Honestly, this is the first Marathi movie that I have watched in a movie theater for a long, long time. I can’t remember the last time I went to watch a Marathi movie.
The star cast was a big attraction and the trailer promised that the movie could be closer to the Marathi movies I am used to, or just prefer to watch. I was not wrong. The story is set in an urban setting with an affluent but orthodox Marathi family. The Marathi movie industry used to make a lot of movies like these a couple of decades ago that I sorely miss.
Rajwade and Sons revolves around a joint business family with a very strict and orthodox family patriarch. With three generations living under one roof, privacy and freedom is rare. The lack of it felt most intensely by the young Rajwades.
Every business family must face the desires and dreams of a new generation and find ways to ensure that the business is carried forward and the next generation stays invested. The movie highlights this and a number of other issues.
The performances are good and nothing seems out of place in the movie. However, it lacks a strong story that can hold the viewers’ attention or keep them invested in the movie. Rajwade and Sons has some twists, but most are predictable. A slow paced drama, it is more of a snapshot of what goes in an affluent Maharashtrian business family. Was I bored? No.
The central questions that the movie asks is whether it is correct to impose your decisions and world-view on your kids. No matter how much you think that your decisions are right for them, is it important to ask them about their desires and choices and give them the freedom to choose their own path. People live. Some accepting what is, others live a dual life forcing them to lie every day, and some like a rebel. Everyone loses something important. The question then is, is it really worth imposing your views on others?