Harindra Pathak is a revered Gujarati stage actor who retires at the height of his fame, confident that the love he has earned will hold. But once he steps off the stage, his own children slowly push him and his wife Mangala out of the home and the dignity they built. Stripped of the applause that defined him, Harindra drifts toward obscurity, holding on to memory, friendship and the poetry of the roles he once ruled.
Natsamrat brought one of Indian theatre's great tragic roles to Gujarati cinema, and it did so with a leading man who had already lived inside the part for years. Siddharth Randeria plays Harindra Pathak, a celebrated stage actor who retires at the peak of his powers and then watches his own family strip away everything that gave his life meaning. The story travels from V. V. Shirwadkar's Marathi play through the Nana Patekar film to Randeria's own long-running Gujarati stage adaptation, so this screen version arrives with real weight behind it rather than as a quick copy.
Randeria is the reason to watch. He carries the film's grand speeches and its quiet humiliations with the same command, and the role lets him move between full theatricality and small, wounded silences. Deepika Chikhalia is warm and steady as his wife Mangala, and Manoj Joshi lands the friendship that becomes the film's only refuge. Director Jayant Gilatar keeps the drama flowing and trusts his actors, while the dialogues by Pravin Solanki and Sneha Desai give the monologues their sting.
The Times of India gave it four out of five, praising how cleanly Gilatar lets the story unfold and how hard the writing hits. The film is unashamedly a filmed play in places, and viewers who want cinematic invention may find it stagey. But that theatricality is the point here, and it suits a story about what happens to a performer once the applause stops. For the performance alone, it earns its place.
Verdict
A stage classic carried to the screen by Siddharth Randeria at full power, worth watching for his performance above all.
What works
- Siddharth Randeria's towering lead performance
- Rooted in a proven stage and screen legacy
- Cutting dialogues by Solanki and Desai
- Emotionally direct without turning maudlin
What holds it back
- Feels like a filmed play in stretches
- Little cinematic reinvention of the source
- Familiar to anyone who saw the Marathi version
- Deliberate pace tests some viewers
Cast & crew
Writers: V. V. Shirwadkar (play); Pravin Solanki, Sneha Desai (dialogues)
Music: Alap Desai
Cast: Siddharth Randeria (Harindra Pathak), Deepika Chikhalia (Mangala Pathak), Manoj Joshi (Madhav), Samvedna Suwalka (Neha), Tasneem Sheikh (Jigna), Hemang Vyas (Makrand)
Producers: Jugal Sughand
Watch the trailer
Play the official trailer on YouTubeMore from Jayant Gilatar
More Drama Gujarati films
Frequently asked
Is Natsamrat worth watching?
A stage classic carried to the screen by Siddharth Randeria at full power, worth watching for his performance above all. Kevu Che rates it 4 out of 5.
What is Natsamrat about?
Harindra Pathak is a revered Gujarati stage actor who retires at the height of his fame, confident that the love he has earned will hold. But once he steps off the stage, his own children slowly push him and his wife Mangala out of the home and the dignity they built. Stripped of the applause that defined him, Harindra drifts toward obscurity, holding on to memory, friendship and the poetry of the roles he once ruled.
What is the IMDb rating of Natsamrat?
Natsamrat (2018) holds an IMDb rating of 7.9 out of 10.