The great Gujarati cinema revival

AFTER being in the doldrums for decades, Gujarati cinema has enjoyed a revival in recent years and delivered entertaining films that have delighted audiences around the world.

The last six years in particular have been special with cinema successes inspiring producers to make diverse films in the language, which have helped the industry grow at an increasingly fast rate.  

Sharato Lagu

Ventilator (2018): Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra-Jonas produced this comedy-drama headlined by Jackie Shroff. The story revolved around an elderly patriarch falling into a coma and how it brings his extended family together, including an estranged movie star. There was also an interesting father-son sub-plot in an endearing family friendly feature that mixed up emotion, comedy, local culture and relatable characters. Great performances from the cast elevated the acclaimed film to a higher level.

GujjuBhai – Most Wanted

GujjuBhai – Most Wanted (2018): The 2015 comedy Gujjubhai The Great turned out to be a surprise success and spawned this sequel. The hapless father and son returned in a brand new story that saw them accidentally getting involved with terrorists, whilst trying clear a debt. The likeable characters and jokes entertained audiences. It showed the Gujarati film industry a sequel could be successful.

Shu Thayu

 Shu Thayu? (2018): Malhar Thakar has established himself in Gujarati cinema with an impressive number of successful films and took on the lead role in this hit remake of the Tamil film Naduvula Konjam Pakkatha Kaanom (2012). The comedy of errors saw him play a man who gets amnesia just before he is due to marry the love of his life. The few flaws in the narrative were covered by the film’s fun factor and great comedy moments.  

Hellaro (2019): Writer/director Abhishek Shah made a winning debut with this rural drama, which won the prestigious National Film Award for best feature film and clocked up big numbers at the box office. He assembled an ensemble cast for the 1970s set story of a drought-ridden village where mistreated women find an escape through a traditional dance they are banned from doing. The defiant social drama weighing up superstition against patriarchy was widely praised for the performances.

chaal-jeevi-laiye

Chaal Jeevi Laiye! (2019): The comedy-drama became the highest grossing Gujarati language film of all time when it was released and still holds that record. Its success helped spark the recent revival of an industry that has been steadily gaining momentum across the world. The road movie revolved around a father taking a trip with his terminally ill son to a spiritual place. They bond and the son unexpectedly finds romance after meeting a girl on the life altering trip. It was remade in Marathi as Ole Aale (2024) with Nana Patekar in a lead role.  

Chasani (2019): The award-winning film decided to do things differently by presenting parallel storylines connected with one another through family members. The drama that delved into the attitude of what loves means across different generations was essentially a human drama that had relatable emotions. Lead stars Manoj Joshi and Sejal Shah received particular praise for their performances in the character driven movie.

Luv Ni Love Storys

Golkeri (2020): The Gujarati remake of 2017 Marathi film Muramba was a relatable relationship drama about a couple trying to overcome their differences. Interestingly, the female character is more successful than the man she loves and this leads to complications. The comedy-drama showed less can be more as the simple storyline also shone a spotlight on the cross-generational divide. Central to the film’s success was standout performances from lead stars Malhar Thakar and Manasi Parekh.

Mara Pappa Superhero.

Mara Pappa Superhero (2021): The Gujarati comedy-drama had delighted audiences on the festival circuit and perhaps didn’t get the credit it deserved. The story revolved around an impoverished girl with a big heart, who believes her street vendor father is a fearless superhero and goes on a quest to prove it. The family-friendly feel-good film reconnected audiences to the wonders of childhood and had a fairy tale-like quality. The light-hearted story had a well-written screenplay and a standout performance from young actress Bhavya Sirohi.

 Chhello Show (2021): India’s official entry into the 2023 Oscars for the best international film category is a unique celebration of cinema. The village set story revolves around a mischievous young boy, who gets enthralled with movies at the broken-down local cinema. Then with the help of friends he recreates the magic of cinema in a unique way and lands up in trouble. The comedy-drama gives a fascinating insight to challenging rural life, the power of imagination and what ultimately happened to discarded film stock.

Fakt Mahilao Maate

Fakt Mahilao Maate (2022): The Indian answer to Hollywood film What Women Want revolved around a young man, who starts to hear what females around him are thinking. After the initial shock, he decides to use his power to make a positive difference. The well-written comedy had enough entertainment to appeal to all ages and a great lead performance from Yash Soni. Amitabh Bachchan made his Gujarati language debut with a cameo in the film.

Kehvatlal Parivar

Kehvatlal Parivar (2022): The hit comedy revolved around an elderly man stuck in his ways, who is struggling with his grown-up dysfunctional family. Things take an unexpected turn, when his estranged wife shows up and it is revealed that he isn’t a widower. The film’s combination of family drama, comedy, emotion and colourful characters struck a chord with audiences. Central to the film’s success was great performances from Siddharth Randeria and Supriya Pathak.

Kutch Express

 Kutch Express (2023): The underrated drama delighted audiences on the festival circuit and revolved around a married woman, who sees her seemingly perfect world come crashing down after learning a horrible truth. She then goes on a path of self-discovery. The rural coming-of-age story of an innocent adult, who finally finds out who she really is had beautifully crafted characters with unique personalities. Ratna Pathak Shah as the kind understanding mother-in-law was a revelation in a movie driven by an empowering message.

3 ekka

3 Ekka (2023): The hit comedy about three friends in a financial crisis setting up a gambling den became the second-highest grossing Gujarati film of all time when it was released. The entertainer was filled with jokes and hilarious moments from start to finish. It made up for flaws in the storyline with universally accessible humour and likeable characters that kept audiences fully engaged.

Vash

 Vash (2023): The 2024 Bollywood film Shaitaan has been a big success, but did you know that it’s a remake of this Gujarati supernatural horror thriller. Also, young actress Janki Bodiwala reprised her role from the original in the hit Hindi remake. A family on holiday encounters a mysterious stranger and soon find themselves in danger when it emerges that he has demonic qualities. The film, which is better than the Hindi language remake, had plenty of scary moments and unexpected twists.

Gandhi & Co (2023): The endearing comedy-drama won multiple awards that included best children's film at the 69th National Film Awards. It told the story of two mischievous boys, who look up to an elder embodying Mahatma Gandhi’s teaching. One of them imitates Gandhi, but still hangs on to his naughty ways. The coming-of-age film told to the backdrop of Gandhian values put across important social messages in an entertaining way and had top performances from the young lead stars.

Kamthaan

 Kamthaan (2024): The crime comedy adapted from a 2001 novella by Gujarati writer Ashwini Bhatt had a strong cast. A thief forced by circumstances to commit an audacious robbery triggers chaos when it emerges that he has stolen from a newly promoted police officer. After a relatively sedate start the laughter-filled film picked up momentum and rolled around towards an unexpected conclusion. The slickly shot 2000 set story was widely praised for the music, setting, performances and cinematography.

Kasoombo

Kasoombo (2024): Director Vijaygiri Bava followed up his Gujarati comedy film Montu Ni Bittu (2019) with an altogether more ambitious projects with this historical drama. He didn’t let the relatively low budgets associated with Gujarati cinema stop him from delivering a story about a small group of warriors fighting against the odds during Alauddin Khilji's invasion of Gujarat. Although the film’s length was criticised by some, it was praised for his performances, special effects, music and cinematography. 

 Ittaa Kittaa (2024): The simple, but effective film revolved around a couple, unable to conceive, who decide to adopt two orphaned sisters. The comedy drama combined emotion with humour, as it followed a family unit trying to overcome barriers to become one. There were endearing moments in a unique feel-good movie that focused the spotlight on adoption without being preachy. 

Jhamkudi (2024): This year’s biggest commercial Gujarati cinema success has been this horror comedy headlined by Manasi Parekh and Viraj Ghelani. It revolves around a rag tag group trying to take on an evil witch, who has inflicted a curse on a village. The many laughter-filled moments made up for the fun-filled film’s story not making much sense, and why it drew in big audiences, including internationally.