Ringan (film)

It is the heart-warming journey of father and son; the endearing pursuit of a 7-year-old boy to find his dead mother, innocently mistaking her to be at God's abode and the tireless plight of his father, a farmer stuck in the vicious circle of drought and debt. With no one else to turn to, they travel to Pandharpur, God's abode, where each thinks they will find what they seek. But this search tests their harmony, morality, integrity and faith. Will this physical and emotional quest help them find a way to mend their bond? And will the underdog father and son redeem themselves to find a way out of this cycle of misfortune and emerge victorious?

Shashank Shende and Sahil Joshi play the lead roles of father Arjun and son Abhimanyu. The director Mane mentions that Shende was his very first choice for the role of the father as soon as the initial draft of the film was ready. Joshi and other cast members Suhas Sirsat, Umesh Jagtap, Abhay Mahajan, Kalyanee Mulay and Ketan Pawar were selected from auditions. As Joshi had no acting experience, he had to go through a three-month long training before the filming. Mane and executive producer Sanjay Dawra had worked together in Marathi serial Agnihotra when Mane was assistant director. Along with Dawra several other technician friends believed in Mane's vision and ability and backed him on his directorial debut.[2]

The film was shot at various real locations in the crowded city of Pandharpur. Being a notable pilgrimage site for Hindus, the city is crowded with pilgrims and tourists. Mane assembled a fake filming crew to attract attention of audiences and then proceeded with the principal photography on other locations. Mane mentioned that as he grew up in Pandharpur, he had often seen farmers visit the pilgrimage for "seeking help from the almighty" and noticed that "when they left, they looked relieved, like Vithal had personally volunteered to help them through their rough patch". He also mentioned that the simplicity of a farmer's faith inspired him to write the film.[3] Along with Pandharpur, the film was also shot in Akluj, Saswad and Pune. As the film's producers had budget constraints, the team of forty members either rented film-making instruments with reasonable charges or sometimes for free. Ajay Gogavale of Ajay−Atul music director duo Ajay-Atul rendered a soulful song without any remuneration.[2]

The songs were composed by Rohit Nagbhide with lyrics by Vaibhav Deshmukh and Dasu Vaidya.

The film was screened at the Cannes Short Film Corner,[3] London Indian Film Festival.[1] It was adjudged as the Best Feature Film in Marathi for the year 2015 at the 63rd National Film Awards citing; "A heart rending survival story of a father-son duo, who decide to fight and live rather than end their lives".[4] Makarand Mane was awarded with "The Director’s Vision Award" at the 14th Stuttgart Indian Film Festival (2015).[5] The film was an entry in the 19th International Children's Film Festival of India.[6]