Ha Khel Savlyancha (1976) is a Marathi language movie and the title means “Game of Shadows.” I had heard about this movie for many years and finally had the chance to watch it recently. The Marathi movie falls in the thriller/mystery/haunting movie genres which were not explored much in the era when the movie was released. So kudos to Vasant Joglekar, the director for making this attempt. The movie was made under his own banner.

Yes, we have a haunted haveli (mansion), a haunting song, a terrified heroine, a stepmother, a sensible hero, and lots of fun on the menu!

The Plot

Indumati “Indu” (Asha Kale) is a rich heiress but aware of the responsibility brought along by wealth and status. She likes to spend time with the villagers, working in the fields and sharing meals with them. Her widowed step mother played by Lalan Sarang admonishes her but Indu has her answers ready. Diwanji Moropant (Dhumal), a tenured employee is the other major character in the house.

Lalan is worried that Indu has come of age and is now the rightful owner of the property. She will not be able to continue enjoying the financial freedom she has been used to since Indu’s father’s death. Can this be fixed in any way?

It is time to find a suitable match for Indu. Dr Shekhar (Kashinath Ghanekar) comes to visit along with his parents (Ashok Kumar and Sumati Gupte in cameos). Coincidentally, Shekhar has come across Indu earlier in the village. Indu had met him as a simple village girl called “Gomu” (with attire and accent to match!). The impersonation is soon sorted out and the lovebirds Shekhar and Indu agree to get married. 

Meanwhile, Lalan’s brother Ganu (Raja Gosavi) has also come to stay uninvited in his rich relative’s mansion. The unemployed Ganu has been an actor in Marathi musical dramas and keeps reciting dialogues and songs from old musical plays. Indu likes him because of his funny nature and he provides comic relief.

All is well when tragedy strikes. The ghost of a servant who had died, apparently returns to haunt Indu. Time for a flashback.

We come to know that many years back as a child, Indu was stubbornly requesting for fresh coconut water during a rainstorm. One of the servants Narsu agrees to climb the tree in spite of the storm and pick the coconut. He succeeds but loses his life falling off the tree and hitting a stone. This leaves his wife (Sanjivani Bidkar?) crushed. It is believed his ghost resides in the same tree and his wife keeps singing a haunting song “Kaajal raatin” from time to time. To pacify the ghost, the household offers daily bhog (prasad).

In the coming days, Indu keeps seeing Narsu’s apparition in front of her window and gets terrorized. Has the ghost arrived to seek revenge? Somewhere deep down, she blames herself for Narsu’s death. Her condition deteriorates rapidly and things may soon go out of control.

Her mother and diwanji would like to continue with traditional cures (meaning calling an exorcist to exorcise the ghost). On the other hand, Dr Shekhar wants to employ scientific medical methods and cure Indu permanently.

What happens next? Is the ghost exorcised, will Indu ever be normal? or a mental asylum will be the best option for her? And what about Dr Shekhar?

The Music

Sudhir Moghe (lyricist) and Hridaynath Mangeshkar (music director) share the honours.

The film begins with a beautiful song in the rice fields “Aala aala wara” by Asha Bhosle and Anuradha Paudwal.

Gomu sangatin is a catchy song by Hemant Kumar and Asha Bhosle. The only jarring note is Kashinath Ghanekar in a gaudy costume accompanied by weird choreography.

The title song comes later in the movie and is ably used in the context of the scene and condition of the heroine at the time. Mahendra Kapoor sings the song.

And finally the haunting song “Kaajal raatin” (singer: Asha Bhosle). The song comes at regular intervals and achieves its intention – to scare the audience and leaves a lasting impression.

My Thoughts

Firstly, as mentioned this genre was not much explored in Marathi cinema when the movie was released. I am not sure if the movie has been inspired from a Hindi or other language movie. Well known writer Madhusudan Kalelkar and Sumati Gupte (who was also the producer) share the writing credits. Vasant Joglekar’s direction succeeds in keeping the viewer hooked till the end when the suspense gets revealed. The film is taut and engaging. The songs are too good and complement the story.

Asha Kale is widely known for her self-sacrificing sobby roles image in Marathi movies. This movie is a revelation. From the practical, happy go lucky rich heiress to the desperate haunted girl, she is most impressive. She brings out the transition of the character and its vulnerability very well. And she dances well in a couple of songs (she was a trained dancer), something which she rarely gets to do in her other movies.

Dr Kashinath Ghanekar was a superstar on Marathi stage. While the initial scenes seems a bit awkward including the dancing part, he performs effortlessly as the doctor supporting and treating his would be wife.

The supporting cast is good including veterans Dhumal and Madhu Apte. Lalan Sarang is impressive as the stepmother torn between the love for her step child and greed for the estate and comfort. But thankfully she is not shown as an evil stepmother which is the norm in movies. Raja Gosavi offers comic relief and excels as the out of job actor wanting a comfortable life in his sister’s house.

Ashok Kumar and Sumati Gupte offer entertaining cameos. Same for Deven Verma who plays an exorcist Bhoot Papeshwar. Jairam Kulkarni appears in one scene as a tonga driver (tangewala) and this marked his debut in movies.