Natsamrat

About the film

Natasamrat (transl. The King of Theater or The Emperor of Actors) is a 2016 Indian Marathi-language drama film starring Nana Patekar in the leading role. Based on a play of the same name written by playwright Kusumagraj, the film depicts the tragic family life of a stage actor who has retired from acting but is unable to forget his fond memories of theatre and the stage.

It is directed by Mahesh Manjrekar and produced by Nana Patekar and Vishwas Joshi under the banner of Great Maratha Entertainment, Gajanan Chitra and Fincraft Media and Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. The film was officially released in India on 1 January 2016 and became the highest-grossing Marathi film at the time, until Sairat occupied that place. The film was remade in Gujarati in 2018 as Natsamrat, and in Telugu in 2023 as Rangamarthanda.

Plot

Ganpat Ramchandra Belwalkar (Nana Patekar), also known as Appa, is an acclaimed veteran theatre actor, garnering fame and fortune by acting in plays based on various works, especially those of William Shakespeare. He wins the award and the highest title of Natsamrat.

Subsequently, Appa bequeaths all of his wealth to his children. He never keeps anything to himself and expresses his views very frankly. He does not mind using expletives while expressing his views. Only his wife Kaveri (Medha Manjrekar), whom he fondly calls 'Sarkar' (meaning Master/Lordship), and his close friend Rambhau (Vikram Gokhale) are able to understand his nature. His daughter-in-law Neha (Neha Pendse) and son Makrand (Ajit Parab) do not seem to appreciate his frank nature, which at times causes embarrassing situations for them when they have visitors or when their daughter hurls expletives at school. The breaking point in their relationship comes when their granddaughter performs a folk dance taught by Appa, which is not appreciated by her mother Neha. An argument follows between them, and when they return home, Neha slaps her daughter. The next day, Neha proposes to part ways with them by moving out, a ploy through which she anticipates that Appa will grant them their space. Appa sees through her plan and decides to move out while telling his son that the whole world is a stage, and his (Appa) part is a sad one.

Appa's wife Kaveri is very devoted to him, and she does not question his decision. They move to their son-in-law Rahul (Sunil Barve) and daughter Vidya's (Mrunmayee Deshpande) place. Appa continues with his carefree and frank ways, at times laden with few expletives. Rahul is a high-ranking engineer in his company and is of a caring nature. Vidya also confronts similar embarrassing situations as Neha, but Rahul does not seem to mind it. He appreciates Appa's poetry and his fluent style of recitals. On Vidya's anniversary, Appa comes in an inebriated state and embarrasses Rahul's boss. Although Appa apologizes the next day, Rahul does not seem to mind it and discards it as a one-off incident.

Synopsis

The film is the screen adaptation of noted Marathi playwright Kusumagraj’s iconic Marathi play "Natsamrat" which was first staged in 1970. Dr. Shriram Lagoo has acted in the Marathi play in the role of Natsamrat for a very long time.

Soundtrack

Music for this film is composed by Ajit Parab. Lyrics are by V.V. Shirwadkar a.k.a. Kusumagraj and Guru Thakur.

Release

The film was released on 1 January 2016, which is also the birthday of Nana Patekar. Apart from Maharashtra, Natsamrat released in Gujarat, Goa, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Delhi, Telangana and West Bengal with nearly 1,600 shows across more than 400 screens in the country daily. It also had special screenings in countries like UK, Singapore, Canada, USA till March 2016. Even in its 6th week it was running successfully in 174 theaters with 2,225 daily shows all over Maharashtra.

Reception

The film received praise for its portrayal of the angst of an aged veteran theater actor. Film critics praised the movie for acting skills, direction, cinematography and script. The film received overwhelming response at the box office, and ran for more than 50 days across Maharashtra.

Box office

Natsamrat collected ₹10.25 Crore in first weekend and ₹16.50 Crore in 1st week. It collected ₹22 Crore in 10 days, ₹36 Crore till the 4th week and became the highest-grossing film in Marathi, by collecting ₹40 Crore in 15 weeks. The film grossed over ₹39 Crore in India and ₹48 Crore worldwide.

Accolades

Medha Manjrekar – Best Actress – Nominated.

Vikram Gokhale – Best Supporting Actor - Won

Mahesh Manjrekar - Critics Best Film - Won

Key details