Nonureva Really Surprised!

SparkMore n my opinion it was a great movie with some interesting elements, even though having some plot holes and the ending probably was just too messy and crammed together, but still fun to watch and not your casual movie that is similar to all other ones.

filippaberry84 I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Marva-nova Amazing worth wacthing. So good. Biased but well made with many good points.

Avinash Patalay "Welcome to Sajjanpur" is a revival of times on the lines of Malgudi Days and the flavour of of Hrishikesh Mukhejee & Basu Chatterjee. The fictitious village comprises of characters very humane, easily identifiable and oozing with simplicity (well, not quite!). The narrative is extremely smooth and carries you with the flow. Shyam Benegal attempts an unexplored territory and once again he proves what a versatile director he is. With "Welcome to Sajjanpur" Shyam Benegal to a certain degree incorporates commercial elements into his style yet retaining the flavour of parallel cinema. All the characters seem hand-picked as they are perfectly suited to the "T". Every actor gets adequate space as per the demands necessitated by the character. It seemed only Divya Dutta's character/ role was not fleshed out / elaborated (and her participation in the end was kind of coming). In the times of heavy-weights & escapism cinema, "Welcome to Sajjanpur" manages to command a foothold in its own rights. Don't miss this movie at any costs.

Sambit Dattachaudhuri Welcome To Sajjanpur comes from visionary director Shyam Benegal. It stars Shreyas Talpade, Amrita Rao, Ravi Kishan, Ila Arun and a whole host of others. Benegal, popularly known for his parallel films, with Welcome To Sajjanpur, shifts to a comedy/parallel film. The touch of realism/naturalism in terms of social and political conditions is unmistakable in this film, and more often than not, it is the base of it's happenings.The most flashy thing in Welcome To Sajjanpur comes even before it's opening credits. The UTV Spot Boy banner. From then on, everything about the film is primitive. It's setting. 'Some' village which was once called 'Durjan'pur, but was renamed by Nehru himself to Sajjanpur. It's people. Mostly uneducated. There is a man who portrays a doctor in the film, but he appears in a grand total of one scene. There are the numerous bai's and mausi's, and Ramsingh's and Ramkumar's (among the numerous Ram's whom the narrator speaks of in the introduction, while brushing his teeth with a twig). The comes in the superstitions. I shall only speak of the one that says a girl must get married to a 'kukur' (yes, a dog) because she is, well, unlucky (or whatever one calls it when translated into primitive, religious Hindi. Then comes the political state of things. It's election time. There is a eunuch (acted brilliantly by Ravi Jhankal) running for it, along with your gang of gangster-type people who roam about on motorcycles with their 'mamaji's' sitting behind them, carrying a rifle. Etcetera etcetera..Shreyas Talpade does well as the film's lead. The narrative, always having a comedic spark to it, does not disappoint. The acting is top class. Ila Arun, Yashpal Sharma and Ravi Jhankal are priceless. Also the man who plays the Subedar (damn, i forgot his name). The songs are mediocre. Bheeni bheeni's picturisation is done very well, with what one can only call a dream sequence. Aadmi azad hain acts as the revolutionary (comedy) song, as does Munni ki baari (yes, it was sung after Jhankal's Munni bai won in the election). Kunal Kapoor makes a nice guest appearance.You wouldn't miss anything if you do not see Welcome To Sajjanpur. It's a decent watch though, which introduces you to certain bits and pieces of primitive Indian thought and action. 6/10.

Rajant Meshram Welcome to Sajjanpur is a simple story. When I say simple that does not mean that it lacks any content or substance; it is a story which makes u reflect about the present state of the Indian villages. It was the first Shyam Benegal Movie that I was about to watch and hence was pretty much excited about it and I must say that it did not disappoint me. For the 130 minutes of its duration the movie takes you through the various ups and downs in the village happenings. Mahadev (Shreyas Talapde) is a village guy who makes his living by writing letters for the people in the village but aspires to become a writer one day. We see throughout the movie how people come to him with how he drafts letters for them. During this procedure we see that he incorporates his own views and emotions in the letters which lead to fruitful outcomes for the people and hence he carries on with his work. There are three cases which come into which run in parallel during the course of the movie. First one is that of an aspiration of an eunuch who wishes to become the village chief but is bogged down by the person who previously held the post. After much letters (written by Mahadev) from the eunuch to the collector for police protection and his election nominations the eunuch finally wins the elections. During the entire exercise we see the people emphasizing the strength of Indian democracy. However the ending to this part of the story is not very satisfying and leaves the viewer puzzled. The second story if that of Mahadev and Kamala (Amrtia Rao).Kamala is his long lost classmate and comes to Mahadev to tell him that her husband has not come and met her for the past 4 years since he left for Mumbai. What follows is a series of letters and during the process Mahadev finds that he is attracted towards her. He even sends a letter expressing doubt over involvement in smuggling to Kamala's husband. However when the husband sends out a reply to that letter he is left shocked to find out the state of actual circumstances. This is the most thought provoking story of the lot and leaves you really surprised and marvel at the skill of the Director (Shyam Benegal) after watching. The third story is that of a village girl being named as Unlucky ands being married to a dog to remove the tag from her.I was actually surprised to find that such sort of things happen in India. Did Mahadev actually succeed in becoming a writer? What happened to Kamala and her husband? I would not do justice to the movie if I let out these spoilers. Performance by all actors is A grade. But Shreyas steals the show. Direction is excellent with the pace gaining speed as the movie progresses. On the whole an excellent watch.

Vikas SS For a movie maker of the caliber of Shayam Benegal is, it goes without saying with his invite to Sajjanpur comes along a bouquet of expectations. The only other movie of his that I’ve seen is Zubaidaa and I was amazed at his story telling quality! This time, the setting is rustic with characters from a usual random village. The film is presented as a slice of life from the perspective of the protagonist than a story with a beginning and end.Mahadev, the only degree holder in Sajjanpur nurses ambitions to be a novel writer someday, but fate has sealed him to writing letters for the illiterate village folk who come to him not just for his knowledge of the letter but also for his ability to write with that extra zing and passion that makes the letters work. Playing the protagonist, Shreyas Talpade gets the largest of movie pie that he executes with brilliance without going overboard.Our writer’s clientèle takes us through the minds of the varied village folk. It ranges from his childhood crush Kamla (Amrita Rao) who writes to her far away husband, a mother (Ila Arun) worried about her vibrant daughter’s (Divya Dutta) horoscope, a compounder (Ravi Kishan) who is deeply in love with the young widow Shobharani (Rajeshwari Sachdev), the villainous ex-Sarpanch Ramlal (Yashpal Sharma) and a Eunuch too.The next couple of hours, which at times feels somewhat stretched, give us a glimpse of their lives. Mahadev is good at heart and does well to others, but he secretly tries to misread letters to Kamla thinking that he may have a chance if her husband went away. Ramlal tries his best to connive against the Eunuch Munnibai to ensure it doesn’t win the local elections. As is life, in the end, it’s happy for some sad for others.Throughout the movie, its poignant moments are interspersed so delicately that you don’t feel any character being out of place. The best in my opinion is when Mahadev learns the truth about Kamala’s husband’s life, where Shreyas’ flowing emotions are so well portrayed. Then there is the scene of Munnibai getting a letter written seeking protection. For one, the music is not memorable and the seeming length may bother.The characters of Sajjanpur are both simpletons at times and wise in the ways of the world when necessary. The movie makes a point on various serious social issues including land acquisitions for industrialization, struggle of the poor and fall into organ trade, widow remarriage, superstitions, job worry for the educated and many more. If you don’t mind the lack of typical stories and climaxes, this story is surely worth watching.