The words uttered by Ganpatrao in Natsamrat feels like a religious discourse, falling on ears like a soothing balm. It is after many a long years that dialogues with such finesse have been put up on the screen. They seem nothing less than those featured in plays Ganpatrao cherishes and brings to life on stage. Screenplay writers nowadays dumb down their content in a disquietude that the audience will not comprehend the gems of emotions they hide beneath the curtains called words. Here, the writing is intelligent treating the audience with the reverence it is often penurious of.

A forlorn Ganpatrao asks in an address to the characters he religiously brought into life 'When will my grief be considered worthy as yours?' Nana Patekar rises to this very question and breathes fire into this character. There are rare times when an actor just draws you into a movie, when he rises above the movie itself and well, puts you in a state of limbo where you are divested from your physical abilities to move. You just stare and get amazed. I hate to say it because I believe staunchly that every actor has untapped potential beyond realization, but this is a career-defining performance by Nana. He can't rise above this unfortunately and it is an amalgamation of sadness and joy when I come to this realization.

As to the movie itself, it is left miles behind in the inter space between it and Patekar's performance. It is ridden with the very clichés I had expected it to be free from the shackles of. The premise, although bases on a play by V.V.Shirwadkar, brings back memories of a much-superior Tokyo Story(or a much inferior Baghban as well),which forever immortalized the theme of the neglectful children-old parents through the mastery of the profound Ozu himself .

While being a compelling character-study, Natsamrat is lagging behind on adapting itself to the familiarity of its concept to the audience. But, with Nana Patekar's visceral performance the movie is aeons ahead of what it could have been without him. It is Manjrekar's ode to the purity and greatness of theater and its dialogues which remain forever etched in the minds of the audience, and peering through that field of vision, it is a beautiful and heartfelt ode, a one which should be watched at least once. Patekar's performance embodies every emotion that actors strive to put up on screen through courses of their lifetimes, which in most cases unfortunately, bears not even a dint of success.

Natsamraat had a pretty good run in theatres, especially for a Marathi movie in Bollywood's heartland Mumbai! With every review being good, and of course with Nana Patekar, I too wanted to see this film and eventually I did last night on DVD.

This movie is brilliant and 10 is not high enough a rating.

Nana Patekar is at his very best. The story is riveting, so real and so poignant, a story of our times, unfolding through the powerful dialogues of a Natsamraat who certainly deserves the title.

This is so different from the stereotyped roles Nana Patekar plays in Bollywood films.

Natsamraat has English sub titles. My Marathi is of the spoken variety and I read the sub titles for some of the dialogues but as the movie progressed, they were not necessary because the manner in which Nana delivered his dialogues was sufficient to convey the meaning of every single word.

This film ought to have sub titles in all major regional languages for a wider audience, and it surely deserves the National Award.

Natsamrat (Nana Patekar,Ganpat) is a story of a theater artist and the world surrounding him. He retires, distributes all his wealth amongst his children and starts staying with his family. As the story progresses he gets to have a granddaughter, but due to his daughter in law mainly he has to leave his house. He and his wife starts staying with their daughter but gradually even that turns out not well and they decide to leave to Moreshwar, a place in village, where his wife dies. Heartbroken Ganpat start staying on street with shoe polisher Raja and when his children try to get to him he finally dies of heart attack, thus getting relieved of pain.

Other elements that come into play are his infertile friend Ram and his wife, his relationship with Granddaughter, his relationship with daughter (who he calls chimney (sparrow) but that love seems not enough for his misunderstanding daughter),his dictating daughter in law. Ganpat has a taste for alcohol and that to Desi, in one part of a movie he creates a scene that fortunately goes in his favor, but for how long.

The character of ganpat seems that of a really tough guy. His wife is his strength. He doesn't gives a damn about other let downs till his wife stands by him. I would have not overdosed ram instead I would have forced him to live with me. I personally have trust issues. I would have forgotten my daughter,ah I don't know why! His death at last soothed me so much… he was finally with his loved one!