''Godavari'' is an Indian

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 * * ...

-language drama film directed by Nikhil Mahajan and produced by

Jitendra Joshi Jitendra Joshi is an Indian actor and reality show host who predominantly works in Marathi cinema. He is well known for his lead role as Sant Tukaram Maharaj in the 2012 marathi movie Tukaram. He starred as constable Katekar in the hit Netflix ...

, Mitali Joshi, Pavan Malu and Nikhil Mahajan under the banner of Blue Drop Films. Starring

in lead role along with Neena Kulkarni,

Sanjay Mone Sanjay Mone (Marathi: संजय मोने) is a veteran Marathi actor, dialogue writer and script writer. He has also written many plays and regularly writes in the newspaper. He worked in a number of TV serials, plays and films. TV Seri ...

, Vikram Gokhale and Gauri Nalawade in pivotal roles. The film tells a story of a family living on the banks of river Godavari in Nashik. It had its world premiere at

2021 Vancouver International Film Festival The 2021 Vancouver International Film Festival, the 40th event in the history of the Vancouver International Film Festival, was held from October 1 to October 11, 2021.Dana Gee"VIFF back in theatres for 40th anniversary festival" ''The Province' ...

on 4 October 2021, and was released theatrically on 11 November 2022. The film received positive reviews from critics and audiences upon release. At the

69th National Film Awards The 69th National Film Awards ceremony was an event during which the National Film Development Corporation of India presented its annual National Film Awards to honour the best films of 2021 in Cinema of India, Indian cinema. The awards ceremony ...

, ''Godavari'' won an award for

Best Direction The MTV Video Music Award for Best Direction is an award given to the artist, the artist's manager, and the director of the music video. From 1984 to 2006, the full name of the award was Best Direction in a Video, and in 2007, it was briefly rename ...

. At

7th Filmfare Awards Marathi The 7th Filmfare Marathi Awards is a ceremony, presented by Planet Marathi, honored the best Indian Marathi cinema, Marathi-language films of List of Marathi films of 2022, 2022. ''Panghrun'' led the ceremony with 16 nominations, followed by ...

, the film received a 12 nominations,

Best Actor Best Actor is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actors in a film, television series, television film or play. The term most often refers to th ...

(Joshi) and Best Supporting Actor (Jadhav), and won a leading 5 awards, including Best Film,

Best Director Best Director is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards. It may refer to: Film awards * AACTA Award for Best Direction * Academy Award for Best Director * BA ...

(Mahajan) and Best Actor Critics (Joshi).

Cast

* Neena Kulkarni as Nishikant's mother *

as Nishikant Deshmukh *

as Nishikant's father * Vikram Gokhale as Nishikant's grandfather *Gauri Nalawade as Gautami, Nishikant's wife *Saniya Bhandare as Sarita, Nishikant's daughter * Priyadarshan Jadhav as Keshav *Ameet Dograa *Pavan Malu * Sakhi Gokhale as Nishikant's Sister *

Mohit Takalkar Mohit Ratnakar Takalkar (Marathi: मोहित टाकळकर) (born 18 August 1977) is an Indian theatre director, filmmaker, film editor, screenwriter and actor from Pune, Maharashtra. He has led and spawned a movement in Marathi experi ...

as The Balloon Man

Release

Godavari was initially slated to release on May 1, 2021, commemorating Maharashtra Day, but was postponed due to COVID-19 pandemic. It was invited at

in 'Contemporary World Cinema' section of festival program. It had its world premiere on 4 October 2021, and its theatrical release in India was scheduled on 3 December 2021. The film was also invited at the New Zealand International Film Festival for its Wellington edition to be screened on 10 November 2021, and at

52nd International Film Festival of India The 52nd International Film Festival of India opened on 20 November with ''The King of All the World'' (''El Rey de Todo El Mundo'') by Carlos Saura in Goa. Like 51st edition this edition was also held in hybrid format, that combined online and ...

in the film category of 'Indian Panorama' section for screening in November. It was also selected for Golden Peacock Awards category. Later in March 2022, it was screened at

Pune International Film Festival The Pune International Film Festival (also known as PIFF) is an annual film festival held in Pune, a city in Maharashtra, India. Open to general public, the films are screened at NFAI, Inox, City Pride, PVR cinema halls, all located in Pune ...

, where it won Best Director award, Best Cinematography award and Best Music Special Jury Prize. The film was also selected as opening film at 22nd edition of

New York Indian Film Festival The New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF) is an annual film festival that takes place in New York City, and screens films relating to India, the Indian Diaspora, and the work of Indian filmmakers. The festival began in November 2001 and was foun ...

screened on 7 May 2022. The film was also screened at Cannes Film Festival in Marché du Film held along 2022 edition of the festival on 19 May at Palais des Festivals. It was released theatrically on 11 November 2022 after delays.

Reception

Charlie Smith of '' The Georgia Straight'' reviewing the film at VIFF praised the music saying "Indian songs, amplify the misery of Nishikant's existence", and cinematography, writing, "Imaginative camera work also does its magic." Smith also appreciated the performances of cast and said, "The acting in Godavari is first-rate". He praised the acting of

for his portrayal of "fiery-eyed the troubled Nishikant", Priyadarshan Jadhav for his "pensive and plaintive performance", and Neena Kulkarni for her "subtle and authentic acting". He concluded, "This is Marathi arthouse cinema at its best." Mihir Bhange, writing for The Times of India, praised the movie stating that "It’s an audio-visual experience fit for the big screen". He also called it, "one of the finest films to have been made in Marathi cinema in recent times".

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{IFFI Silver Peacock - Special Jury Award and Special Mention, state=collapsed 2021 films 2020s Marathi-language films Marathi-language drama films Films postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic Indian drama films Films shot in Maharashtra Films set on rivers Films scored by AV Prafullachandra