Baghtos Kay... Muzra Kar! review: Lack of conviction kills noble intention

The trailer of actor-turned-director Hemant Dhome’s Baghtos Kay... Muzra Kar! suggested that the film takes a strong stand against the gigantic statue of Shivaji proposed to be installed off the coast of Mumbai at exorbitant cost. But when you see the film you realize this is only a small part of the story. Still, that is not the film's biggest flaw. It is the absence of logic in the plot.

The film is set in a village in Satara district of Maharashtra. Nana aka Nanasaheb (Jitendra Joshi) is the village sarpanch, or head. He is a die-hard worshipper of Shivaji, the seventeenth century Maratha warrior-king. His two best friends, Pandurang aka Panda (Aniket Vishwasrao) and Shiva (Akshay Tanksale), share his admiration for Shivaji. It pains them to see the worsening condition of Pratapgad, a major fort in Shivaji's time. In the past, they had made major plans for its renovation and maintenance but got no support from the state government.

Panda and Shiva convince Nana to try and become a member of the state legislative assembly, or MLA. Nana also believes that the mission of renovating the fort would become easier if he were to be an MLA. He shares good rapport with the deputy chief minister (Ashwini Kalsekar). When he asks her for a ticket to contest the next election, she asks him to carry out a significant task for the benefit of Shivaji’s followers.

After giving it some thought, the trio decides to bring Shivaji’s sword back from London. The sword was taken away by India's erstwhile British rulers in 1875. The task becomes more difficult owing to Nanasaheb’s bad relations with Shamsher Patil (Dhome himself), a close aide of the leader of the opposition played by veteran Vikram Gokhale. Will the three friends succeed against the odds?

Early on in the film you realize the lack of depth in the writing when it comes to defining characters. For example, we are not given much background about Nanasaheb or the reason for his strong support base. Despite this, you won’t have too many issues with the film in the first half. That is because of the innocence of the characters and the continuous humour. Along the way you start rooting for the trio's noble intentions. 

But the film fails when it matters the most. Logic is nowhere to be found when the trio goes about its mission. Imagine an intelligent and respected village head, along with his friends, going on a mission to steal a valuable item from a leading museum in London without a plan. There is also a scene where the trio tries to barge into the premises of the palace of the queen of England. Who comes up with such ideas? It would have been forgivable if the film were a mindless entertainer. But that is not the case. Unfortunately, the lack of reason isn’t limited to these incidents.

Amitraj’s music can be categorized as decent. The title song and ‘Ti Talwar’, which features Shreyas Talpade, go well with the theme. Cinematographer Milind Jog continues from where he left off in Vazandar (2016). The bird’s eye view of Pratapgad is simply beautiful. 

Jitendra Joshi has proved his worth time and again. Here too he gets into the skin of Nanasaheb. But at times he tries too hard. Aniket Vishwasrao displays his comic timing. But there was no need for him to change the tone of his voice. 

Akshay Tanksale, Parna Pethe, Rasika Sunil and Neha Joshi aren’t bad in their supporting acts. Hemant Dhome and Vikram Gokhale excel in negative roles. Ashwini Kalsekar brings alive the character of the deputy CM. Veteran Anant Jog leaves a mark in a cameo. 

Overall, despite the good amount of humour and noble intentions, Baghtos Kay... Muzra Kar! fails due to lack of conviction.