‘Hya Goshtila Navach Nahi’ Review: A Layered And Unusual Take On A Familiar Situation

Director: Sandeep Sawant

Writer: Sandeep Sawant

Cast: Jaydeep Kodolikar, Prathamesh Atre, Chaitanya Jawalgekar, Anuradha Dhamane, Pratiksha Khasnis, Avdhoot Potdar, Seema Makote

Language: Marathi

Sandeep Sawant’s directorial debut Shwaas (2004) was credited with rebooting the Marathi film industry when it sorely needed the boost. Shwaas was a heartfelt film about a sick child (Ashwin Chitale) and his caring grandfather (Arun Nalawade). Now, a couple of decades later, Sawant’s new film Hya Goshtila Navach Nahi has thematic echoes of Shwaas, without being too similar.

What immediately stands out is the film’s simplicity. Shot exclusively on location, with a cast full of non-actors, it feels less like a made-up narrative, and more like a slice of life.

The protagonist is Mukund (Jaydeep Kodolikar), the middle child of a poor rural family. Mukund has just enrolled in a college of Textile Engineering. The first half of the film follows his attempts to settle in, make new friends, excel at his studies and enrich his life. Although college life has been depicted in many films, Hya Goshtila Navach Nahi still seems fresh. The film doesn’t rush to carry the story forward, but proceeds at a casual pace. The dialogues and situations feel real. Situations don’t feel plotted. Instead they evolve effortlessly. We see Mukund getting acquainted with art and culture, attending lectures, and even falling in love. At the halfway point, however, the film takes a dramatic turn and moves in a new direction altogether.

The latter half takes place entirely in Mukund’s village. With a change in setting, a narrative turn and a new set of characters, the film is essentially split into two very different halves. An argument can be made that the more dramatic narrative of the second half forms the central conflict, while the pre-intermission portion is an extended setup. One must wonder then, if such an elaborate setup was necessary, or whether it should have been pared down to leave more room for the main conflict. One can still, however, appreciate that this was not the case. The main conflict deals with an illness in the family, which gives the normalcy depicted in the earlier portions of the film a new meaning in retrospect. Without the setup being as elaborate, the film would have lost its emotional core.

The talented cast of new faces don’t have preconceived ideas about how particular characters should be portrayed, which results in the performances being natural and closely attuned to the spirit of the film.

What’s remarkable about the direction (and writing, also by Sawant) is its avoidance of onscreen melodrama. There are plenty of situations that could turn the film into a routine tear jerker, but Sawant refrains from such conventional treatment. We witness a few restrained confrontations between characters but the most deliberately emotional or traumatic moments happen off-screen, and we find out about them later. When the news of a character’s illness is conveyed to the family, the scene doesn’t feature the doctors making dramatic speeches. We aren’t even privy to the immediate shock.

Instead, the news is relayed through Mukund’s brother (Avdhoot Potdar), who approaches the issue subtly, and even withholds part of the information. The seriousness of the situation is never diluted by this indirect approach, but instead of getting caught up in the moment, we remain free to analyse it and the characters.

The title, Hya Goshtila Navach Nahi, which means ‘This story does not have a name’, is another example of how the film keeps things grounded. A more dramatic title would have pointed out the characters’ struggle, but the makers refuse to acknowledge it upfront, considering it to be just another part of life. It’s just one more problem to be solved, another obstacle to overcome. It’s apt, given the film’s nuanced approach. Ultimately, the film works as a layered and unusual take on a familiar situation, delivering a subtle but positive message.