Elizabeth Ekadashi is a simple story of a Dynanesh, a bright kid preparing for his scholarship exams, his family and his set of friends and what happens in the holy week leading up to Ashadi Ekadashi, the holy day when devotees make the pilgrimage to Pandharpur, to worship Vithoba, a local form of Lord Vishnu.
Madhugandha Kulkarni establishes her credentials as a good writer very early on in the film as we are introduced to a family with a lot of quirk. A grandma who worships Newton along with the other Gods just because her deceased son was an admirer, Dynanesh – a child who loves his bicycle and names her Elizabeth and Mugdha aka Jhendu (another lovely detail) who treats the bicycle as another member of the family. The characters are fresh and relatable, with sensitive treatment throughout.
It is the holy season – when the entire population of the sleepy town of Pandharpur aims to make profit off the lakhs of devotees who would descend upon the city in a bid to visit the various temples in the area. Bad luck strikes and Dyanesh’s mother loses her knitting machine to a mortgage she had been trying to push for the last 3 months. She needs Rs.5000 to save her machine and get back to earning money for the family but only 4 days to get it. The kids make an endearing case and offer to set up a bangle shop in the holy season to help out. However, the mother rules it out and announces that the cycle, Elizabeth, would be sold off to raise Rs.2000.
The rest of the story is dedicated to the story of Dyanesh and his motley group of friends, who then go on to set up a shop near the holy temple and what happens when they try and earn some money. At this point, you may feel there is not much substance to the story and that it may end up being predictable, but that is where Paresh Mokashi’s treatment of the story will surprise and capture you.
The childlike wonder and naivety stays throughout the movie. Like in a child’s world, there are no villains, in Elizabeth Ekadashi, the only villain is the situation. This is just as a child would treat the situation, always looking at the bright side and always looking for the good in people. Be it the often swearing Ganya or the prostitute’s son who make up his friends, it is a refreshing take on life in a small, holy city. The city is never used as a character in the story but the essence of holy city comes through in the ending of the film and you have to watch it to know why and how.
The performances are very natural, with special mention for Shrirang Mahajan, Nandita, Dhuri and Pushkar Lonarkar – the child actors. They are at ease and make the film a joy to watch.
This film is another film in the continued trend of simple, rustic stories in Marathi cinema, narrated in a superb fashion. Though not high on aesthetic value like Tapaal (another beautifully simple story) – Elizabeth Ekadashi will make you laugh and cry along, because it will remind you how good life was when you were a child – in awe of the world and not believing for a second, that tomorrow will not be better than today.
It is showing at multiple theatres with subtitles. So, go ahead and sample this sweet film.
Life's Like That 