It’s one of my dreams to talk to Sai Tamhankar about her approach to her craft of acting. She is beyond excellent in the latest Marathi series B.E. Rojgaar streaming on the YouTube channel of Bhartiya Digital Party (BhaDiPa). I wonder how she manages to get the accent so perfect in her every character. She impressed me with the same in her last film Medium Spicy. In B.E. Rojgaar, she has sincerely lived the life of a twenty-six years old unemployed mechanical engineer while performing it. The way she expresses her emotional baggage in the series makes us fall short of words to praise her performance. It’s good to see the series focus on her in the initial two episodes as we get to see more of her, but she also shines effortlessly in the remaining four episodes every time she appears on the screen. Sai Tamhankar is an asset that the Indian content creators across mediums need to utilise optimally.
Sambhaji Sasne as Padmanabh aka Papdya and Jagdish Kannam as Akshay aka Akshya are equally good. Both of them depict contrasting personalities and the conviction in their performances is commendable. They make it look like they are the way we see them in the series in real life too. I was proven wrong after seeing them talk in the videos we see during end credits. It made me appreciate these two men a lot more for their performances. Their understanding of their respective characters makes them scholars of acting. I have become their fan after watching them in B.E. Rojgaar. Every other actor in the series has delivered an excellent performance. The list of actors is a bit long, but special mention to veteran Mohan Agashe. It’s a joy to watch him in such a happy-go-lucky role.
B.E. Rojgaar, as the title suggests, is a series about unemployment. The most beautiful thing about the series is that it nowhere has a sympathetic gaze toward the unemployed. It does not expect its viewers also to have the same gaze while watching the show. The show concentrates on showcasing the plight of unemployed people with utmost honesty. It succeeds in doing the same with flying colours. Rather than making the viewers feel sorry for the lead characters and the situation they are in, the series beautifully and subtlely highlights the reasons behind it. The first three episodes are all about the central characters struggling with unemployment. The remaining three episodes are about them working to remove that tag.
The later three episodes of B.E. Rojgaar take some liberty while writing them. I wish the resignation call of Akshya didn’t look so far-fetched and the over-ambitious nature of Papdya felt more real. Making the villagers dream about owning a BMW looks a bit unreal. All of this fits absolutely well within the fictional writing zone. Comparing it to Harshad Mehta’s Scam makes it believable as well, but when the overall essence of the series is so rooted, we expect everything in it to be as close to reality as possible.
I was very happy to see the series strike the right chord while commentating on various serious topics. B.E. Rojgaar wonderfully explores the complicated relationship every child shares with their parents. My heart melted instantly every time the three central characters had a sentimental conversation or a heated argument with their respective parents. The words in these conversations hit hard and also hit differently. I liked the way friendship has been portrayed in the series without being overly sentimental, despite giving the example of Dil Chahta Hai in one of the conversations.
My favourite commentary made by B.E. Rojgaar is about gender roles. In the first episode, we get a wholesome example of what a struggle it is for a woman to have equal rights as men. Since the series focuses on the people living in villages, we see how women are not expected to compete with men, which is why Sai is expected to help in the kitchen while the men discuss the business proposal. Some light is shed on domestic violence and the ridiculous approach of so many people to it. The most refreshing writing about this aspect in the series has to be that woman who says she feels more liberated being a widow than she felt being married.
Since B.E. Rojgaar is also about aspiring entrepreneurs, which is one of the outcomes of unemployment, the pitch presentation of a business proposal is the best I have seen in recent times. The entire portion, which comprises almost half of the last episode gets it all right. While it is very serious in every aspect, I like how humour and emotions are included in them, making it an excellent blend of enjoyable and heartwarming. This portion makes us experience a joyride of emotions, making it a perfect finale of season one and leaving enough hope and scope for the next season.
Since I was heavily impressed with the writing and the performances, I wasn’t able to make a note of the visuals and sound of B.E. Rojgaar. I am sure the visuals were perfect because if they weren’t, it would have affected the overall viewing experience in some capacity. The editing works well, as the extent to which we are invested throughout every episode says it all. I did make a note of the background score at a few places as they enhanced the moment completely. The songs composed for the series make a special place in your heart. Yes, they are that good.
There are many reasons to binge-watch B.E. Rojgaar. It talks about the unemployed and their struggles. The way it connects with the privileged ones in that particular sense makes it worth our time and energy. The show is available in Marathi, and the dialogues have a heavy accent. If you understand it, you are in for a treat. If you don’t, all the episodes have Hindi and English subtitles. Don’t fear losing out on the essence of the series because of the subtitles. They do good justice to the dialogues. B.E. Rojgaar is highly recommended.
meri maaa, CINEMAAA 