Pic: holybasil.in
“A patient surviving an illness and a patient recovering from an illness are two very different things,” says the doctor to a pained Ratnakar Pathare (Vikram Gokhale) whose wife is on life support following a brain haemorrhage. The retired teacher struggles to resist signing a DNR – Do Not Resuscitate, pouring his life’s savings into keeping Madhu (Neena Kulkarni) on life support. And as the funds run short, he explores all his avenues — seeking help from his daughter and son-in-law, trying to sell his retirement home, seeking out his brother to find ancestral property… In this struggle, he revisits memories of his wholesome marriage, and rediscovers his relationships (sometimes they hit him hard).
The cast of the film is one of its biggest strengths. Where the screenplay and dialogue fail, the actors bring alive a string of emotions through some stellar performances. Vikram Gokhale’s portrayal of Ratnakar’s anguish, hope, pain and compassion is a treat to watch. With a very short screen presence, Saee Tamhankar leaves a lasting impression by playing Ratnakar’s daughter-in-law in a collected, authentic manner. As Ratnakar’s childhood sweetheart Ambu, Reema brings a breath of fresh air to the screen, but also takes the audience into her character by making them laugh and cry with it.
Despite its weaknesses, Anumati is worth a watch purely because of the performances and Govind Nihalani’s exceptional cinematography.
Rating: ***