A young boy wanting to break the succession of traditional jobs in his low caste family. Dhag (Fire or Blaze) is a Marathi film directed by Shivaji Lotan Patil. It is an emotional, serious film.
Fire in the stomach usually makes a man shielded. It makes him fight against destiny and in this war, happiness, peace and satisfaction appear too distant like stars in the sky, what you just can see but can never achieve.
Death due to hunger and poverty takes its toll on large scale in emerging countries, but all lies behind it is lack of education.
This is a story of a boy Krishna (Hansaraj Jagtap), whose struggle against destiny amuses us. It is also a story of father Shripat (Upendra Limaye) who is uneducated and helplessly accepted the profession cremation since his childhood after death of his father to fulfill hunger of the family.
Death of a person in village brings smile on Shripati’s every family member’s face because this death will give them money for food.
Shripati’s mother (Suhasini Deshpande) thinks otherwise. She feels it is a holy karma (profession) carried out by their family for generations after generations as per God’s wishes. The grandmother is superstitous and says that any attempt to stop this work or to bring a halt to this job by Shripati and Krishna would bring a curse on the family.
It is hunger that complies Shripati to carry on with the disgusting job of burning bodies and earn money for food! He knows this Job can fulfill his family’s hunger but it can’t give a good, respectable stand in society.
Leaving this job is not in his hands, but this fire he seen in his son’s eyes. Krishna sounds intellect and ability to deal with emotions amuses him and Shripati gives full support to Krishna to get educated and kick this cremation job. His wife Yashoda (Usha Jadhav) too wishes that her son deserves good education and doesn’t want the boy to fall in the traditional job of her family, of running the local crematorium.
But sudden death of Shripati demolishes tower of desires, dreams of better future are wiped out with tears. Disturbed Krishna controls himself and finds way out. He decides not to do Cremation work but finds full time job at sugarcane juice centre and leaves his school, but insists that his sister (Neha Dakhinkar) continue with her school studies.
Krishna realises that his helpless mother (Usha Jadhav) has now become a prey for other people in village, who, by offering support for family, have ulterior motives towards the young widow. He instantly makes up his mind to become a pole of support for their family, to earn money and take up the responsibility as the man of the house.
He resumes cremation work and takes a part time job without compromising on his education. He knows that it is only that he getting educated, then one can come out of this sickening Job of cremating the dead bodies.
Krishna’s mother Yashoda, played by Usha Jadhav for her role of a poor mother fighting the social norms laid on them for their lower caste status, has fetched her national award for her performance.
The Blaze, the Fire inside Krishna – doesn’t merely touch our heart but its heart soothening to see in the end that – yes there is ray of hope which penetrates somewhere and will enlighten the whole universe with its pure bright light.
A heart touching film that captures the trials and tribulations of young Krishna in his journey, desire to break the succession of traditional job of cremating people.
The sun of hopes will never set.
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Cast:
Upendra Limaye as Shripati (father)
Hansaraj Jagtap as Krishna
Neha Dakhinkar as Krishna’s little sister
Usha Jadhav as Yashoda (Krishna’s mother)
Nagesh Bhosale
Suhasini Deshpande as Krishna’s grandmother
Co- Artists:
Pandurang Bharti
Kayyum Kazi
Pradeep Nawale
Aakash Gharat
Sudhakar Birajdar
Swati Bhadurwade
Damu
Namdev Vishram Patil
Yogesh Eratkar
Raju Shinde
Prachi Sudhakar Mahajan
Pranjali Pravin Patil
Vaishali Dabhade
Credits & Crew
Banner : Jayashree Motion Pictures
Producer: Vishal Pandit Gaware
Director: Shivaji Lotan Patil
D.O.P. Nagraj M Diwakar
Story: Nitin Dixit, Shivaji Patil
Screenplay Dialouge Nitin Dixit
Music Director Aadi Ramchandra
Singer: Aadi Ramchandra
Art Director Bhupendra Singh
Editor Nilesh Gavand
Assistant Directors – Abhijeet Zadgaonkar, Sudhakar Birajdar, Swati Bhadurwade, Nishant Eratkar
Production Manager – Ankush Gawali, Mahendra Tisge
Lyricst – Shiv Kadam
Backround Music – Sunil Kaushi
Assistant Art Director – Sahu, Sandeep Pande, Suhas Panchal, Santosh Samudre, Anil Mourya
Sound – Amit Gupta, Sunil Pradhan
Costume Vijay Samane
Assistant Cameraman – Ramesh Pradhan, Ranjeet Singh