''Paltadacho Munis'' or ''The Man Beyond the Bridge'' is an Indian film in Konkani directed by

Laxmikant Shetgaonkar Laxmikant Shetgaonkar is an Indian film director and screenwriter from the coastal state of Goa. He is best known for his critically acclaimed Konkani films, ''Paltadacho Munis'' and ''Baga Beach''. Early life Shetgaonkar was born in Cunco ...

. Set in Goa, the film is about a recently widowed forest ranger in a dwindling forest, who strikes up an unlikely relationship with a woman he finds lost and alone in the woods. The film tries to destigmatise mental illness, often equated with being possessed by the devil in rural India. The film was premiered at 2009

Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the largest publicly attended film festivals in the world, attracting over 480,000 people annually. Since its founding in 1976, TIFF has grown to become a permane ...

, where it won the prize of the

International Federation of Film Critics The International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI, short for Fédération Internationale de la PRESse CInématographique) is an association of national organizations of professional film critics and film journalists from around the world fo ...

(FIPRESCI Prize) for Discovery. It was chosen as opening film of the Indian Panorama section at the 40th

International Film Festival of India The International Film Festival of India (IFFI), founded in 1952, is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia. Held annually, currently in the state of Goa, on the western coast of the country, the festival aims at providing a common pla ...

(IFFI) 2009. Thereafter it went to receive international critical acclaim, including the narrative jury award at the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles. It was included in the world's best films of 2009 list. According to a review, it strikes a perfect balance between the personal and the political. Laxmikant's cinema is rich in metaphors, remarkable in its restrain and exciting in its modern sensibility. The film won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Konkani at the

57th National Film Awards The 57th National Film Awards, presented by Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India to felicitate the best of Indian Cinema released in the year 2009. Three different committee ...

. The film was also nominated for the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema (NETPAC) award,

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

. Shetgaonkar's next film was ''

Baga Beach Baga a seaside town in Bardez, Goa, India. It comes under the jurisdiction of Calangute, which is 2 km south. Baga is known for its popular beach and Baga Creek. It is visited by thousands of tourists annually. Baga Beach Baga Beach is a ...

''.

Plot

Vinayak (Chittranjan Giri) is a forest guard who lost his wife to a wild beast. He now lives all by alone in the forest. He then meets a mentally unstable woman (Veena Jamkar). Gradually, the two develop a unique bond. Meanwhile, the local priest and an aspiring politician connive to build a temple on forest land.

Awards

(FIPRESCI Prize) for Discovery (2009) * Narrative Jury Award at the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (2010) * National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Konkani at the

Cast

Chittaranjan Giri Chittaranjan Giri (born 10 June 1965) is an Indian actor, who is most known for his award-winning and internationally acclaimed film ''The Man Beyond the Bridge'' (2009, Paltadacho Munis) which won in the competition category at Toronto Interna ...

as Vinayak * Veena Jamkar as Mad woman *

Prashanti Talpankar Prashanti Talpankar is a writer, translator, playwright and actor, hailing from the coastal state of Goa, India. She is also a recipient of the Sahitya Akademi Award for Translation. She currently serves as an associate professor at Dnyanprassark M ...

as Lady * Vasant Josalkar as Priest * Deepak Amonkar as Forest ranger

References

External links

Official website
* * 2009 films Konkani-language films Films set in Goa Films shot in Goa 2000s Konkani-language films National Film Development Corporation of India films {{India-film-stub