The Green India Films’ Jhaad (Marathi) is about saving trees from being cut. Shiv (Dilip Doiphode) and his friends go to cut a tamarind tree as they need wood for Holi. But Shiv falls in love with the tree. From there on, he takes it upon himself to save trees. Shiv and Kajal (Priyanka Ashok Neharkar) are in a romantic relationship.
Shiv soon learns that a criminal, Kanchyabhai (Kailash Arjun Munde) wants to buy the forest to set up a steel factory in its place. The sarpanch (Prakash Dhotre) owns the forest and he is more than willing to sell it to Kanchyabhai. How Shiv saves the forest forms the crux of the story.
Sachin Bansidhar Doiphode has written a dry and drab story and a boring screenplay devoid of entertainment. His dialogues are dull.
Dilip Doiphode is average as Shiv. Priyanka Ashok Neharkar is ordinary as Kajal. Prakash Dhotre does well as the sarpanch. Kailash Arjun Munde is okay as Kanchyabhai. Sandeep Ramdhan Waybase does an ordinary job as Sandy. Shivlingappa Suresh Bembalkar passes muster as Appa. Prahlad Ramkisan Ujgare (as Paga), Prashant Devidas Murkute (as Parshya), Sanjiv Kumar Meswal (as Patlinbhai) and Joshna Dyanoba Neharkar (as Komi) lend routine support.
Sachin Bansidhar Doiphode’s direction is weak. Music (Sharad Thombre and P. Shankaram) is dull. Song picturisations (by Satish Sandbhor and Sachin Bansidhar Doiphode) are nothing to dance about. P. Shankaram’s background music is functional. Camerawork (Satish Gulabrao Sandbhor) is average. Production designing (by Sandeep Waybase, Sachin Doiphode and Prashant Murkute) and art direction (by Sachin Doiphode) hardly deserve separate mention. Rushiraj Joshi’s editing is loose.
On the whole, Jhaad is a weak fare which fails to entertain.
Released on 21-6-’24 at Glamour (daily 1 show; the first day’s show was cancelled due to lack of audience) and other cinemas of Bombay thru Filmastra Studios. Publicity & opening: poor.