THACKERAY 2019
by
Abhijit Panse
In a biopic made on the life of a colossus like Balasaheb,
it is of paramount importance for the actor playing his role to capture the
basic essence of the subject’s personality . Has Nawazuddin been able to capture the venom in Balasaheb’s speech ,or
anger in his eyes ? Has he managed to recreate the biting satire,smooth
delivery and force in his speech which was Thackeray’s trademark ?
It is worth noting that Nawaz ‘s physical constitution
quite resembles that of Balasaheb. But perhaps because of his longer and triangular face , broad forehead , majestic
posture ,sly smile,eyes covered behind black lenses,extreme self-confidence
bordering on arrogance dripping from his whole persona as he used to sit atop a
huge throne,Thackeray carried himself off as a true Hindu Hriday Samrat. Nawaz
is a great actor,and has perhaps done better than anyone else could have
managed ,but still fails in creating that aura.
So large is the mould,that despite trying hard,Nawaz has
not been able to fit perfectly into it. Balasaheb never explained himself
apologetically. He certainly never defended himself. Infact he used to troll journalists
and his detractors mercilessly. Total self-assuredness and decisiveness of
action defined Bal Thackeray. Nawaz has tried his best ,but has not completely succeeded.
And yet this film is watchable only because of him. No
other character is properly developed –
not even Meena Tai,or father Prabhodhankar Thackeray (Samyukt Maharashtra
Movement) or brother Shrikant. Manohar Joshi is passingly mentioned.
The film,Sanjay Raut’s project, glorifies and idolises
Balasaheb’s political philosophy and totalitarian methods. Thackeray always
referred to himself as a political cartoonist,and considered politician an
abuse.The film takes us back to his early days at Free Press Journal,Marmik and
then Samna. Shiv Sena was founded in 1966.
The film does talk about his aversion for strikes ,but does
not delve deep on his wars with Communists and Union leaders, Kannada and other
southern immigrants and Moslems. There is a reference of a meeting with Indira
Gandhi and his support to Emergency,but fails to highlight the Fascist elements
in Balasaheb’s politics.
Overall,Thackeray is a watchable film,even a necessary one,but
could have done well with layered writing and better direction.
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