''Aaghat'' is a 2010

Marathi Marathi may refer to: *Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India **Marathi people (Uttar Pradesh), the Marathi people in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh *Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Mar ...

-language film directed by veteran movie and stage actor

Vikram Gokhale Vikram Gokhale (14 November 1945 – 26 November 2022) was an Indian film, television and stage actor, noted for his roles in Marathi theatre, Hindi films and television. He was the son of the Veteran Marathi theatre and film actor, Chandrakan ...

. Produced by Sprint Arts Creations Pvt. Ltd. and producers Mohan Damle, Sanjay Sathaye and Shriram Dandekar, the film is based on a story written by Nitin Lavangare. The cast of the film includes actors

Mukta Barve Mukta Barve (; Marathi language, Marathi: ) is an Indian film, television, and theatre actress and a producer. One of the most popular Marathi celebrities, she has established a career in Marathi films. She is a recipient of seven Maharashtra S ...

, Kadambari Kadammaanbindu.com
/ref> and Amol Kolhe. The film was shot in

Pune Pune ( ; , ISO 15919, ISO: ), previously spelled in English as Poona (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1978), is a city in the state of Maharashtra in the Deccan Plateau, Deccan plateau in Western ...

and was released in theatres on 24 December 2010. The film deals with the bureaucratic structure in major private hospitals, the administration's approach towards patients and their relatives and ego issues of reputed medical practitioners.

Plot

Sangeeta Pradhan (Kadambari Kadam), a 22-year-old girl who is about to be married in a month, has been admitted to a reputed private hospital in

, but is unwilling to sign the consent form. After talking to resident physician Dr. Smita Deshmukh (Mukta Barve) and psychiatrist Dr. Suren (Amol Kolhe), she is convinced to undergo an

exploratory surgery Exploratory surgery is surgery whose purpose is to look inside the body to help diagnose an ailment. Because surgery is an invasive and often risky intervention, it is typically only used when other methods such as external observation and testin ...

on her

ovaries The ovary () is a gonad in the female reproductive system that produces ova; when released, an ovum travels through the fallopian tube/oviduct into the uterus. There is an ovary on the left and the right side of the body. The ovaries are endocr ...

. The surgery is to be performed by senior physician Dr. Khurana (Vikram Gokhale) who is also Dr. Smita's mentor. In the

operating theater An operating theater (also known as an Operating Room (OR), operating suite, operation suite, or Operation Theatre (OT)) is a facility within a hospital where Surgery, surgical operations are carried out in an asepsis, aseptic environment. Histo ...

, Dr. Khurana appears distracted and asks Smita to perform the surgery. On first inspection by pathologist Dr. Kende ( Arun Nalawade), one of the ovaries is diagnosed to have borderline

malignant Malignancy () is the tendency of a medical condition to become progressively worse; the term is most familiar as a characterization of cancer. A ''malignant'' tumor contrasts with a non-cancerous benign tumor, ''benign'' tumor in that a malig ...

carcinoma Carcinoma is a malignancy that develops from epithelial cells. Specifically, a carcinoma is a cancer that begins in a tissue that lines the inner or outer surfaces of the body, and that arises from cells originating in the endodermal, mesoder ...

, and no verdict is passed on the second ovary. Dr. Khurana orders Smita to remove both the ovaries, an order she refuses to comply with citing new research in

medical journal A medical journal is a peer-reviewed scientific journal that communicates medical information to physicians, other health professionals. Journals that cover many medical specialties are sometimes called general medical journals. History The first ...

s. This enrages Dr. Khurana and he orders assistant Dr. Budhkar (Shashank Shende) to complete the surgery. After the surgery, Smita writes a remark on the patient's file which gets her into trouble with the hospital administration, including the dean, Dr. Desai. Meanwhile, Dr. Khurana is shown getting drunk and misbehaving at his party and cheating on his wife with his muse Maya. After Smita discusses the case at a

gynaecology Gynaecology or gynecology (see American and British English spelling differences) is the area of medicine concerned with conditions affecting the female reproductive system. It is often paired with the field of obstetrics, which focuses on pre ...

conference, Dr. Khurana, using his influence with the administration, has her removed from service. Smita immediately files a request for an inquiry into why she is dismissed, threatening to go to court and involve the media if it is not complied with. The hospital and Dr. Khurana institute a committee that they believe will give a decision in their favour. Prior to the hearing, Dr. Khurana tries to coerce Dr. Budhkar, one of the witnesses, by making lucrative offers. On the first two days, the hearings proceed as per Dr. Khurana's plans, however, on the third day, Dr. Budhkar returns as a witness and recounts his earlier testimony, giving a true account to honor his friendship with Smita. Shortly after, Dr. Suren produces Dr. Deshpande, who used to work with Dr. Khurana in

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

and had been rusticated for uncovering Dr. Khurana's role in forced surgeries and the kidney racket. It is implied that the hearings end in Smita's favor, and Dr. Khurana is shown at home in distress.

Cast

Reception

The film received positive reviews. Marathi Daily

Loksatta ''Loksatta'' is an Indian newspaper. It was established on 14 January 1948. ''Loksatta'' gained notability through its coverage of Mahatma Gandhi's assassination and subsequent developments; the founder of the Indian Express Group, Ramnath Goen ...

described the movie as "touching the heart", and praised the performances of Mukta Barve and the directorial skill of Vikram Gokhale. The

Maharashtra Times ''Maharashtra Times'' (), colloquially referred to as 'Ma Ta' (मटा) from its Marathi initialism, is a Marathi newspaper based in Mumbai, India.https://www.mediawire.in/user/corporate/Maharashtra-Times992 It is one of the largest selling d ...

noted the film as a serious film in the year-end season of light-hearted

and

Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, is primarily produced in Mumbai. The popular term Bollywood is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (former name of Mumbai) and "Cinema of the United States, Hollywood". The in ...

films, and said that Vikram Gokhale had managed to maintain the sensitiveness of the topic while still making the film entertaining to watch. Despite appearing in the busy holiday season, the film was popular with the audiences.

References

{{Reflist 2010s Marathi-language films 2010 films Medical-themed films 2010 directorial debut films