Umbartha (film)
Encyclopedia
Umbartha is a Marathi
film made in 1982. The film is directed and coproduced by Jabbar Patel
. Smita Patil
for her performance in it won Marathi Rajya Chitrapat Puraskar for Best Actress. Film was simultaneously made in Hindi as Subah with the same cast.
Opportunity knocks on her door when the protagonist Sulabha Mahajan (played by Smita Patil
) gets a job offer as Superintendent of a Women's Reformatory Home in a remote town. The job offer raises objections from her lawyer husband and conservative mother-in-law who refuse to understand her need to move to the town and work for rehabilitation of the women. Determined Sulabha nevertheless goes ahead with her dream job. The story follows the challenges she meets at her new endeavor and how she overcomes it including her husband’s decision to settle with a new partner (shown towards the end of the film).
Umbartha is a path-breaking film in many ways. Not only did it show the protagonist as someone who can think for her herself and her fellow citizens, a thought unconceivable in the 80’s but also brought to the fore the issues of corruption, red-tapism and lesbianism in government-run care homes.
The film is an example for fine direction and natural acting. The film is rightly titled Umbartha which means threshold or boundary between home & outer world in Marathi and Dehleej in Hindi.
Following table shows list of tracks in the film.
All songs are sung by Lata Mangeshkar
, except "Ganjalya Othas Majhya" which is sung by Ravindra Sathe.
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...
film made in 1982. The film is directed and coproduced by Jabbar Patel
Jabbar Patel
Dr. Jabbar Patel is a theatre and film director of India. His production of the play Vijay Tendulkar's play Ghashiram Kotwal, in 1973 is considered a classic in Modern Indian Theatre....
. Smita Patil
Smita Patil
Smita Patil was an Indian actress of film, television and theatre. Regarded among the finest stage and film actresses of her times, Patil appeared in over 75 Hindi and Marathi films in a career that spanned just over a decade. During her career, she received two National Film Awards and a...
for her performance in it won Marathi Rajya Chitrapat Puraskar for Best Actress. Film was simultaneously made in Hindi as Subah with the same cast.
Plot
Umbartha is about a woman’s dream to step out of the four walls of the house, assume greater responsibility as a citizen and to play an important role in shaping the society. It is about her passion to do something constructive for the abused, assaulted, neglected and traumatized womenfolk of the society she lives in. It is about her strong urge to create a niche for herself and achieve recognition and satisfaction through social work.Opportunity knocks on her door when the protagonist Sulabha Mahajan (played by Smita Patil
Smita Patil
Smita Patil was an Indian actress of film, television and theatre. Regarded among the finest stage and film actresses of her times, Patil appeared in over 75 Hindi and Marathi films in a career that spanned just over a decade. During her career, she received two National Film Awards and a...
) gets a job offer as Superintendent of a Women's Reformatory Home in a remote town. The job offer raises objections from her lawyer husband and conservative mother-in-law who refuse to understand her need to move to the town and work for rehabilitation of the women. Determined Sulabha nevertheless goes ahead with her dream job. The story follows the challenges she meets at her new endeavor and how she overcomes it including her husband’s decision to settle with a new partner (shown towards the end of the film).
Umbartha is a path-breaking film in many ways. Not only did it show the protagonist as someone who can think for her herself and her fellow citizens, a thought unconceivable in the 80’s but also brought to the fore the issues of corruption, red-tapism and lesbianism in government-run care homes.
The film is an example for fine direction and natural acting. The film is rightly titled Umbartha which means threshold or boundary between home & outer world in Marathi and Dehleej in Hindi.
Cast
Following table shows details of cast for Umbartha .| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Smita Patil | Sulabha S. Mahajan |
| Girish Karnad | Advocate Subhash Mahajan |
| Shrikant Moghe | Dr. Mohan Mahajan |
| Ashalata Wabgaonkar | Maya M. Mahajan |
| Kusum Kulkarni | Mrs. Mahajan |
| Purnima Ganu | Rani S. Mahajan |
| Satish Alekar | Walimbe (principal) |
| Mukund Chitale | Gate-man |
| Surekha Divakar | Farida |
| Daya Dongre | Sheela Samson |
| Vijay Joshi | Peon |
| Jayamala Kale | Sugandha |
| Sandhya Kale | Heera - Clerk / Typist |
| Radha Karnad | Baby Rani S. Mahajan |
| Swaroopa Khopikar | Utpala Joshi |
Awards
- 1982 - National Film Award for Best Feature Film in MarathiNational Film Award for Best Feature Film in MarathiThe National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Marathi winners:...
- 1982 - Maharashtra State Film AwardsMaharashtra State Film AwardsMaharashtra State Film Awards, one of prestigious awards of Marathi cinema, are awarded by the Government of Maharashtra to Marathi language Films and Artistes. It was first awarded in 1963. Here is the list of awards given each year.-Awards list:...
- Best Film - 1982 - Maharashtra State Film AwardsMaharashtra State Film AwardsMaharashtra State Film Awards, one of prestigious awards of Marathi cinema, are awarded by the Government of Maharashtra to Marathi language Films and Artistes. It was first awarded in 1963. Here is the list of awards given each year.-Awards list:...
- Best Director - Jabbar PatelJabbar PatelDr. Jabbar Patel is a theatre and film director of India. His production of the play Vijay Tendulkar's play Ghashiram Kotwal, in 1973 is considered a classic in Modern Indian Theatre.... - 1982 - Maharashtra State Film AwardsMaharashtra State Film AwardsMaharashtra State Film Awards, one of prestigious awards of Marathi cinema, are awarded by the Government of Maharashtra to Marathi language Films and Artistes. It was first awarded in 1963. Here is the list of awards given each year.-Awards list:...
- Best Actress - Smita PatilSmita PatilSmita Patil was an Indian actress of film, television and theatre. Regarded among the finest stage and film actresses of her times, Patil appeared in over 75 Hindi and Marathi films in a career that spanned just over a decade. During her career, she received two National Film Awards and a...
Soundtrack
The soundtrack of the film are composed by Hridaynath Mangeshkar.Following table shows list of tracks in the film.
| Track # | Song | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sunya Sunya Maifilit Majhya | 4:22 |
| 2 | Ganjalya Onthas Majhya | 4:47 |
| 3 | Chand Matala Matala | 5:45 |
| 4 | Gagan Sadan Tejomay | 4:37 |
All songs are sung by Lata Mangeshkar
Lata Mangeshkar
Lata Mangeshkar is a singer from India. She is one of the best-known and most respected playback singers in India. Mangeshkar's career started in 1942 and has spanned over six and a half decades. She has recorded songs for over a thousand Hindi films and has sung songs in over thirty-six regional...
, except "Ganjalya Othas Majhya" which is sung by Ravindra Sathe.