''Paltadacho Munis'' or ''The Man Beyond the Bridge'' is an Indian film in
Konkani directed by
Laxmikant Shetgaonkar. 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 perman ...
, where it won the prize of the
International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI Prize) for Discovery.
[
] It was chosen as opening film of the Indian Panorama section at the 40th
International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2009. Thereafter it went to receive international critical acclaim, including the narrative jury award at the
Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles The Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA) is an annual film festival held in Los Angeles, California. Established by Christina Marouda in 2003, as a nonprofit organization devoted to paving the way for a greater appreciation of Indian cinema .
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 film was also nominated for the
Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema The Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema (NETPAC) is a worldwide organization of 29 member countries. It was created as the result of a conference on Asian cinema organized by Cinemaya, the Asian Film Quarterly, in New Delhi in 1990 at the inst ...
(NETPAC) award,
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...
.
Shetgaonkar's next film was ''
Baga Beach''.
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
*
International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI Prize) for Discovery (2009)
* Narrative Jury Award at the
Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles The Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA) is an annual film festival held in Los Angeles, California. Established by Christina Marouda in 2003, as a nonprofit organization devoted to paving the way for a greater appreciation of Indian cinema (2010)
*
National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Konkani at the
57th National Film Awards[
]
Cast
*
Chittaranjan Giri as Vinayak
* Veena Jamkar as Mad woman
*
Prashanti Talpankar 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