average fare. It will do a bit better in Pune because it has been shot there.
Released on 2-6-’23 at Glamour (daily 1 show) and other cinemas of Bombay thru Panorama Studios. Publicity: fair. Opening: so-so.