There are few movies in Marathi Cinema based on political themes. Sinhasan (1979) was possibly the first such attempt and became a milestone. Vazir (implying the queen in chess) is a fair attempt. How the political game of chess manipulates the life of its main characters representing the king, queen and pawn is interesting to watch.

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The Plot

The movie opens with a meeting scene. Apparently the elections have recently concluded. The winning party’s legislators are waiting for the announcement of the new chief minister’s (CM) name from the high command (i.e. their masters in New Delhi). The call comes through and Babasaheb Mohite (Ashok Saraf) is appointed as the new CM. Their is joy on his supporters’ faces. His political opponents including Sawant (Kuldeep Pawar) and Muthal (Sayaji Shinde) are obviously disappointed. Babasaheb is the typical politician. Corrupt opportunist, who will go to any length to retain his position. He is also openly having an affair with a married woman Mrs Shanbag (Fayyaz), each using the other.

Babasaheb settles down in his role as the chief minister. One day his uncle (played by Chandrakant Gokhale) arrives unexpectedly accompanied by a young man. The man is Purushottam Kamble (Vikram Gokhale). He impresses Babasaheb with his sound political advice and skillful handling which can turn an adverse situation in Babasaheb’s favour. Purushottam is soon appointed as the CM’s personal assistant. He becomes the right hand man of Babasaheb. Babasaheb also gains advantage over his political opponents by collecting data of their corrupt deeds in a file. He threatens to hand over the details to the high command to ensure his Government remains stable.

The scene moves to a dancer Kamal Juvekar (Ashwini Bhave) presenting a song Saanj Ye Gokuli at a felicitation function for Babasaheb. After the song she gets brutally raped by Nana Satam (Ashutosh Gowariker) while returning home. Nana is a member of the ruling party and goes scot free.

After the ordeal, Kamal is taken to a rehabilitation centre by Jayant Sane (Ujjwal Thengdi) and a social worker Shakuntala Sathe (Ila Bhate). Jayant is Purushottam’s friend cum mentor. Jayant’s key teaching to Purushottam is to keep moving ahead by making use of different pawns for personal gains.

As part of his game-plan, Purushottam makes the decision to marry Kamal. She is overjoyed and looks forward to a happy life.

Unfortunately this is not to be. For Purushottam, she is the most suitable pawn to move ahead in his political journey. She is a mere puppet in his hands and is required to keep his political bosses happy as per his directions. Her feelings, her status as his better half are no considerations in this political game. Due to his marriage decision, Purushottam becomes an overnight hero and is hailed by the media.

Purushottam wants to encash the sympathy wave. He launches a new party and fields Kamal as the candidate for a by-election. He is ready to take over the corrupt establishment, be the “Vazir” and checkmate the king. But will he succeed and at what cost? And what about the justice for Kamal? Will that ever be on his agenda?

The Music

The movie has only one song Saanj ye Gokuli sung by Asha Bhosle. Its a non-film song but used in Vazir. Wonderful lyrics by Sudhir Moghe and composed by Shridhar Phadke.

My Thoughts

The early 90s was a period of non-stop comedy movies in Marathi cinema. And different efforts like Vazir did stand out during the time. Unfortunately the intention does not translate into successful execution. The first half is engrossing but the second half is weak. The context of many scenes is not explained properly and it is left to the viewer to try filling up the blanks. It is difficult to digest Purushottam’s sudden rise as an influential player with so many seasoned politicians around. He uses his wife for political gains and then changes overnight showing his concern towards her. Are one election campaign and a T.V. interview sufficient to bring down a government? That’s a laughable assumption especially in the days when there was no social media. The second half goes downhill due to some random scenes and things not clear where all this is leading to. The background music is repetitive and loses its impact after some time. Seems to be a shortcut job.

But its the acting that saves the day. Vikram Gokhale, Ashok Saraf and Ashwini Bhave play their characters effectively. Vikram Gokhale has his trademark mannerisms including repetition of words to create greater impact. Ashok Saraf brings out the negative character convincingly and demonstrates his versatility with his body language and timing. Ashutosh Gowariker, Kuldeep Pawar and Sayaji Shinde offer suitable support.