This is a film that comments on the problem of exploitation of nature in Konkan by capitalists in the hands of some selfish people. Acted by veteran actor Dilip Prabhavalkar, who has the urge and mettle to present something different to the audience, this film overall gives a good experience. The efforts he put into play the central role of Babuli at the age of 81, makes us take a bow. However, had some things been handled carefully, this experience would have reached a different height.
First of all, the length of the film has become too long. The story of this film is not enough to justify the duration of two and a half hours, so a duration of two hours would have been more effective. Unnecessary time has been wasted on the love story of Madhav and Vandana. Perhaps this is the freedom taken in the screenplay, but the film lost the grip on the story telling. The second thing is that the screenplay and the director are confused about whether to make the film a horror film, a mystery film or a thriller. Therefore, even the fans get confused while watching the film. Often, when curiosity and expectations are high, when they think they will see something special, the ongoing scene ends and the expectations of the audience are not fulfilled.
The songs in the film are pleasure to listen. A. V. Prafulchand's music and Guru Thakur's lyrics are should be appreaciated. However these songs have become a hindrance rather than complementing the overall experience of the movie. The temptation of the on screen songs should have been avoided. One on screen song and a background theme song would have sufficed. The background music of the film seems effective if you just listen to it, but often it deviates from the ongoing scenes and story telling. Occasionally background music just a bit louder.
There are many errors in the original story and screenwriting. The character Babuli has shown deep faith in God. But the film has many limitations due to the insistence on keeping it science-based. If Babuli had been shown to be endowed with some divine powers, the film would have turned out more authentic. The way Babuli kills the bad guys one by one is not at all believable. An octagenerian cannot pull out such a daunting task. Perhaps the writer/director might not have been given this freedom by the producers.
The film shows the signs of this being a diretorial debut of Subodh Khanolkar. The climax of the film, which delivers the message to stop the exploitation of nature in the disguise of progress, is quite disappointing. When the apparently furious torch bearing villagers pull out a perfect synchronization circumambulating the villain, the scene loses the credibility.
Everyone has done a good job in acting. Many renowned Marathi actors are present in this movie as co-stars. Damu Kenkre tries his best to play a strong antagonist but lackluster characterization puts limitations on him. Sarpanch Tandel played by Ravi Kale and forest officer Wadekar played by Bharat Jadhav are impressive. Mahesh Manjrekar's D'Costa in the final stretch provides the much-needed vibrancy to the film. Young duo Siddharth Menon and Priyadarshini Indalkar did justice to their respective roles.
Last but not the least, the apt title would have been 'Dashavatari' instead of 'Dashavatar' which is misleading.
Story: 6 out of 10
Direction: 6 out of 10
Music: 7 out of 10
Acting: 8 out of 10.
