Shwaas
Encyclopedia
Shwaas(Marathi: श्वास) is a Marathi film
, released in 2004. The film was India's official entry to the 2004 Oscars
and was ranked 6th in the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
category. Its storyline is based on real-life incident in Pune
. A low-budget of Indian rupee
30 lakhs (3 million), Shwaas won the National Award for best film in 2004, nearly 50 years since a Marathi film (Shyamchi Aai
) last earned this title. Directed by debutant Sandeep Sawant, the film was shot in 30 days at Sindhudurg
, Konkan
, Pune
and at KEM Hospital in Mumbai
. The post-production took one and half years to complete. Shwaas was acknowledged as a "significant turn for Marathi cinema" which had been going through a low patch. After the success of the film, it was also released in Hindi
, Bengali
and Tamil
languages.
edition of a magazine and thought that it would make a wonderful film storyline.
The distribution plan for Shwaas was in place even before production began. In the initial stages, the film was taken to as many villages as the team could manage; marriage halls, school auditoriums and makeshift venues were all used for screening. All this despite the fact that the film has no songs, no heroes, heroines or recognizable stars of Marathi film industry.
- a rare retinal cancer
. After consulting with other colleagues in US and UK doctor finds that only way to save child's life is to perform an operation that will leave the child blind. As per rule, doctor explains this and insists child be informed of this before surgery. He cannot be operated without this knowledge as it was against ethics. Asawari (Amruta Subhash) who helps the doctor in convincing the grandfather and the grandson, tries to keep track of Vichare and persuades him not fall prey to other doctors promising false medicines. She tries to befriend Parshya in order to explain him what is going to happen. However, she finds it is too difficult to explain to him that he will turn blind.
The film then depicts the grandfather's struggle to accept the reality that the only way to save his grandson is at the cost of his eyesight. He tries various ways to come to terms with the situation and his personal agony is shown in scenes, like taking second opinion, explaining his grandson the reality and his desire to show him everything possible before his grandson loses his eyesight. For some reason, the surgery has to be postponed by a day. That afternoon, grandfather and grandson disappear from the hospital ward and a frantic search follows. Confronted by an angry surgeon on their return, the grandfather states quite simply that he wanted to show Parshya the sights of the city for one last time.
The film has been applauded for scenes which depict the difficulty faced by the doctors to explain to grandfather and Parshya that nothing can be done and the truth is but inevitable. It shows the medical fraternity in a very positive light, with the doctors and nurses being extremely supportive and doing the best they can, and helping the village with the best facilities. The last shot where Parshya returns home wearing dark glasses, waving to his family and friends from the boat was widely appreciated by film critics.
.
in 77th Academy Awards
(the Oscar Awards), 2004. The film faced financial problems to showcase and promote their film at the Oscars. People from all classes came forward with contributions. A school in Jogeshwari organized its children to make lamps and sell them and made a contribution of Rs.30,000. Another group of students wiped and cleaned cars to collect some money. A division of standard 10 students in Nasik collected Rs.10 each and their teacher added some more, and donated Rs.1001. A marathi theatre group that performs the Marathi play Yada Kadachit collected around Rs.65,000. They also approached multinationals and corporate biggies to get sponsorships. Marathi cricketer Sachin Tendulkar
held an auction to help raise funds. Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan
donated INR
1 lakhs (1,00,000) for Shwaas Oscar bid. Mumbai's Siddhivinayak temple had installed a drop box for people to donate money for Shwaas promotions at Oscars. The government of Goa
contributed INR
21 lakhs (2.1 million). Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (India) committed Rs 50,000 and the Government of Maharashtra
had given Rs 15 lakh (1.5 million) towards the fund. Even political parties like Shiv Sena
helped in the film's promotion. Shwaas team made up of director Sandeep Sawant, marketing manager Anil Bastawade, costume designer and Sawant’s wife Neeraja Patwardhan tried to attract Maharashtrian
people in USA before Oscars. They address a crowd of 12,000 members of the Maharashtra Vishwa Parishad in New Jersey
while attending the Diwali celebrations in Manhattan
. Shwaas was screened 14 times in USA during the pre-Oscar bid. Team also took a three hours road-drive to Atlantic City to meet various Maharashtra Mandals for their support. However, the movie failed at the Oscar and was ranked 6th.
Marathi cinema
Marathi cinema refers to films produced in the Marathi language in the state of Maharashtra, India. It is the oldest and pioneer film industry in India...
, released in 2004. The film was India's official entry to the 2004 Oscars
77th Academy Awards
The 77th Academy Awards honored the best films of 2004 and were held on February 27, 2005, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, California. They were hosted by comedian Chris Rock.The nominees were announced on January 25, 2005...
and was ranked 6th in the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
The Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film is one of the Academy Awards of Merit, popularly known as the Oscars, handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
category. Its storyline is based on real-life incident in Pune
Pune
Pune , is the eighth largest metropolis in India, the second largest in the state of Maharashtra after Mumbai, and the largest city in the Western Ghats. Once the centre of power of the Maratha Empire, it is situated 560 metres above sea level on the Deccan plateau at the confluence of the Mula ...
. A low-budget of Indian rupee
Indian rupee
The Indian rupee is the official currency of the Republic of India. The issuance of the currency is controlled by the Reserve Bank of India....
30 lakhs (3 million), Shwaas won the National Award for best film in 2004, nearly 50 years since a Marathi film (Shyamchi Aai
Shyamchi Aai
Shyamchi Aai is hailed as one of the greatest tribute to mother's love in Marathi literature. This book has been written by famous author and social activist Sane Guruji....
) last earned this title. Directed by debutant Sandeep Sawant, the film was shot in 30 days at Sindhudurg
Sindhudurg
Sindhudurg is a fortress which occupies an islet in the Arabian Sea, just off the coast of Maharashtra in western India. The fortress lies on the shore of Malvan town of Sindhudurg District in the Konkan region of Maharashtra, south of Mumbai.-History:Sindhudurg was built by the great Maratha...
, Konkan
Konkan
The Konkan also called the Konkan Coast or Karavali is a rugged section of the western coastline of India from Raigad to Mangalore...
, Pune
Pune
Pune , is the eighth largest metropolis in India, the second largest in the state of Maharashtra after Mumbai, and the largest city in the Western Ghats. Once the centre of power of the Maratha Empire, it is situated 560 metres above sea level on the Deccan plateau at the confluence of the Mula ...
and at KEM Hospital in Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
. The post-production took one and half years to complete. Shwaas was acknowledged as a "significant turn for Marathi cinema" which had been going through a low patch. After the success of the film, it was also released in Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
, Bengali
Bengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
and Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
languages.
Background
Vishwanath Nayak, one of the eight producers, a chartered accountant for Arun Nalawade, a Marathi stage actor, suggested him to make a film. Later, Arun came across a story by writer Madhavi Gharpure, published in the DiwaliDiwali
Diwali or DeepavaliThe name of the festival in various regional languages include:, , , , , , , , , , , , , popularly known as the "festival of lights," is a festival celebrated between mid-October and mid-December for different reasons...
edition of a magazine and thought that it would make a wonderful film storyline.
The distribution plan for Shwaas was in place even before production began. In the initial stages, the film was taken to as many villages as the team could manage; marriage halls, school auditoriums and makeshift venues were all used for screening. All this despite the fact that the film has no songs, no heroes, heroines or recognizable stars of Marathi film industry.
Cast
- Ashwin Chitale (Parashuram Vichare – the child suffering from retinal cancer)
- Arun Nalavade (Grandfather of Parashuram who takes him to Mumbai)
- Sandeep Kulkarni (Dr. Milind Sane who operates on Parashuram)
- Amruta Subhash (Medical social worker named Asawari – helps grandfather, child and doctor to understand each other)
- Ganesh Manjrekar (Divakar – Parashuram's uncle who accompanies child and grandfather to Mumbai)
- Ashwini Giri (Parashuram's Mother – stays in the village).
Plot
An old villager (Vichare) brings his 8 year old grandson Parshuraam (also known as Paarsha) to a doctor in Mumbai to diagnose the child's eyes. They are accompanied by child's maternal uncle Diwarkar. On the first day Vichare is asked to sign usual papers before admission in hospital. Upon asking, he learns that the papers say the doctor would not be responsible if anything goes wrong. Vichare, the rustic grandfather finds these terms unacceptable. A medical social worker named Asawari who is present there, quickly comes in and explains the practice to Vichare. She calms down Vichare and accompanies them during the first appointment with the doctor. Dr. Sane quickly diagnoses child as a victim of the rare retinoblastomaRetinoblastoma
Retinoblastoma is a rapidly developing cancer that develops in the cells of retina, the light-detecting tissue of the eye. In the developed world, Rb has one of the best cure rates of all childhood cancers , with more than nine out of every ten sufferers surviving into...
- a rare retinal cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
. After consulting with other colleagues in US and UK doctor finds that only way to save child's life is to perform an operation that will leave the child blind. As per rule, doctor explains this and insists child be informed of this before surgery. He cannot be operated without this knowledge as it was against ethics. Asawari (Amruta Subhash) who helps the doctor in convincing the grandfather and the grandson, tries to keep track of Vichare and persuades him not fall prey to other doctors promising false medicines. She tries to befriend Parshya in order to explain him what is going to happen. However, she finds it is too difficult to explain to him that he will turn blind.
The film then depicts the grandfather's struggle to accept the reality that the only way to save his grandson is at the cost of his eyesight. He tries various ways to come to terms with the situation and his personal agony is shown in scenes, like taking second opinion, explaining his grandson the reality and his desire to show him everything possible before his grandson loses his eyesight. For some reason, the surgery has to be postponed by a day. That afternoon, grandfather and grandson disappear from the hospital ward and a frantic search follows. Confronted by an angry surgeon on their return, the grandfather states quite simply that he wanted to show Parshya the sights of the city for one last time.
The film has been applauded for scenes which depict the difficulty faced by the doctors to explain to grandfather and Parshya that nothing can be done and the truth is but inevitable. It shows the medical fraternity in a very positive light, with the doctors and nurses being extremely supportive and doing the best they can, and helping the village with the best facilities. The last shot where Parshya returns home wearing dark glasses, waving to his family and friends from the boat was widely appreciated by film critics.
Reviews
The film received 40% positive ratings at Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
.
Awards
The film received numerous awards at both national and state level. It won the Maharashtra State Film Award and then India's highest National Film Award, bringing the coveted Golden Lotus to Marathi cinema for the first time since 1954. Ashwin Chitale won the best child artist award.- 2003 - National Film Award for Best FilmNational Film Award for Best FilmThe National Award for Best Feature film is one of the National Film Awards presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, India, and was constituted in the year 1954. This is one of the Golden Lotus Awards given among National Film Awards...
- 2003 - National Film Award for Best Child ArtistNational Film Award for Best Child ArtistThe National Film Award for Best Child Artist winners:-References:*...
- Ashwin Chitale
Bid for Oscar
The film was India's official entry to the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language FilmAcademy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
The Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film is one of the Academy Awards of Merit, popularly known as the Oscars, handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
in 77th Academy Awards
77th Academy Awards
The 77th Academy Awards honored the best films of 2004 and were held on February 27, 2005, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, California. They were hosted by comedian Chris Rock.The nominees were announced on January 25, 2005...
(the Oscar Awards), 2004. The film faced financial problems to showcase and promote their film at the Oscars. People from all classes came forward with contributions. A school in Jogeshwari organized its children to make lamps and sell them and made a contribution of Rs.30,000. Another group of students wiped and cleaned cars to collect some money. A division of standard 10 students in Nasik collected Rs.10 each and their teacher added some more, and donated Rs.1001. A marathi theatre group that performs the Marathi play Yada Kadachit collected around Rs.65,000. They also approached multinationals and corporate biggies to get sponsorships. Marathi cricketer Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar is an Indian cricketer widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket. He is the leading run-scorer and century maker in Test and one-day international cricket. He is the only male player to score a double century in the history of ODI cricket...
held an auction to help raise funds. Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan is an Indian film actor. He first gained popularity in the early 1970s as the "angry young man" of Hindi cinema, and has since appeared in over 180 Indian films in a career spanning more than four decades...
donated INR
Indian rupee
The Indian rupee is the official currency of the Republic of India. The issuance of the currency is controlled by the Reserve Bank of India....
1 lakhs (1,00,000) for Shwaas Oscar bid. Mumbai's Siddhivinayak temple had installed a drop box for people to donate money for Shwaas promotions at Oscars. The government of Goa
Goa
Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...
contributed INR
Indian rupee
The Indian rupee is the official currency of the Republic of India. The issuance of the currency is controlled by the Reserve Bank of India....
21 lakhs (2.1 million). Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (India) committed Rs 50,000 and the Government of Maharashtra
Government of Maharashtra
Government of Maharashtra is the government for the state of Maharashtra in Western India.It is an elected government with 288 MLAs elected to the legislative assembly for a 5 year term.-Ministers:...
had given Rs 15 lakh (1.5 million) towards the fund. Even political parties like Shiv Sena
Shiv Sena
Shiv Sena , is a political party in India founded on 19 June 1966 by Balasaheb Thackeray. It is currently headed by Thackeray's son, Uddhav Thackeray...
helped in the film's promotion. Shwaas team made up of director Sandeep Sawant, marketing manager Anil Bastawade, costume designer and Sawant’s wife Neeraja Patwardhan tried to attract Maharashtrian
Marathi people
The Marathi people or Maharashtrians are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group, that inhabit the Maharashtra region and state of western India. Their language Marathi is part of the southern group of Indo-Aryan languages...
people in USA before Oscars. They address a crowd of 12,000 members of the Maharashtra Vishwa Parishad in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
while attending the Diwali celebrations in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
. Shwaas was screened 14 times in USA during the pre-Oscar bid. Team also took a three hours road-drive to Atlantic City to meet various Maharashtra Mandals for their support. However, the movie failed at the Oscar and was ranked 6th.