''Ek Daav Bhutacha'' is a

Marathi Marathi may refer to: *Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India *Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people *Palaiosouda, also known as Marathi, a small island in Greece See also * * ...

horror-comedy film released in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

in 1982.

Plot

The plot revolves around a school master, portrayed by

Dilip Prabhavalkar Dilip Prabhavalkar (born 4 August 1944) is an Indian Marathi actor, director, playwright and author. He has a career spanning over four decades in Hindi and Marathi theatre, television and movies. He was awarded the National Film Award for Best ...

. He is a simple and honest teacher who is posted to teach in a school in a small village of rural India. Within a short time he runs into trouble with the village ''

sarpanch A sarpanch ( IAST: ''Sarpañch'' Hindi: ''सरपंच'') or Gram Pradhan or Mukhiya is a decision-maker, elected by the village-level constitutional body of local self-government called the Gram Sabha (village government) in India. The Sarp ...

'' (local chief) for having punished his son in class. More trouble soon follows when a dance troupe (or a ''

tamasha Tamasha ( mr, तमाशा) is a traditional form of Marathi theatre, often with singing and dancing, widely performed by local or travelling theatre groups within the state of Maharashtra, India."Tamasha", in James R. Brandon and Martin Banham ...

'') comes into the village. In an effort to please the lead dancer, the ''sarpanch'' has the teacher's house emptied and gives it the dancing troupe to occupy. Now homeless, the teacher is forced to seek shelter in the ruins of an old building on the outskirts of the village. Here he meets the ghost (or ''bhoot'') of a

Maratha The Marathi people (Marathi: मराठी लोक) or Marathis are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who are indigenous to Maharashtra in western India. They natively speak Marathi, an Indo-Aryan language. Maharashtra was formed as a M ...

soldier, portrayed by Ashok Saraf. Scared at first, the teacher tries to run away. But the ghost soon assures him that he means no harm. The ghost narrates his story to the teacher. He tells him that he was a soldier in the Maratha army who was cursed for having separated two lovers. Since then he has waited for a chance to seek redemption. He is convinced that by helping the teacher with his trouble, somehow he may be able to reverse his curse. Not entirely convinced, the teacher agrees all the same. The ghost first scares the troupe staying in the teacher's house by playing their instruments. Since the teacher is the only one who can see the ghost, the troupe members are terrified and run away. Similar incidents follow that although embarrass the teacher, but end up solving the teachers problems. In the course, the teacher meets a village girl, portrayed by Ranjana. The ghost intervenes to make her fall in love with the teacher. The village ''

'' plays the villain several times, only to be thwarted by the ghost. Finally all ends well when the teacher decides to marry his beloved. Having succeeded in getting two people to fall in love, the ghost is released from his curse and finally gets redemption. The teacher is sorry to see his old friend go. However, the ghost assures him that he will be back - as their child.

Cast

* Ashok Saraf * Ranjana *

Mohan Kothiwan Mohan may refer to: People * Mohan Shumsher JBR, Former prime minister of Nepal * Mohan (actor) (born 1956), Indian film actor * Mohan (director), Indian director of Malayalam films * Mohan (name), a name generally found among Hindus * Mohan (c ...

Ram Nagarkar Ram Nagarkar (died 1995) was a noted Marathi Marathi may refer to: *Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India *Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people *Palaiosouda, also known as ...

* Sulochana Latkar *

Mohan Joshi Mohan Joshi is an Indian film, television and theater actor. He has worked in Hindi, Marathi and Bhojpuri films. Early life Joshi was born in Bangalore, Karnataka. He made his acting debut in Pune, Maharashtra. For better career prospects, ...

Raghavendra Kadkol Raghavendra Tirtha () (1595 – 1671) was a Hindu scholar, theologian and saint. He was also known as Sudha Parimalacharya (). His diverse oeuvre include commentaries on the works of Madhva, Jayatirtha and Vyasatirtha, interpretation of the ...

Johny Lever Johnny Lever (born John Prakash Rao Janumala; 14 August 1957) is an Indian actor and popular comedian who is known for his works in Hindi cinema. He is one of the first stand-up comedians in India. He is the recipient of numerous accolades, inc ...

References

1980s Marathi-language films {{1980s-Marathi-film-stub