Prasad Oak to star as a Dashavatara artist in Marathi movie Picasso

The Dashavatara form of folk theatre originated in some parts of Maharashtra and Goa. Debutant director Abhijeet Mohan Warang’s Marathi film Picasso will be documenting the art in its original form. The film stars Prasad Oak and child actor Samay Sanjeev Tambe. 

Oak plays a character who was once an accomplished Dashavatara artist but due to his problem of alcoholism, he quits the stage. There comes a time in his life when he must go on stage again to revive his financial conditions for the sake of his son (Tambe). 

Veteran filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt shared the first poster of Picasso on Twitter today. It is a fine work of colourful art featuring a Dashavatara artist with a boat and a kid in a foreground.

Writer of the highly acclaimed Marathi film Killa (2015), Tushar Paranjpe is the creative director for Picasso. Speaking about the film, he said in an official statement, “The world of Dashavatara had always intrigued me. In this film, we’ve tried to capture the everyday, internal struggles of an artist’s life. The relentless, painful yet gratifying artistic process, from doubting yourself to discovering yourself - again and again.” 

Picasso will be screened at the Jagran Film Festival in Mumbai on 28 September and Brahmaputra Valley Film Festival in Guwahati on 29 September.