Bhoomika Films & Entertainment and Rise Entertainment’s Raundal (Marathi; UA) is the story of the hot-headed Shiva (Bhau Shinde) who lives in a village in Ahmednagar district with his father, mother and grandfather. He does sugarcane farming but when the sugar factory owner, Bittu Sheth (Yashraj Dimbale), refuses to buy the sugarcane grown by him and everyone else in his village, Shiva decides to get even with Bittu Sheth. While doing so, he is framed for something he hasn’t done. Does Shiva ultimately get justice for his village?
Gajanan Nana Padol has written a story which is rooted in the village. That is why it holds very limited appeal for the city audience. Besides, it moves on a single track and, therefore, fails to sustain the audience’s interest for long. His screenplay is alright but again, it has limited appeal. By the end of the drama, the viewers’ thirst for entertainment is not quenched completely. Gajanan Nana Padol’s dialogues are so-so.
Bhau Shinde is alright as Shiva. Neha Sonawane looks quite nice and does a fair job in her debut role as Nanda. Yashraj Dimbale makes an impressive debut as Bittu Sheth. Shivraj Walvekar lends nice support as Bittu Sheth’s father, Anna. Ganesh Deshmukh is alright as Shiva’s father, Gulabrao. Sanjay Lakde is okay as Shiva’s grandfather, Pandurang. Surekha Dimbale lends average support as Shiva’s mother, Shashikala. Vinayak Pawar is okay as sarpanch Ganpat More. Sagar Lokhande is adequate as Shiva’s friend, Tiramak. Balasaheb Shinde is so-so as managing director Vishal. Gajanan Padol is average in a brief role as newspaper reporter Sachin Gaike.
Gajanan Nana Padol’s direction is fair. Of the songs (composed by Harshit Abhiraj), two are well-tuned while the others are ordinary. Lyrics (Sudhakar Sharma, Dr. Vinayak Pawar and Balasaheb Sinde) are ordinary. Neha Mirajkar’s choreography is nothing to dance about. Rohit Nagbhide’s background music is pretty impactful. Aniket Khandagale’s cinematography is fairly nice. Action scenes (Moses Fernandes) are functional. Gajanan Sontakke’s art direction is appropriate. Faisal Mahadik’s editing is okay.
On the whole, Raundal is too ordinary to create an impact at the ticket windows.
Released on 3-3-’23 at Plaza (daily 2 shows) and other cinemas of Bombay thru Panorama Studios. Publicity: so-so. Opening: dull.
