Medal – Super Story, Performance & Grit

Jayesh, Maulik, Story & a gritty Producer = Success

What happens when a you combine a powerful actor with a host of equally powerful supporting actors, a great story and a risk-taking producer? Well, you are awarded with a Medal.

November has been very good for Gujarati cinema with a second good movie hitting the box office.

Medal leaves you with a good lump in the throat for its story, treatment and powerful performances.

This was an elaborate web-series meant for an yet to be launched JoJo OTT, however wisdom prevailed and the series was crisply edited to become a 2 hour crisp film. If you observe minutely, you could point out the pace especially when it comes to training the kids and the abruptness of the love life. But one can conveniently ignore even the fact that Thotha is kabuli chana and simply enjoy the narration and flow of the story.

The story is of PT master-turned-english teacher essayed by Jayesh More who has anger issues, in-law issues, nostalgia issues and issues sticking to a job, especially if it is a well-paying one. After a slightly confusing first 10 mins the story takes track where Ajit is posted to a village school (Government one with pension) where he joins with a sense of purpose, egged by memories of his friend.

You are now transformed to a village life with all its nuances, dialogues, social norms, humour and most importantly the sad state of affairs be it school or the village at large. The day to day clashes between our honest and duty-bound Jayesh More with the  PT sir (Hemang Dave in a super negative role) with three other teachers (who have not been able to unmute themselves all through the film) and the super performer Maulik Nayak (as a peon-cum-clerk). All of this curated by the indomitable principal played by Archan Trivedi.

One by one the students get inspired first to the class then to the playground. All of which is to conclude into a medal seeking challenge at the Khel Kala Mahakumbh. Interspersed within this is the social stigma of untouchability and an aggressive village headman played by Chetan Dahiya (his 64^th film). No wonder he keeps riding a horse without stirrups!

How will the movie end, will our Jayesh More succeed or will he fail and get a bail, the climax is the most-catchy part of this entire movie, leaves you in good spirits.

The Heroes of the movie:

Producer: Hardly does anyone credit this title but Dhruvin Dakshesh Shah (of the Superstar Fame) did well to pick up the story and give it shape and life. It is not easy to take the audience back to the villages and expect them to applaud. Well played.

Director-Writer-Editor: Dhaval Shukal scores big in his maiden Gujarati Film, while the writer and actor Vaishakh Ratanben gives a lot of substance to the story. The dialogues are really earthy and a lot of them are very catchy. Not easy in today’s time. Rraja Choksi & Dhruvin seem to have been ruthless in the editing and that is why the movie doesn’t drag.

My personal favourite, Tapan Vyas (he seems to the DOP for every Gujarati movie) again transforms you to a village with a very classy feel. 

Kushal Chokshi’s music too helps build the story and keep the momentum, with a few  likeable songs like Tarla No Desh and Ehsaas Taro, but nothing beats the ever-favourite Arvind Vegda who makes a couple of cameos and leaves a good impression as DJ Snake.

But the supreme honours ought to go to the most under-represented stars of Gujarati film Industry, Jayesh More and Maulik Nayak. This duo, whenever they pair up produce miracles. Fantastic performances really touch your heartstrings. Hemang Dave should leave comedy and take over negative roles. He excels in this department big time. A plump-postmaster Shaunak & mukhiya Chetan Dahiya too make impacts in the little screen time they get. Of course Kinjal Rajpriya has a decent presence but her character rarely creates impact. In the entire film, their love story grows and deflates.

Despite the film being dominated by such superstars, child artists Bhavya Sirohi, Arya Sagar and Karan Patel leave a good impression.  

There are some continuity issues, some stories don’t go too deep like the Mukhiya and the friend’s story or the love story. The sports preparation too seems ill-planned. A lot of scenes are repeated, but all of that is forgiven for the end product is a good package.

Don’t miss the wall graffiti in the villages, it just lifts the scenes multiple notches higher.

Medal, whether the team wins or not is something you will have to go to the theatre and see, all I can say is I am buying tickets for my parents to watch this movie. It is that nice a product.

Madhav - A Lawyer-Police Word-Fest leading to Satyamev Jayte

What is Law?   What is Justice?  Who is right/wrong? 

These and more are the questions Madhav has tried to raise in its Gujarati Cop Thriller avatar.

But the biggest question that begs us and stares us in the face is, “If Gujarat is a dry state, then why does anyone have to be shown drinking with a disclaimer, Drinking Liquor is wrong, etc etc?” I mean just don’t show daaru. Show Chaas, Sherbet, Mocktails, anything!!!

What promised to be an action packed, daring-baaz Singham-bhai version of the Bolly-Poli movie turned into an action packed Word-Fest, a to & fro Dialogue-Drama. It’s like you promise an Ice-Age movie and it turns out to be a Dinosaur-ki-prem-katha.

Independently, Madhav is good, if only the action-perception would have been managed. We were all expecting flying cars, killer moves, jumping men, bomb blasts and more and we got revolving chair, custodial dandas, high-decibel-ear-shattering vocals & three entries, mixed with a good moral for a story.

Madhav Jadeja (a very dashing looking Hitu Kanodia), an action cop who loves to dance in a Ganesh Pandal, keep making entries in an Enfield Bullet gets the son-of-a-lawyer Yash Desai (an under-rated Vishal Shah) arrested together with his girlfriend (Saloni Shah -3-dialogues) for a frivolous mistake inviting the wrath of the mighty Lawyer Vishwas Desai (a high baritone Mehul Buch).

What follows is a mix of tu-tu-main-main-hoon-konn-chhu-jaa-have-tuu-mane-jaanto-nathi some laughter again hoon-konn-chhu-jaa-have-tuu-mane-jaanto-nathi interspersed with one or two funny jokes by Constable No 1 (a completely wasted talent Chetan Dahiya) & Constable No 2 (even more wasted talent Smit Pandya). Soon the plot opens up and we realise why this entire game was being played out and then one thing leads to the other and the game changes. In-between you may feel angry, frustrated, upset, sometimes entertained and a tad-bit bored at the pace of the film. But all is well that ends well.

You are finally left thinking, “Why did the Lawyer, Vishwas Desai kill himself?”

The king of the product is Hitubhai and carries the role to perfection. If only he would have been allowed to fling more than a chair and kick more than one villain.

Mehulbhai is a close second with a good performance. However, he could have been helped with a bit more depth on the role with more meaningful dialogues and a lot more ammunition to defend his son.

Third in line is the Music. Incorporating both Chintata Chita Chita and Singham feel, the music keeps itself and the drama upbeat.

The story, though unique needed a lot of depth. The entire premise looks frivolous with large loopholes. Come on, you can’t take the Home Minister for a spin, so easily. If you are such a hot-shot lawyer you submit way too easily. I mean me, without a law degree, can know how to spin myself out of this. Jigar Rana could have really added more meat and believability to the story  making it more action packed.

Now, when you have two power packed-dialogue-delivery-actors, the lines need to be memorable. None really stands out except Madhav Aave Chhe or hoon-konn-chhu-jaa-have-tuu-mane-jaanto-nathi, the film needed some whistle-maaring dialogues which could have been a game-changer.

All in all, for a first time Hetal Thakkar has done a great effort of giving a good-looking film. The attempt at creating a cop-thriller-drama has been brave and laudable.

I can bet my money on single screen rural audiences to lap up with a lot of excitement and fervour.

So, Madhav Aavi Gayo Chhe, feel free to go and welcome him.