Paani Review: A Slow-paced & Dated Drama On Water Crisis

RATING - ⭐ ⭐ ✨ 2.5/5*

Paani Review Movie Talkies:

Aadinath Kothare's Paani has been making rounds for a couple years now and is finally seeing a theatrical release. Based on the water crisis issues, the film is a dated take on a usual issue that many villages have been and are facing in Maharashtra. If you remember Nagraj Manjule and Aamir Khan's video song Toofaan Aalayaa, then you can call Paani an extended 2-hour-long version of the same song. I'd still prefer the 5-minute song over this 2-hour-long narrative because it hardly has any moments to hold you, just like the water couldn't hold onto soil. Jokes apart.. Paani lacks sensitivity even though it focuses on a very well-known sensitive issue. The dated presentation will remind you of a daily soap, and if that suits you, then I guess Paani passes the water test for you.

Hanumant Kendre (Adinath Kothare) is searching for a bride and finds a perfect one in Suvarna (Rucha Vaidya). However, the marriage is called off by Suvarna's parents because Hanu's village is suffering from a water crisis. That's a funny reason to call off marriage, but if you think of it practically, then it makes sense. To counter that, Hanumant decides to solve the water issue of the village, which he denied earlier when his socially helpful brother requested. See? A girl is more important than an elder brother (Subodh Bhave, who leaves for Germany after that), and a water issue to a young man. Funny business without practical sense this time. As expected, there is a villain in the story, Tatya (Kishore Kadam), who tries his best to defeat Hanu, and there is a political agenda too to stop Hanu's social deed.

Nitin Dixit writes a simple, not so extraordinary basic script for Paani, but the screenplay fails to add layers to it. The entire narrative is stuck at 2-3 things: Water crisis, as we know, Hanu's marriage, and opposition. There is nothing else to entertain, and this predictable plot takes over two hours of your life, which is not fair. Hence, I called it a daily soap! The romantic ballades between the hero and heroine have nothing else to do but bore you, and the antagonism of Kishore Kadam barely makes any sense. What would Tatya get from stopping the water? Won't he face the same issue in the future? Can't he see that? Suvarna had to wait 9 years or so, and yet we see no changes in her, be they physically, costume-wise, or maturity. In one scene, she was supposed to get married on the 24th; what happened to that? The same goes for Kothare's character. So many half-baked scenes spoil the integrity of the context, leaving the film incomplete on many occasions.

Speaking of performances, Adinath Kothare has worked well on the Marathwada accent, and his costume and getup look fine. As an actor, he excels in this new role, but somewhere the character lacks depth, which the writer failed to provide. Rucha Vaidya looks exactly like a village, far from the filmy glamour, and that's the best part about her. There is a natural flow in her performance, and she deserves to be appreciated for that. Subodh Bhave appears in a cameo role and does well, and Kishore Kadam is good in the small part he plays. The entire supporting cast that plays the villagers has done exceptionally well, despite flawed characterization. Rajit Kapur was impressive even with those 2-3 scenes he's got here.

Paani has technical brilliance in some departments, and the terrific sound design is the table topper for sure. The cinematography also captures some beautiful frames that add meaning to those particular scenes and situations. The production design was fine, and the music was below par. That one Toofan Alaya is enough to takeover the entire music album of Paani. The film falters at storytelling more than anything else. Adinath isn't a regular director, so it was supposed to happen, but the problem is that the script of Paani needs someone who understands quality filmmaking and its every level. For a newbie, it's a problem. Adi could have done better with some other script in some other genre, such as comedy, rom-com, or thriller, but dramas based on true stories, and such a sensitive one, are not easy even for an experienced filmmaker. After all that, you still have a burden of commercial appeal to carry. Hopefully, he will do better in the future, and I am very sure about that, but this one was just AVERAGE.