Bhonsle (film)

2021-06-09T18:44:11Z

27.147.207.59: /* Plot */

{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=October 2018}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Bhonsle
| image = Bhonsle (film) poster.jpg
| caption = Film poster
| director = [[Devashish Makhija]]
| producer = [[Neha (actress)|Shabana Raza Bajpayee]]<ref>{{cite web| url=https://iffk.in/bhonsle/| title=Bhonsle| website=iffk.in}}</ref> Piiyush Singh Abhayanand Singh Saurabh Gupta Sandiip Kapoor
| writer = Devashish Makhija Mirat Trivedi Sharanya Rajgopal
| starring = [[Manoj Bajpayee]] [[Santosh Juvekar]]
| music = Mangesh Dhakde
| cinematography = Jigmet Wangchuk
| editing = Shweta Venkat Mathew
| studio = Muvizz Manoj Bajpayee Productions
| distributor = [[Sony LIV]]
| released = {{Film date|2018|10|5|[[Busan International Film Festival|Busan]]|2020|6|26|df=y|India}}
| runtime = 128 minutes
| country = India
| language = Hindi
| budget =
| gross =
}}
'''''Bhonsle''''' is a 2020 Indian [[Hindi]]-language [[Drama (film and television)|drama]] film written and directed by [[Devashish Makhija]] and co-produced by Piiyush Singh,<ref>{{Cite web|title=After Amitabh Bachchan and Dhanush, Producer Piiyush Singh Is Bringing a Film ‘Bhonsle’ With Manoj Bajpayee|url=https://www.businesswireindia.com/after-amitabh-bachchan-and-dhanush-producer-piiyush-singh-is-bringing-a-film-bhonsle-with-manoj-bajpayee-68464.html|access-date=2020-06-30|website=www.businesswireindia.com}}</ref>
The film stars [[Manoj Bajpayee]] in the title role: a retired Mumbai police officer who befriends a North Indian girl and her brother who are targeted among other migrants by local politicians. Its first look was launched at the [[2018 Cannes Film Festival]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.firstpost.com/entertainment/cannes-film-festival-2018-manoj-bajpayee-returns-to-french-riviera-with-devashish-makhija-political-drama-bhonsle-4466505.html|title=Cannes Film Festival 2018: Manoj Bajpayee returns to French Riviera with Devashish Makhija' political drama Bhonsle|publisher=Firstpost|date=12 May 2018|accessdate=2 October 2018}}</ref>

''Bhonsle'' premiered in the 'A Window on Asian Cinema' section of the 2018 [[Busan International Film Festival]] and was also screened in the non-competitive India Story section at the [[Mumbai Academy of the Moving Image#Film Festival|MAMI Film Festival]], the 2018 [[Dharamshala International Film Festival]], the 2019 [[International Film Festival Rotterdam]], the [[Bengaluru International Film Festival]] and the Singapore South Asian film festival.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.indiatvnews.com/entertainment/bollywood-manoj-bajpayee-s-bhonsle-to-be-premiered-at-busan-international-film-festival-2018-461424|title=Manoj Bajpayee's Bhonsle to be premiered at Busan International Film Festival 2018|publisher=India TV|date=4 September 2018|accessdate=2 October 2018}}</ref><ref name=scroll>{{cite news|url=https://scroll.in/reel/895854/in-bhonsle-manoj-bajpayees-mumbai-constable-has-something-to-say-on-the-insider-outsider-debate|title=In 'Bhonsle', Manoj Bajpayee's Mumbai constable has something to say on the insider-outsider debate|last=Ramnath|first=Nandini|publisher=Scroll.in|date=26 September 2018|accessdate=2 October 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/movies/i-like-proving-people-wrong-manoj-bajpayee/article25444353.ece|title=I like proving people wrong: Manoj Bajpayee|last=Khan|first=Murtaza Ali Khan|work=The Hindu|date=8 November 2018|accessdate=9 November 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/hindi/2019/jan/26/bhonsles-outing-at-rotterdam-film-fest-1930248.html|title=Bhonsle's outing at Rotterdam film fest|work=The New Indian Express|date=26 January 2019|accessdate=23 February 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.deccanherald.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/biffes-2019-chat-debashish-720673.html|title=BIFFes 2019: Chat with Debashish Makhija of 'Bhonsle'|work=Deccan Herald|date=27 February 2019|accessdate=14 March 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.spotboye.com/marathi/marathi-news/bhonsle-santosh-juvekar-s-film-is-officially-selected-for-3rd-singapore-south-asian-international-film-festival-2019/5d656c9709da697670cc8d50|title=Selected For 3rd Singapore South Asian International Film Festival 2019|website=SpotboyE|date=27 August 2019|accessdate=30 August 2019}}</ref> It won the Best Screenplay and Best Director Award at the Asian Film Festival Barcelona.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.outlookindia.com/newsscroll/manoj-bajpayees-bhonsle-wins-big-at-barcelona-fest/1663253|title=Manoj Bajpayee's ''Bhonsle'' wins big at Barcelona fest|work=Outlook|date=15 November 2019|accessdate=17 November 2019}}</ref> It was released on [[Sony LIV]] on 26 June 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.indiatvnews.com/entertainment/celebrities/manoj-bajpayee-looks-forward-to-ott-release-of-bhonsle-627474|title=Manoj Bajpayee looks forward to OTT release of 'Bhonsle,' shares endearing trailer | Celebrities News – India TV|first=Shriya|last=Bhasin|date=19 June 2020|website=www.indiatvnews.com}}</ref>

== Plot ==
Constable Bhonsle retires from the [[Mumbai Police]] to live in a dilapidated ''[[chawl]]'' (a small apartment block for factory workers). He occasionally meets with his former superior about extending his service. An idol is shown being prepared for the ten-day [[Ganesh Chaturthi]] festival.

Homeless taxi driver Vilas is a foot soldier for a local political party which upholds local [[cultural identity]], and blames migrants from [[North India]] for taking local jobs. He frequently gets into conflicts with Rajendra, who wants to lead the migrants. Vilas networks and unites influential locals to assert their identity. Bhonsle is respected in the community, but refuses to join Vilas.

Sita and her teenaged brother Lalu move next door to Bhonsle. Lalu refuses to join Rajendra's gang, but one night is tricked into vandalizing the billboard of Vilas's political party. The next day Vilas is irate and Lalu is frightened. After confessing to Sita, they inform Bhonsle who warns them that he will tell the police if it happens again.

A few days later, there is a grand procession for Ganesh Chaturthi which involves everyone from the ''chawl''. Bhonsle collapses in his room from fading health. Lalu gathers their neighbours to take him to the hospital where Sita works, and she nurses him to health. She also takes care of the paperwork at his discharge, and he is given a discount on the assumption of being her family member. Bhonsle forms a bond with the siblings and helps Lalu secretly repaint the billboard. Sita receives Bhonsle's medical tests and informs him that he has a terminal brain tumor. Having acquired supplies to fix the billboard, Vilas takes credit when he finds it repainted in the morning. Bhonsle exposes his lie, and Vilas is humiliated that Bhonsle took the migrants side instead of his own.

Bhonsle is heartbroken when he is informed that his service extension with the police is contingent on a medical check-up. As Sita returns from her night shift, Vilas kidnaps her and then rapes her. Bhonsle finds Sita badly injured, and confronts Vilas, finding bloodstains in his taxi. The two fight and are both fatally injured, while on the last day of Ganesh Chaturthi the idol is sunk into the ocean.

==Cast==
*[[Manoj Bajpayee]] as Ganpath Bhonsle
*[[Santosh Juvekar]] as Vilas
*Ipshita Chakraborty Singh as Sita
*Virat Vaibhav as Lalu
*[[Abhishek Banerjee (actor)|Abhishek Banerjee]] as Rajendra
*Rajendra Sisadkar as Talpade
*Kailash Waghmare as Sawant
*Shrikant Yadav as Mhatre
*Neetu Pande as Mrs. Jha
*Dev Mehta as Ismail

==Production==
Makhija started writing the script of ''Bhonsle'' in 2011 and completed it in 2015 but could not gain interest from producers. In 2016, Makhija directed an 11-minute short film titled ''Taandav'' starring [[Manoj Bajpayee]], about a head constable who breaks out into a dance to deal with the strains of his life.<ref name=scroll/> Bajpayee had suggested him to make a short "to prove that they could carry off the idea".<ref name=scroll/> Makhija said that he made the short because he was not able to make ''Bhonsle''. He said that the purpose of the short was to "show the world that a film about a havaldar (constable) could be interesting."<ref name=scroll/> Makhija took inspiration for Bhonsale's mannerisms from his father who had become "something else" after Makhija left for [[Mumbai]] from his hometown [[Kolkata]].<ref name=scroll/> The script was selected by the [[National Film Development Corporation of India]] for their event, Film Bazaar in 2016.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/muvizz-coms-bhonsle-starring-manoj-bajpayee-selected-by-nfdc-for-film-bazaar/articleshow/55353906.cms|title=Muvizz.com's 'Bhonsle' starring Manoj Bajpayee selected by NFDC for Film Bazaar|last=Laghate|first=Gaurav|work=The Economic Times|date=10 November 2016|accessdate=2 October 2018}}</ref>

The film's principal photography began on 21 October 2017. The Ganpati festival scene was shot for two days in Mumbai in August, forming a backdrop in the film.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://variety.com/2017/film/festivals/busan-helmer-devashish-makhija-set-for-bhonsle-exclusive-1202589024/|title=Busan: Helmer Devashish Makhija set for "Bhonsle" (EXCLUSIVE)|last=Ramachandran|first=Naman|work=Variety|date=13 October 2017|accessdate=2 October 2018}}</ref> For the pullout shot on the day of the Ganpati immersion, Bajpayee was placed in the crowd of 70,000 people. The scene took six retakes to complete and throughout the shoot no one recognised Bajpayee.<ref name=scroll/> The filming was completed in late December 2017.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/manoj-bajpayee-wraps-up-devashish-makhija-s-bhonsle-in-mumbai/story-rFziSCP0ovZK8fpl9cInEP.html|title=Manoj Bajpayee wraps up Devashish Makhija's Bhonsle in Mumbai|work=Hindustan Times|date=29 December 2017|accessdate=2 October 2018}}</ref> Several scenes were shot in closed narrow spaces as Makhija wanted to "create a sense of suffocation".<ref name=scroll/>

==Reception==
Deborah Young of ''[[The Hollywood Reporter]]'' praised Bajpayee's performance in the film and said that his "hermit retiree emerges as a quiet-spoken hero who opposes the racist hate-mongering around him with cool disdain." She felt that the film "builds tension well as it goes along", but called its first half "punishing".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/bhonsle-1155739|title='Bhonsle': Film Review: Mumbai 2018|last=Young|first=Deborah|work=The Hollywood Reporter|date=28 October 2018|accessdate=1 November 2018}}</ref> Anupam Kant Verma of [[Firstpost]] wrote: "To Makhija’s peculiar blend of technical proficiency and poetic beats, Bajpayee brings the gravitas and masterful restraint that tugs at the kite of the director’s imagination the moment it threatens to pull away, in effect, harmonising the film experience."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.firstpost.com/entertainment/bhonsle-movie-review-devashish-makhijas-fascinating-character-study-is-enriched-by-manoj-bajpayees-performance-5505521.html|title=Bhonsle movie review: Devashish Makhija's fascinating character study is enriched by Manoj Bajpayee's performance|last=Verma|first=Anupam Kant|publisher=Firstpost|date=5 November 2018|accessdate=7 November 2018}}</ref> J. Hurtado of [[Screen Anarchy]] wrote: "It's an exceptional film bolstered by a nearly silent performance from Manoj Bajpayee, one of India's finest actors, who also stepped in to produce the film when things were looking dire during production." He also included it in his list of 14 Favorite Indian Films of 2018.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://screenanarchy.com/2019/01/j-hurtados-13-favorite-indian-films-of-2018-gallery.html|title=J Hurtado's 14 Favorite Indian Films of 2018|last=Hurtado|first=J|publisher=Screen Anarchy|date=3 January 2018|accessdate=4 January 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=2020-06-28|title=Bhonsle: Manoj Bajhpayee Joins Ipshita Chakraborty Singh, Santosh Juvekar Stream Online On Sony Liv|url=https://moviespie.com/entertainment/films/bhonsle-manoj-bajhpayee-joins-ipshita-chakraborty-singh-santosh-juvekar-stream-online-on-sony-liv/|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-06-28|website=Moviespie|language=en-US}}</ref>

==Accolades==
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"
|-
!scope="col"| Award
!scope="col"| Date of ceremony
!scope="col"| Category
!scope="col"| Recipient(s)
!scope="col"| Result
!scope="col"| Ref.
|-
!rowspan="2"|[[Asia Pacific Screen Awards]]
|rowspan="2"|[[13th Asia Pacific Screen Awards|21 November 2019]]
|[[Cultural Diversity Award (UNESCO)|UNESCO Award]]
|[[Devashish Makhija]]
|{{nom}}
|rowspan="2"|<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.asiapacificscreenawards.com/news-events/13th-asia-pacific-screen-awards-celebrates-100-years-of-korean-cinema-2019-nominations-announced|title=13TH ASIA PACIFIC SCREEN AWARDS CELEBRATES 100 YEARS OF KOREAN CINEMA 2019 NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED|website=asiapacificscreenawards}}</ref>
|-
|[[Asia Pacific Screen Award for Best Performance by an Actor|Best Actor]]
|[[Manoj Bajpayee]]
|{{won}}
|-
!rowspan="2"|[[Filmfare OTT Awards]]
|rowspan="2"|19 December 2020
|Best Film - Web Originals
|''Bhonsle''
|{{nom}}
|rowspan="2"|<ref>{{Cite web|title=Flyx Filmfare OTT Awards 2020: Complete winners' list - Times of India|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/web-series/news/flyx-filmfare-ott-awards-2020-winners-so-far/articleshow/79812177.cms|access-date=2020-12-20|website=The Times of India|language=en}}</ref>
|-
|Best Actor - Web Originals
|rowspan="2"|[[Manoj Bajpayee]]
|{{nom}}
|-
![[National Film Awards]]
|22 March 2021
|[[National Film Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]]
|{{won}}
|<ref>{{Cite news|last=Desk|first=The Hindu Net|date=2021-03-22|title=67th National Film Awards: Complete list of winners|language=en-IN|work=The Hindu|url=https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/movies/67th-national-film-awards-complete-list-updating/article34131921.ece|access-date=2021-03-22|issn=0971-751X}}</ref>
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb title|tt8476998}}
* [https://www.sonyliv.com/movies/bhonsle-1000046747 Bhonsle] on [[Sony_Liv]]

[[Category:Films shot in Mumbai]]
[[Category:Films set in Mumbai]]
[[Category:Hindi-language films]]
[[Category:2010s Hindi-language films]]
[[Category:Law enforcement in fiction]]
[[Category:Indian films]]
[[Category:Indian drama films]]
[[Category:Indian direct-to-video films]]
[[Category:2018 direct-to-video films]]

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Bhonsle (film)