''Phullwanti'' is a 2024 Indian

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

epic Epic commonly refers to: * Epic poetry, a long narrative poem celebrating heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation * Epic film, a genre of film defined by the spectacular presentation of human drama on a grandiose scale Epic(s) ...

historical drama film A historical drama (also period drama, period piece or just period) is a dramatic work set in the past, usually used in the context of film and television, which presents historical events and characters with varying degrees of fiction such as c ...

directed by actress Snehal Pravin Tarde in her directorial debut, and is produced by Kumar Mangat Pathak,

Abhishek Pathak Abhishek Pathak (born 1 July 1987), is an Indian film producer, director, and screenwriter who works in Hindi films. He has directed films such as ''Drishyam 2'' and '' Ujda Chaman''. He has also produced films such as ''Pyaar Ka Punchnama'', ' ...

, Mangesh Pawar, Shweta Mali, and Prajakta Mali under the banners of

Panorama Studios Panorama Studios (formerly Big Screen Entertainment & Wide Frame Pictures) is an Indian film production and distribution company founded by Kumar Mangat Pathak. Filmography Production Films distributed * ''Gabbar Is Back'' (2015) * '' Ma ...

, Mangesh Pawar & Company, and Shivoham Creations Pvt. Ltd. The film stars Mali in the title role, alongside

Gashmeer Mahajani Gashmeer Mahajani (born 8 June 1985) is an Indian actor who works in films, theatre and television. He is best known for his work in Marathi cinema and Hindi television. He is the son of actor Ravindra Mahajani who worked in Marathi films. He be ...

. Based on

Babasaheb Purandare Balwant Moreshwar Purandare (29 July 1922 – 15 November 2021), popularly known as Babasaheb Purandare, was an Indian historian and writer of books and plays from Maharashtra, India. His works are mostly based on the life of Shivaji, the 17th- ...

novel ''Phulwanti'', the film is set in the Peshwa era and narrates the story of the dancer Phullwanti and the renowned Peshwa Pandit scholar Venkat Shastri. The film was released in theatres on 11 October 2024. The film garnered positive reviews from critics and audience for story, music, cinematography, grandeur presentation, direction and strong performance by lead actors (especially Mahajani and Mali). The film grossed over at the box office, becoming a commercial success and the eighth highest-grossing Marathi film of 2024. It won several accolades, including six awards at the

Zee Chitra Gaurav Puraskar Zee Marathi is an Indian Marathi-language general entertainment pay television channel owned by Zee Entertainment Enterprises. The channel was launched on 15 August 1999 and was known as Alpha TV Marathi until 28 March 2005, when it was rena ...

, among them Best Female Playback Singer. It also won ten awards at the 27th Sanskruti Kala Darpan Awards, including Best Film, Best Actor (Mahajani), Best Actress (Mali), Best Music Director (Avinash–Vishwajeet), and Best Female Playback Singer (Mhade).

Plot

Phulwanti is a renowned dancer celebrated across India. She arrives in Pune for a performance at the Peshwa's court. But her performance is overshadowed by a comment from the court scholar, Venkat Shastri. Determined to seek justice, Phulwanti challenges him, leading to a competition that explores the clash between art and intellect.

Cast

* Prajakta Mali as Phullwanti *

as Venkatadhwari Narasimha Shastri *

Prasad Oak Prasad Prabhakar Oak (Marathi pronunciation: Help:IPA/Marathi, ɾəsaːd̪ oːk born 17 February 1975) is an actor. He has received several awards including two Filmfare Awards Marathi and a National Film Award. In 2007, he participated in ...

as Bakhre Savkar Naik * Snehal Tarde as Lakshmi *

Vaibhav Mangle Vaibhav Mangle (born 1975) is a Marathi actor and Hindi film, television and stage actor, noted for his comic roles in Marathi theatre and Marathi films and television from India. Anand Ingle and Vaibhav Mangle are seen playing BL Pathak in ...

as Martand Bhairavacharya * Mangesh Desai as Subhedar Mankar * Kshitish Date as Shrimant Sawai Madhavrao Peshwa *

Hrishikesh Joshi Hrishikesh Joshi, born in Kolhapur, is a Marathi people, Marathi actor. He has acted in numerous Hindi, Marathi Movies, tele-serials and theater and has won applauds from many noted professionals. He has acted in award-winning films like Harish ...

as Pant Chitnis * Sukhada Khandkekar as Ragini Devi * Jaywant Wadkar as Vitthoba * Savita Malpekar as Radhakka * Deepti Lele as Peshawinbai * Sunil Abhyankar as Nana Fadnavis * Nikhil Raut as Bayja *

Samir Choughule Samir Diwakar Choughule (born 29 June 1973) is an Indian actor and writer from Mumbai. He is better known for his comedy roles, style and slapstick performance. From Indian television drama, daily soaps to comedy shows, from theater plays to mov ...

as Wamanrao *

Vibhavari Deshpande Vibhawari Deshpande is an Indian actress, writer and director who works in Marathi theatre and Marathi cinema. Career Writer and director Deshpande started her career with acting and off-screen works in college drama. She also attended various ...

as Avanti Devi * Chinmayee Sumeet as Minakshi Devi * Vijay Patwardhan as Narayan *

Vanita Kharat Vanita Kharat (born 19 July 1992) is an Indian actress from Mumbai, Maharashtra. She is well known performer in Marathi comedy show Maharashtrachi Hasyajatra. Kharat was featured in '' Vicky Velingkar'' and in Hindi film ''Kabir Singh '' ...

Gaurav More Gaurav More is an Indian actor known for his work in the Marathi language television show Maharashtrachi Hasyajatra. He appeared as supporting actor in several notable Marathi and Hindi films such as '' Balkadu'' (2015), ''Sanju'' (2018), '' V ...

* Mir Sarvar as Badshah * Chetana Bhat * Siddheshwar Zadbukke as Anand Shastri * Prithvik Pratap as Chimanrao * Rohit Mane

Production

The film marks the directorial debut of actress Snehal Tarde and the producing debut of actress Prajakta Mali under her banner, Shivoham Creations Pvt. Ltd. Filming was completed in mid-July 2024. In September 2024, a poster revealed additional cast members, including

, Kshitish Date, and Tarde herself.

Music

The first song, the title track, was released on 12 September 2024. The music was compared by

Avinash–Vishwajeet Avinash–Vishwajeet are a Marathi film composer duo consisting of Avinash Chandrachood and Vishwajeet Joshi. They have written the scores for films such as ''Sanngto Aika…!'', ''Popat (film), Popat'', ''Premachi Goshta (film), Premachi Goshta' ...

Marketing

On the occasion of

Akshaya Tritiya Akshaya Tritiya, also known as Akti or Akha Teej, is an annual Jain and Hindu spring festival. It falls on the third ''tithi'' (lunar day) of the bright half (''Shukla Paksha'') of the Hindu month of Vaisakha. This day is auspicious for those ...

2024, the makers officially announced the film with a motion poster. Mali's look was released on her birthday, along with the film's release date. Gashmeer Mahajani's character's motion poster was revealed on 5 September 2024, coinciding with Teachers' Day. The teaser for the film, released on 21 September, captivated audiences with its stunning sets, powerful historical characters, high production values, and sharp dialogues, all of which were highly praised.

Release

The film was theatrically released on 11 October 2024. OTT release on Amazon Prime on November, 22, 2024.

Reception

Critical reception

Anub George from ''

The Times of India ''The Times of India'' (''TOI'') is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by the Times Group. It is the List of newspapers in India by circulation, third-largest newspaper in India by circulation an ...

'' rated 3.5 out of 5 stars, commending its stunning sets, effective direction by Snehal Tarde, and excellent cinematography by Mahesh Limaye, all of which enhance the captivating narrative. However, he identified a notable flaw in the dance sequences, mentioning that, despite Mali's dancing talent, the editing and shot choices diminish her character's reputation. While the choreography looks impressive in wide shots, the emotional impact is lost due to the editing. Nevertheless, the reviewer recognises that Mali's strong acting makes up for this shortcoming. Santosh Bhingarde of ''

Sakal ''Sakal'' ("Morning") is a Marathi daily newspaper published by Sakal Media Group, headquartered in Pune, Maharashtra, India. It is among the most widely circulated Marathi newspapers. Pratap Pawar joined the board of Sakal in 1985 and is ...

'' rated 3.5 stars out of 5 stars and praised the film's strong impressive music, performances, beautiful visuals, and applauded the effort to create a grand and elegant portrayal of the

Peshwa The Peshwa was the second highest office in the Maratha Empire, next in rank and prestige only to that of the Chhatrapati. Initially serving as the appointed prime minister in the Maratha Kingdom, the office became hereditary when Shahu gave t ...

era. Acknowledged some flaws but suggest that these can be overlooked due to the film's ambition and its rich display of beauty and dance. Kalpeshraj Kunal of ''

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 ...

'' rated the film 3 stars out of 5 stars, and praised screenplay, dialogues, direction, cinematography for vividly bringing the Peshwa era to life. He commend Prajakta's dance, Umesh Jadhav's choreography, and Avinash-Vishwajit's music for enhancing the historical atmosphere. The dialogue is noted for its poetic rhythm and sharpness, effectively reflecting the characters' personalities.

Box office

The film collected on its opening day and in its opening weekend.

Accolades

References

External links

2024 films 2024 directorial debut films 2024 drama films 2020s Marathi-language films Marathi-language period drama films Marathi-language romance films Films set in the 17th century Films set in the 18th century Indian epic films Historical epic films Films set in ancient India Films about royalty Period action films Films shot in Maharashtra Films set in Pune Romantic epic films Films based on Indian novels Films based on Marathi novels * {{Authority control