Mogra Phulaalaa is a recently released Marathi flick starring Swapnil Joshi, Neena Kulkarni and marks the debut of Sai Deodhar in Marathi cinema as adult actor. It is a story of a mamma’s boy who has grown quite old but refuses to marry because his mother hasn’t found ‘The One’. This is when he meets a tough bank manager and love happens. This is a very simple film and boasts of a nice, relatable premise. It might seem a beaten-to-death types but the execution is engaging. Also, the characters are interesting and very likeable. The manner in which love blossoms between the lead characters makes for a nice watch. The pre-climax and climax is very touching. But the film is not a tearjerker as such and has enough funny moments too. Shrabani Deodhar’s direction is neat and she doesn’t use any slo-mo shots, though the film had some worthy moments. Also, the film is a bit predictable and the first half is lengthy. Swapnil Joshi is the soul of the film and performs beautifully. He understands the part very well and is apt for the part. Sai Deodhar looks every inch a ‘heroine’ and her performance is first rate. She gets to play a challenging part but she does it with ease. Yes, she is the director’s daughter but there’ll be no complaints from any quarters. Neena Kulkarni as always is topnotch. Her character isn’t antagonized and she has her reasons to behave so. Neena understands the predicament and plays her part with aplomb. Chandrakant Kulkarni contributes a lot to the film. Sandeep Pathak is very funny. Sonamm Nishandar and Aditya Deshmukh leave a mark. All in all, Mogra Phulaalaa is an ideal family entertainer and here’s hoping it gets a chance to blossom in cinemas and later on television and web!
My rating – *** ½ out of 5!
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