Lokmanya Ek Yugpurush is an Indian Marathi movie released in 2015. Om Raut made his directorial debut through this film. The movie is based on the life of freedom fighter, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, and how his actions became a source of inspiration for the future generations.
This film is set in period before Indian independence. It is a biopic about one of India’s most important freedom fighters, Bal Gangadhar Tilak. He had contributed massively not only to the freedom movement, but also has worked for the welfare of Indians. The entire story has been portrayed through the eyes of a journalist (Chinmay Mandlekar).
Story Begins :
At the beginning of the movie, we find that Bal Gangadhar Tilak is being tried in the court, and from there via flashback, scenes are shown about his early life. Tilak returns home after successfully studying law from Bombay. With the help of one of his friends Agarkar, he decided to open an English medium school for the local people.
Again, we are taken back to the present time where a journalist named Makarand learns about Tilak and becomes inspired by his efforts. However, he feels that even after so many years of independence, Indians cannot still enjoy the benefits of full independence.
One also comes to know about the ruthless British officer Rand. During the plague in Poona, he is shown to mercilessly murder people. However, Tilak could not stand such injustice against Indians. Hence, he got Rand killed with the help of Damodar Chaphekar.
Tilak was adamant at bringing down the British rule, and hence stated publishing his own newspaper, where he used to write about the killings done by British offers and the crimes they committed. He has also been shown to interact with other major freedom fighters of his time including Mahatma Gandhi. Finally, he was sent to jail and then sentenced to 6 years of prison in Burma.
The movie Lokmanya Ek Yugpurush is basically a biopic on the freedom fighter Bal Gangadhar Tilak. Any successful biopic should be able to correctly portray the character of the person upon whom it is based. Besides, in order for such movies to be a hit, it is important that a message is left behind at the end of the film.
There is often a tendency that such movies become a bit monotonous, thus a portion of the audience always tries to venture away from such movies. However, Lokmanya Ek Yugpurush is definitely an exception, since every scene is thrilling and entertaining. Excellent script and dialogues as well as an extraordinary screenplay should keep the audience enthralled and keep asking for more.
Since this plot is set in the 1900s, the background and surroundings had to be changed accordingly. It has been done superbly in this film, and the audience will feel as if they have been transported to that pre-independence era.
Acting Review :
Acting is an extremely important aspects of such biopics, especially that of the protagonist. And Subodh Bhave who has played the role of Bal Gangadhar Tilak has done complete justice to the role. His acting has been extremely powerful and excellent, to say the least. In fact, many reviewers have started that no other person could have pulled off that role so well.
Bal Gangadhar Tilak was an iconic figure during India’s independence movement, and hence producing a movie based on his life should definitely be applauded. This film is definitely a must watch film for everyone.
