MAN UDHAAN VAARYAACHE supposedly deals with the issue of infatuation - a story of a young lad falling for a lady whom he has grown to admire and worship as a complete woman. This could have been an interesting tale of a sweet chemistry between two people that turns sour. But director Rajan Tamhane treads the beaten path of cliches to drive home some gaudy sermons on infatuation, love, family and relationships.
Mayuresh (Umesh Kamat) is the boy-next door to Neena (Vandana Gupte), a middle-aged married woman of middle class means. She is his trusted friend, philosopher, guide, confidante - all in one. This utterly butterly relationship is raved about and hailed by Mayuresh and Neena's families. Neena's hubby and her bachelor brother cheer it every time they raise a toast. On the other side, Mayuresh's parents are relieved to find a loving mentor in Neena for their son, as they are free to attend to the chores of their choice - mom has her fancy kitty parties while dad is busy with what appears to be some tainted business.
As affinity mushrooms by virtue of proximity, Mayuresh is gradually engulfed by a storm of apparent infatuation. His intimacy now threatens to cross socially acceptable limits. Soon after a failed attempt to hold Neena's hand, he openly professes his love for her and vows to fight all odds in the way of their marriage, however far-fetched it may seem to the world. Neena interprets his advances as the high tide of adolescent cravings. It's only when the innocence makes way for nuisance that her perplexment turns into panic.
All attempts to show him reason fail one after another until one fine day, Neena hatches a self-designed plan that proves to be a silver bullet. All it takes are a few suggestive gestures from her on a chilly evening packed with lightning and thunder - the seduction act made popular by Hindi movies - and Mayuresh is back on track. Shocked and confused, he now wants his good old Neena back, and not this sex siren who's out to pounce on him! Neena spills the beans and convinced of the fake act, Mayuresh becomes the sugary, syrupy boy-next-door again. In her concluding sermon, Neena doesn't forget to lament the moral degradation and the perils of modern life that have indirectly caused Mayuresh's predicament.
The melodrama is far from convincing. For one, Mayuresh's turmoil is ill-defined - what caused the upheaval in his mind - limerence, infatuation, lust or love - is hardly probed. There is no attempt to unearth the futility of fixated passion or the psychological machinations that give birth to a crush. We just have a passing mention of some psychiatric treatment for Mayuresh but strangely, there's no medical interpretation of his mental disorder. He is just seen taking tablets like they were a purgative.
Neena's ingenious seduce to deduce & reduce plan, in reality, can prove fatal. Imagine throwing the gates open to a guy with known irrational behavior - all that in the solitude of one's home and with the knowledge of none.
Mayuresh's parents are conveniently given negative shades to lend support to the popular diagnosis of Busy-mom-busy-dad-no-grandpa-no-granny as the root cause of all evil surrounding adolescence. As if lack of attention and love are the only culprits for all social dysfunction.
The support cast - the artistes playing Mayuresh's parents in particular - look comic - thanks to their plastic gestures. Their sudden outburst at the very mention of Mayuresh's abnormalities and their open threat to Neena's family (courtesy their position of power and influence), is an unintended laugh riot.
Neena's brother and hubby, perpetually immersed in alcohol and evening snacks, also make for a strange pair to have at home - while the former constantly resorts to aggressive interventions invariably without avail, the latter is the eternal pacifier - gesturing just about everyone to keep cool - from wife to brother-in-law-to neighbors. Both are of little help to Neena. Imagine the plight of a real Neena in distress if she was blessed with such august company.
Vandana Gupte fails to reach the character's soul - precisely why her Neena looks lost, too laid back for the problem at hand. Gupte is keen to see the audience in splits over slapstick of gimmickry rather than have them engaged through a portrayal of substance. Umesh Kamat as Mayuresh is only passable. He, unlike Gupte, at least looks the right age for the role he plays.
The only believable character is Neena's son - who only appears 'virtually' through telephone conversations - one of the very few subtleties employed by Tamhane.
MAN UDHAAN VAARYAACHE has staged over 80 performances to date. The low audience expectation heavily works in its favor - people are willing to write off the essence if the incense is strong. What could have been a Test match of elaborate probe has been reduced to a titillating 20-20 encounter of gaudy sermons. The shorter version can very well stake a claim to fame but not critical acclaim.
*A cost accountant by qualification, Sudhir Raikar brings with him over 17 years of experience in writing that includes journalistic reports & stories, book and film reviews, analytical writing, critical appreciation, marketing communication, translations and business writing for leading media houses and corporates. His passion is fit-for-purpose writing
