Gulabjaam
Written & directed by Sachin Kundalkar
Gulabjaam was a 2018 Marathi film directed by Sachin Kundalkar. The film presented me with an opportunity to work as a chief assistant to costume designer Amit Diwekar.
The film is based in Pune which proves to be an interesting backdrop for a film based on traditional Maharashtrian food. The narrative revolves around lead characters Aditya & Radha. They are poles apart from each other. The only common thread between them is their love for food.
Aditya and Radha collide in an unfamiliar manner, they argue, bicker and finally find a beautiful friendship they can confide in. It was fascinating to map their character arcs and see them evolve subtly through their clothing choices.
Aditya is a young London based banker and enthusiastic foodie who wants to learn traditional way of cooking Maharashtrian food.
In the initial parts of the film Aditya is seen wearing crisp formals and doing the laborious jobs like washing utensils and carrying heavy containers around. It created a funny image making the viewers realize that Aditya was far from the reality and still in his rosy world.
As the story progresses, we see Aditya wearing more cotton shirts and Indian attire which symbolises him discovering his true passion, confidence and owning his choices unabashedly.
Radha is a middle aged woman who is an expert in cooking delicious Maharashtrian food and runs a small tiffin service. Apart from this she is dealing with her share of past bruises or lack of their memory which has made her very wary of letting people in her life.
In the beginning we see radha as a very closed and guarded person. We see her in dull muted tones with small floral prints almost mimicking her child like innocence and conveying that she is stuck in a time capsule. By the end of the film we see her come into her own person with fresh colors and tasteful dupattas in floral prints. She embraces her innocence and takes life in her stride.
Writer & director : Sachin Kundalkar
Co- writer : Tejas Modak
Producer : Zee studious & Golden gate motion pictures