Fandry (2013) User Reviews

Don't miss it. Its a gem from Rural India!!!

[milindjoshi16 · 9/10 · 26 January 2014]

'Fandry' is an exceptionally well crafted film on Social issues still exist in rural India. The young protagonist 'Jambya' is a school going boy who is from untouchable 'Kaikade' community who catch pigs and do odd jobs for their living. Jambya is interested in school and likes a girl from school who is a upper caste. The boy has rebellious thought of not catching pigs although its their basic work for living.

Director has meticulously worked on characters and social pressure on them through different incidences. The suffocation of the boy due to family pressure, his love for upper class girl and killing of his innocence at the hands of upper caste boys are key points which are well written by the writer. What starts as a simple rural life oriented film goes to climax with boy overcoming the pressure of society, understanding of self and takes audience to a different level of his revolt against 'untouchability' issue.

The climax is the hallmark of the film. Its a tight slap to the society which shows how a small boy becomes an adult due to one incidence. His self realisation is disturbing and a truth difficult to handle. There is a definite message in the film which the Director delivers in distinctive fashion.

The film has already won many awards in India and accolades from all over the world. It is releasing in India on 14th February 2014. If you really love reality based Cinema then this is it. Don't miss!!!

A movie which makes you think about the Indian society.

[akshay_scorp20 · 8/10 · 24 March 2014]

A movie which shows the reality of the India which we all consider to be very modern and many people may think that these things don't exist in our modern society but be ready to get all your conceptions of the modern India be shattered by the movie Fandry.

The movie is very simple from the core yet a very complicated subject to fully understand.The movie portrays the harsh reality of our shallow society yet it doesn't loose the 'entertainment factor'.There are some funny scenes shown in the film from time to time without making the film too 'cheesy' unlike many recent bollywood movies,a clever move by the director Mr.Nagraj according to me.The acting is something which only great actors would have able to pull of,but most of the actors are new to the industry and act very well despite no previous experience in acting.

This movie is a true gem and should not be missed by anyone.

Authenticity at its peak for a movie !

[SatiagoManez · 9/10 · 27 July 2014]

I can even say this is the only movie that I have seen till date which is so authentic in its execution. The story revolves around a young boy(Jabya)who is a victim of the social inequality due to casteism in a village. The entire film drives in a direction where the group of people in the village infuriate the boy by abusing him and his family with his caste calling them "Fandri" (Pig), but he remains calm as his family is dependent on the village. The accumulation of all this anger, fear, fury get outburst in the climax act.

Everyone in the cast has done a extraordinary performance, there is nowhere where you can see any cinematic sequence. This credit should go the director of the movie (Nagraj Manjule). The amount of ground work that is there in this movie is enormous. Every single detail on the character, or the locations and sequence is something really unbelievable. One thing that can be quoted for instance is the place where Jabya's sister asks water in one of the homes when she runs and gasps. The anonymous character from the home doesn't hands over the water to her instead keeps it down to avoid the touch of inferior caste.

In the era of highly moving camera and fast action cuts, the camera work in the movie just shows the power of still cinematography which elevated the movie to the much higher level.

The movie is just one great masterpiece from the debut director !

Rejection and Revolt

[sushilpusad · 10/10 · 15 February 2014]

Fandry is a milestone film in the history of Indian cinema. The film makes the audience to retrospect on the social condition in Indian society. How poverty and accountability is prevalent even in the age of Facebook and Twitter. The film rightly projects the theme of suppression, rejection and revolt. The family of Jabya is victimized not because they are poor but because they are born in lower caste. Jabya finally tries to break the barriers of caste system not by using pen which stands for knowledge and which he loves most but by pelting stone i.e. violence.

This movie is for those who are ready to change their perspective on life. Set in a small village of India, the film gives its message through picture-images and symbolism.

Hollowness of Caste System Turned Into A Brilliant Screenplay That Reminds The Work Of Satyajit Ray,

[ashutoshchakraborty87 · 30 March 2014]

This is truly an exemplary piece of art depicting the disparity in the Indian caste system which has plagued the Indian society for centuries & even today our society at large haven't been able to overcome.

This is a movie about the aspirations of a village teenage boy from a very poor family of lower caste "kaikade". The family consists of ayi, appa, mulga (son Jabya) & mulgi(daughter). The family earns their livelihood by taking care of the cleanliness of the village to catching of pigs roaming around the village, so it leaves no doubt on the audience of the movie to realize the family's standard of living. Inspite of the challenge of 'hand to mouth' existence, Jabya likes going to school & is in complete disapproval of his families profession, particularly catching of pigs so that the pigs do not mess up the cleanliness of the high class people living in the village.

The movie clearly depicts the Herculean task of a Father to get his daughter married particularly when the resources are scarce. The expressions of the father is very touching particularly when one tries to put himself in the shoes of a daughter's father, particularly because of the harsh circumstances of their struggle to merely survive. On the other hand, Jabya likes a girl from his class who is from higher class family & it is his strong desire to own a pair of new jeans & top just to look good & impress his love. This thought process itself proves the innocence of a pure soul which has fallen pray to the sweetness of love.

The movie ends with the self realization of Jabya that the society in which he is a part of, has no appreciation or value for his thought process & ultimately is left disgruntled, remorse, shattered & heart broken only to bring in the darker side of a shattered soul.

This writing wasn't an easy writing at all as compared to the other movies that I have watched & jotted down my feelings about it. It took me more than a days time to just to think & join in the dots of hollowness within our caste system. Last but not the least, every effort in making such great films that brings out the hollowness within society of so called noble & social living beings, deserves a great amount of respect & accolades in portraying the darkest side hidden somewhere within us. This movie , even though released in Marathi in 2013, in the so called era of "Hi-Fi Tech Savvy India", took me back to the era of 1960's the first ever Indian Academy Award winner Mr. Satyajit Ray who has made History in Indian Cinema for his epic titles "Pather Pachali, Aporajita & Apur Sansar" popularly known as "The Apu Trilogy". With existence of like minded filmmakers, it makes me believe beyond any doubt that the art of filmaking will stay alive for some more time for us to appreciate the hues of life.

Strong message given with simplicity

[s-vaibhav83 · 8/10 · 20 February 2014]

The movie is so simple would like to compare this with Iranian movies. If you love watching Iranian movies then fandry is must watch keeping in mind the simplicity of the acting yet successful in delivering the strong message of living in poverty & suffering from caste discrimination. The film is focused on a young boy who lives below poverty in a village and how he gets caught into superstition to get hold of his love who belongs from an upper caste society...Unlike other Indian movies where scenes are sometimes more emotionally biased, this movie will not make you cry but still will make you think against the three sensitized subjects of poverty, caste discrimination and superstition to some extent..

Nagraj Manjule - In the shoes of MASTERS

[rajdoctor · 8/10 · 8 August 2018]

When Fandry was released in 2013, it was critically acclaimed. I did not get chance to watch it then.

I saw Sairat, and later when Dhadak was released - I revisited Sairat and while reading about the Director Nagraj Manjule - came again across his first feature length film - Fandry.

The story is about 13 year old adolescents boy Jabya's dream - his unrequited LOVE towards Shalu, a girl studying with him. And Jabya's dis-interest in his untouchable lower caste's based role his father Kachru plays in the village doing menial jobs. The story eloquently leads us to the final set-up where embarrassed Jabya has to give a hand to his father to catch a piglet in front of his school mates inside a garbage ground.

It is an utterly heart-wrenching tale of realization of broken dreams of LOVE in front of whole village, especially in front of the girl who too laughs are the family's endeavors of catching a pig; where people humiliate and playfully laugh and make fun of Jabya.

After watching Fandry I also watched a short film of the director Nagraj - Pistulya (10 minutes short film)

Few things stand out as Director Nagraj Manjule's trademarks -

• His movies portrays his personal experiences of life,
• There is an angle of LOVE,
• The movies are based in smaller towns and villages,
• the protagonists are mostly new and unknown faces who are drawn into acting,
• There is social issues highlighted in the movie - castes, discrimination, honor killing, education
• The movies are a good mix of lighter moments,
• The music of the movies is good,
• The movies are made with much sensitiveness,
• One can see the glimpses of great master at work,
• It looks evident that a lot of work has been done at the script (writing) stage,
• There are moments in the movie that are heart wrenching,
• The endings of all the three movies are tragic

All the lead characters of the movie have enacted their roles beautifully. Applause to Somanth Awghade who plays Jabya and Kishore Kadam who plays Jabya's father Kachru.

The movie has won several awards including the National Award for best debut director and child artist.

The movie's cinematography is worth mentioning which has been captured with great still shots reminding us of internationally acclaimed directors like Terrence Mallick with sensibilities of Satyajit Ray's Pather Panchali. The use of symbolism in beautifully interwoven with the flow of the script.

Director Manjule too has also done a small cameo as a mentor of Jabya. I will recommend this movie whole-heartedly. It was a stepping stone for Manjule to come out with the commercial block-buster Sairat - without compromising on the theme and his movie making style.

Great watch - Go, find FANDRY from somewhere - it is on Netflix too and watch it. The movie will change the way you look at life.

(I will go with 7.75 out of 10)

A awesome movie ever done

[nimijames · 9/10 · 7 September 2020]

A must watch movie. I really love the climax portion. I appreciate the director for taking this type of story.

Fantastic piece of art

[vibilraj · 8/10 · 10 December 2019]

Wow great movie I saw this in ilInternational Film Festival of Kerala. I personally got a chance to congratulate the director. Such a great movie. Shows how dalits are being treated in society. The man's invention of so called caste, making people uneducated. Its a clear cut of how people are being treated in India due to man's so called invention of caste.

Another Marathi movie to be proud of

[Underdog03 · 10/10 · 22 September 2014]

We learn so many things in school,we read about saints and mahatmas. We all have learned not to discriminate, treat even. But what happens when it's time to apply in real life? Fandry, uses a backdrop of a rural village in Maharashtra to portray an absolutely realistic depiction of our society. Brilliant metaphors follow one after the other in this movie, right from the black sparrow to the pigs. A simple and an otherwise funny episode of pig catching makes you feel so angered and disgusted. People feel we are now a developed nation and such thinking doesn't exist but it's really not true. Hard hitting direction and incredible performances from all actors lifts the movie so high that you nearly forget that it's just a movie. Kishore Kadam and Somnath Awghade deserve a huge applause for this! Kudos to the makers of this movie, deserved much more than just 2 national awards! Do not miss this gem, it will leave you in awe.

Superb movie, astonishing debut by Manjule

[chengiz · 10/10 · 8 June 2016]

As a Maharashtrian I have watched the new wave of issue-based Marathi movies with interest. However so far most of them have been of the sort "let's turn this one idea I have into a movie", which accompanied with little directorial talent (forget an auteur's voice) has resulted in preachy, repetitive, artificial, and broadly underwhelming films.

But this, this is the real deal. Rarely do you see a director this perfectly in control of what he wants to say in a way that his movie primarily remains a movie and does not become a lesson, and yet hits you hard. This movie has been vaguely marketed as a love story, which I find ridiculous because it is nothing of the sort (the love interest does not even have a line). It is a movie about adolescence and hopes and caste, just about regular old real village life from the point of view of a young boy. There is not a moment of artifice in it, everything is real and honest.

This is top quality, Oscar worthy work, with echoes in the movie-making and storytelling of Shyam Benegal (Ankur etc), Premchand (Godaan), Majid Majidi (Children of Heaven), and even Terence Malick (Days of Heaven) for the imagery. I haven't seen Sairat, yet I'm calling it - we have a true great in our midst.

Realistic ! But Waste Of Time.

[kastureabhi · 5/10 · 8 February 2019]

I was going to movie only for the song.But after i was really disappointed.The movie doesn't make any sense and unexpected ending,

Masterpiece

[amitdodake · 10/10 · 26 February 2017]

You rarely get a chance to watch such a touching story. Many scenes do not even need any narration or dialogues to explain the situation you can actually feel it from your inner soul.

Hats off to director Nagaraj Manjule and all non-actors in movie (you wont believe it - the first time actors) they has done excellent job.

Movie is based on cast-ism in India.

My one of favorite scene is the last scene of movie - where director shown really unique way to express his anger and frustration to the society.

Thanks, Amit Dodake

Gut wrenching

[niyantha · 9/10 · 17 December 2019]

" Done with be quite "

Film : Fandry Director : @nagraj_manjule Dop : @vikram_amladi Music : @alokanandadasgupta @ajayatulofficial Cast : Kishore kadam Somamth Avghade

Probably I was dumb I was Speechless After watching this Gut wrenching an eye opener Surrealistic gem !

#nagarajmanjule Sir Ji Beautifully Crafted and Executed (SOUND and lighting Played a Major role) Bit closer to Mr Ray Style of making

I thought #Sairat was yours best work But Fandry is the classic one

A film whose simple charm hardly prepares the viewer for the edge-of-street tension of its last fifteen minutes,

There is a scene towards the end of the film when Kachru's family catches a pig and is carrying it out of the village. On their way, they pass the paintings of revolutionaries who championed the cause of eradication of the caste system and this scene sums up the irony of the society that we live in today. Somnath and Suraj have performed extremely well considering it is their debut performance. Kishore has mastered the art of slipping into any role he does and is brilliant as usual. Nagraj does a great job behind and in front of the camera as the eccentric Chankya. Acting of the whole cast is top-notch to say the least...it's hard to believe that all of them except Kishor Kadam are amateur actors...Somnath Awaghade as Jabya is brilliant !

Without doubting or without going for a second chance I could say probably the best " Ending shot of the decade "

breathless as the characters.

#fandry #marathifilm

A slow burner that flares brilliantly at the very end

[pathaniav · 8/10 · 13 January 2015]

Regional cinema in India (that excludes Bollywood and the big mainstream Tamil and Telugu movies) occasionally yields little gems like this flick. I heard of it on a news program towards the end of 2014 - the anchor was listing her favorites from the year gone by and she mentioned this as a must-watch inter-caste school love story. That is not quite accurate - the love is deep but one-sided, unrequited, and as one realizes early on, rather hopeless. A low- caste school boy is smitten by the pretty high caste girl that he sees in school every day but centuries of caste stigma are not easily shaken off by sharing the same classroom. The low caste family is routinely humiliated and called upon to trap the wild pigs that roam the village - the rest of the villagers consider the pigs unclean and any contact with the pigs impure. The boy rages against the caste trap and his own father for forcing him to take part in trapping pigs. The movie unfolds slowly for most of its running time, and the high caste characters are almost caricatures in their cruel callousness. Yet, the movie comes alive with a brutal brilliance in the last 10 minutes as shame and fury collide within the tormented boy in an explosive climax. The very last scene is like a punch in the stomach as the raging boy seems to hurl a stone at the audience itself for being mute spectators to injustice.

Wonderful!!!

[prakash-shetake · 9/10 · 5 March 2014]

This was a very good experience. I have watched a few movies showing teenagers getting attracted to opposite sex. I went to watch the movie with similar thought in mind, but came out with exceptional experience of human emotions. A kid's own imaginary world and hard reality. Typically have seen Indian national anthem used in movies for an ordinary scene. But here it was so different. Classic presentation of Indian caste system and human mentality to treat the ones who are weaker. Taking people for granted when asking for any work. The movie does not depict scene of some age long time but shows present situation in villages. Hats off to the director. A classic movie. Very few Marathi movies are so heart touching. Amazing!!!!Very impressive.

Excellent Script with equally good screenplay

[bodadeprashant · 9/10 · 6 May 2014]

Fandry is one of the most heart touching, off the track movie ever seen. Actually there are many movies in Marathi are well scripted but others lacks powerful ending. Fandry is well scripted with one of the best endings in Indian Cinema. Acting and scenes are natural, hats off to all for making such a real life drama. It correctly picks the main social issue of inequality, which many thinks is gone. But it still happens in small villages where inequality based on caste and economic conditions. Fandry is outcome of all these conditions.

Never seen movie like this after 'children of heaven'. Its the only movie can be compared to.

A life of wishing for more

[spunkyexplorations · 8/10 · 8 April 2017]

This movie is staged in a rural village in India. It focuses on the young son of the only family of "untouchables" in the village. He hopes and dreams for more than he is allowed to have, which contrasts to the humiliations he must endure being of such a low caste. He also struggles with coming of age, as he finds he has feelings of attraction to a girl.

The story has a slower pace, allowing us to really experience and contemplate the daily life of this boy and his poverty-stricken family. Their struggles and the oppression they face feel more meaningful because these things are not exaggerated in the name of drama, instead realism is the focus.

Manjule's lens is thoroughly intrusive

[suprabhattacharya · 8/10 · 3 July 2022]

Manjule's film apparently feels like a nonchalant tale of the prevalent caste system in a village. It doesn't sensationalize the discrimination by showing dalit oppression in the hands of the upper caste. But as the film ends,it makes us feel many things without showing literally almost nothing explicit. The last twenty minutes involving a pig-hunt is a boldly constructed metaphor mirroring the sociopolitical hypocrisy of caste system.

Manjule's script feels so near to those terrains and their people,to the taboos prevalent there. It's not a bait to gain sympathy for the so called lower caste either,it's a story which though simply told hurts deeper as it ends.

Bible of film making

[filmsbytmp · 10/10 · 26 April 2024]

For me films like Fandry, Kumbalanghi nights, Rang de basanti, Jaane tu ya jaane na are great examples of how films should be made.

Nagraj sir has brilliantly developed each character portraying their plight. Jabya lives in his own little world but feels confident only with his innocent friend. Their bond is shown beautifully. Each and every character delivered their best in this film. Ajay atul's promotional song added great value to this film other wise this masterpiece would have gone unnoticed.

The climax scene always chokes me. No matter how many times I have watched this film but it always feels new. We relate to Jabya in all the frames.

Awesome 👏👏

[dhanush-47300 · 10/10 · 11 January 2022]

This movie is wondderfull. One by one scenes no boaring and full scenes are put in message of this screenplay.

Masterpiece of is film this director..

Brilliant Art

[krutarthamusic · 10/10 · 7 June 2021]

Sound design - Brilliant. Still wondering if I streamed in mono or stereo, which leaves some room to grab attention.

Music - Cello & Oud being very minimalistic brings out the emotions

Direction - Top Notch, Whole Narrative is such a smooth and pleasing experience. Which makes us feel more disturbed watching the ill-treatment.

One Should Not Miss Such Simplistic nd Beautiful Cinema

[adityamestry16 · 9/10 · 11 May 2014]

Movie starts with a Poor, Lower Caste Family. But "Jabya" is one Gem who wants to Study as well generate money by doing some outdoor works, just for having a desire of purchasing a Jeans. School boy and obviously having that 1st attraction for which school guys always state as a love. Climax is such emotional. I got emotional when his father called him but he didn't notices (i used to do same sometimes; Sorry Pappa). The real shame was in the end his love interest was found laughing at his family while they grabbing the out of mind Pig. Movie goes in good pace throughout. Acting wise every lead jobs are done awesome and the rest of the cast has given credit to their respective role. A Must Watch for all!!!

Great movies

[abhimanyumohite · 10/10 · 12 June 2021]

This movies shows the reality with great, natural, dialogue, screenplay And obviously direction.

true and realistic insight into the life of an outcast boy whos heart is oblivious of the world of indifference

[nbahir · 9/10 · 15 February 2016]

The movie ends in an extremely agitated mood where there is no other way to successfully convey the message this movie meant to deliver. I was surprise to find this movie on ‪#‎Netflix‬ so thanks to #Netflix. Good job finding some good stuff from seemingly unreachable part of the world. Heartbreaking story of a boy who is victim of unfair and cruel social system and heartless poverty that comes as an inheritance.

The village life, Spoken ‪#‎Marathi‬ Dialect and the landscapes presented in the movie were so familiar that it was my time-lapse into my past.

My friends, if you get a chance, please watch this movie if you are into movies.