Wikipedia

Astu

Not to be confused with ASTU.

Astu: So Be It (or simply Astu) is a 2015 Indian Marathi-language film directed by the duo Sumitra Bhave and Sunil Suktankar, starring Mohan Agashe, Iravati Harshe, Milind Soman, and Amruta Subhash. The film tells the story of Chakrapani Shastri, a Sanskrit scholar who suffers from Alzheimer's disease.

Astu
Astu poster
Astu poster
Marathiअस्तु
Directed by
Written bySumitra Bhave
Screenplay bySumitra Bhave
Story bySumitra Bhave
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyMilind Jog
Edited byMohit Takalkar
Music by
  • Saket Kanetkar
  • Dhananjay Kharwandikar
Release dates
  • July 2013 (2013-07) (Indian Film Festival Stuttgart)
  • 15 July 2016 (2016-07-15)
Running time
123 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageMarathi

Plot

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Dr. Chakrapani Shastri, fondly known as Appa, is a retired Sanskrit professor and a former director of the Oriental Research Institute in Pune. Shastri currently lives with Ram, a young student, as his caretaker, and has been diagnosed with advanced Alzheimer's disease. One day, as Ram has to appear for his exams, Shastri's elder daughter Ira brings Shastri to her house. While driving back home, Ira stops at a shop, requesting Shastri to stay in the car. Shastri sees a passing elephant on the road. He becomes fascinated and with some help, gets himself out of the car and starts following the elephant through the lanes of the city. When Ira comes back and finds her father gone, she and her husband, Madhav, begin searching for him and report him missing.

As Shastri keeps following Laxmi the elephant, her mahout, Anta, tries to get Shastri to go home. However, Shastri does not remember anything and reaches the mahout's house, where he meets the man's wife, Channamma. She takes care of Shastri along with her newborn. Ira informs her sister Devika of their father's disappearance, but the latter blames Ira and suggests an old-age home for their father. The police trace the elephant's whereabouts and find Shastri, but accuse the mahout of kidnapping the old man. Shastri refuses to go back to Ira, wanting to stay with Channamma. Finally, they manage to convince the senior scholar to return home.

Cast

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Production

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Actor Mohan Agashe was approached with the idea of a short film that deals with Alzheimer's disease. Though he liked the project, he wasn't satisfied with the script and suggested improving it. He invited Sumitra Bhave to meet with the filmmaker, and she ended up turning it into a feature-length production. After shooting was completed, one of the co-producers backed out of post-production. Agashe contributed from his pension to complete the remaining work.[1]

Release and reception

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Though the film was completed in 2013, it did not find a distributor and was released through crowdfunding in 2016.[2] [3] It was originally released in Pune in 2014 and later re-released to qualify for the Maharashtra state film subsidy, which requires the film to be released in ten state districts.[4] It was also screened at the New York Film Festival (NYFF) and a special screening was organised at the Harvard University campus to raise awareness of problems suffered by the elderly due to lack of human interaction. A panel discussion was also held, with the participation of Mohan Agashe and professors Arthur Kleinman and Diana L. Eck.[5]

The film was praised for its depiction of Alzheimer's disease and dementia, as well as the performances of the lead actors. Namrata Joshi of The Hindu wrote that, "though the film is about loss of memory, it's structured and built around a series of recollections" and mentioned that the film builds awareness of Alzheimer's disease but "does not slip into sermonizing, it remains sensitive, not sentimental".[6] Mihir Bhanage of The Times of India wrote that the "splendid narration and direction, coupled with excellent performances, are a high point of this film".[7]

Awards

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The film won several awards upon release.

Year Award Category Recipient(s) and nominee(s) Result Ref(s)
2013 11th Indian Film Festival Stuttgart Audience Award for Best Film Astu Won [8]
2013 2nd Delhi International Film Festival Best Regional Film Astu Won [9]
2013 61st National Film Awards Best Dialogue Sumitra Bhave Won [10]
2013 61st National Film Awards Best Supporting Actress Amruta Subhash Won [10]
2013 Kolhapur International Film Festival Audience Award for Best Film Astu Won [citation needed]
2013 Kolhapur International Film Festival Best Film Astu Won [11]
2013 Kolhapur International Film Festival Best Direction Sumitra Bhave and Sunil Sukthankar Won [11]
2013 Kolhapur International Film Festival Best Screenplay Sumitra Bhave Won [11]
2014 Marathi International Cinema and Theatre Awards (MICTA) Best Film Astu Nominated [12]
2014 Marathi International Cinema and Theatre Awards Best Direction Sumitra Bhave and Sunil Sukthankar Nominated [12]
2014 Marathi International Cinema and Theatre Awards Best Actor Mohan Agashe Won [12]
2014 Marathi International Cinema and Theatre Awards Best Actress Iravati Harshe Won [12]
2014 Marathi International Cinema and Theatre Awards Actress in Supporting Role Amruta Subhash Won [12]
2014 Marathi International Cinema and Theatre Awards Best Art Direction Sumitra Bhave and Santosh Sankhad Nominated [12]
2014 Marathi International Cinema and Theatre Awards Best Dialogues Sumitra Bhave Nominated [12]
2014 Marathi International Cinema and Theatre Awards Best Screenplay Sumitra Bhave Nominated [12]
2014 Marathi International Cinema and Theatre Awards Best Story Sumitra Bhave Nominated [12]
2014 Marathi International Cinema and Theatre Awards Best Sound Pramod Thomas Nominated [12]
2014 14th New York Indian Film Festival Best Film Astu Nominated [13]
2014 14th New York Indian Film Festival Best Actor Mohan Agashe Nominated [13]
2014 14th New York Indian Film Festival Best Actress Iravati Harshe Nominated [13]
2015 1st Filmfare Marathi Awards Critics' Best Actor in a Leading Role (Male) Mohan Agashe Won [14]
2015 1st Filmfare Marathi Awards Best Actor in a Leading Role (Male) Mohan Agashe Nominated [14]
2015 1st Filmfare Marathi Awards Best Actor in a Leading Role (Female) Iravati Harshe Nominated [14]
2015 1st Filmfare Marathi Awards Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Female) Amruta Subhash Won [14]
2015 1st Filmfare Marathi Awards Best Background Score Saket Kanitkar Nominated [14]

References

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  1. ^ Dundoo, Sangeetha Devi (29 September 2015). "'Astu', a state of acceptance". The Hindu. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  2. ^ "Astu: So Be It: A hard-hitting Film on Value of Relationships needs your support for theatrical release! By: Sheelaa Rao". Catapooolt. Retrieved 4 May 2017.
  3. ^ Raikwar, Reshma (17 July 2016). "चित्ररंग: कोहमपर्यंत नेणारा प्रवास". Loksatta (in Marathi). Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  4. ^ Shedde, Meenakshi (17 July 2016). "Astu: So Be It". Mid-Day. Retrieved 4 May 2017.
  5. ^ Meenakshi Rohatgil (6 June 2015). "Harvard watches Marathi film on Alzheimer's". The Times of India. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
  6. ^ Joshi, Namrata (15 July 2016). "Astu: Inside a beautiful mind". The Hindu. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  7. ^ Bhanage, Mihir (18 July 2016). "Astu Movie Review". The Times of India. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  8. ^ "Gewinner des 11. Indischen Filmfestivals Stuttgart" [Winner of the 11th Indian Film Festival Stuttgart] (in German). Indian Film Festival Stuttgart. Archived from the original on 8 September 2017. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
  9. ^ "12th Pune International Film Festival" (PDF). Pune International Film Festival. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 April 2014. Retrieved 16 January 2017.
  10. ^ a b "61st National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. 16 April 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 April 2014. Retrieved 16 April 2014.
  11. ^ a b c "Gauurikaa films@ASTUsobeit: ASTU SO BE IT Sweeps awards". Twitter. 1 January 2014. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Nominations for MICTA films, theatre awards". Rangmarathi. 7 September 2014. Archived from the original on 11 January 2020. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
  13. ^ a b c "New York Indian Film Festival 2014". New York Indian Film Festival. 10 May 2014. Retrieved 13 January 2017.[permanent dead link]
  14. ^ a b c d e "Nominations for Ajeenkya DY Patil Filmfare Awards (Marathi)". Filmfare. 16 November 2015. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
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