Dost Maza Mast (meaning My Nice Friend) is a Marathi children’s movie. Its a story of a boy and his nice friend, an elephant. The movie is directed by Gajanan Sarpotdar. It is dedicated to India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru whose birthday falls on 14 November and is celebrated as Children’s Day.

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The Plot

The movie opens with a song. An old man Khan Chacha (Jairam Kulkarni) lives in the jungle. He sings a song describing the green forest. He meets the forest range officer Sudhakar Deshmukh (Ravindra Mankani) who stays with his wife (Kshama Raj)in the officer’s quarters. His son Chintu (Ruchir) stays in the hostel. Sudhakar is bringing Chintu home for the summer holidays.

Khan Chacha loves the forest like his family. He admonishes some forest officers on animals being killed in the forest. But they don’t take him serious. He also informs Sudhakar about a truck carrying smuggled sandalwood. Sudhakar is a competent officer, he ensures the truck is caught.

Enter the villain, local politician cum businessman Vyankappa Sheth, talking in a not so convincing Belgavi accent. He is involved in the smuggling of sandalwood, animal skins and the like. Vyankappa is furious. His three trucks have been caught by Sudhakar and he needs to plan something to make things (smuggling) easier. He knows Sudhakar cannot be bribed.

Meanwhile Chintu is enjoying his holidays. He has befriended Khan Chacha who gives him information about the jungle and the animals. He takes him to the elephant camp. Chintu befriends a young elephant Charan and soon both become separable. Chintu informs his parents of his new friend but doesn’t reveal who he is.

Vyankappa wants to continue with the smuggling and makes a plan to outwit Sudhakar and his team. He kidnaps Khan Chacha. He tells Sudhakar to allow his trucks to pass smoothly else Khan Chacha’s life will be in danger. Sudhakar values Khan Chacha’s life. He is forced to watch helplessly as the trucks laden with smuggled goods leave the jungle without any obstacle.

Later he waits for Khan Chacha to return. When he doesn’t, Sudhakar goes to Khan Chacha’s house to find him stabbed with a knife and a bag of money lying next to him.

As frequently shown in movies, Sudhakar touches the body carelessly and removes the blood stained knife. The shrewd Vyankappa makes a timely entry with the police. Sudhakar is arrested on the spot and charged with Khan Chacha’s murder. The court sentences Sudhakar to life imprisonment.

Sudhakar lands in jail. Life changes for Chintu and his mother. He goes to stay with his uncle. His aunt and her son don’t treat him very kindly. He longs for his father and best friend Charan.

Will Chintu’s father be released and the real murderer caught? Will he meet Charan again? Will life be normal again?

The Music

The 4 songs are O.K, sung by Anuradha Paudwal and Suresh Wadkar. Sudhir Moghe is the lyricist and music by Suhaschandra Kulkarni.

My Thoughts

The movie is shot in the Mudumalai wildlife reserve in Tamil Nadu. You get to see many animals especially elephants. It is refreshing to see a Marathi movie shot outdoors, on location. The story is straight forward with the focus being on the boy and his elephant friend. The bond between them is brought out effectively. And both perform nicely. Jairam Kulkarni, Ravindra Mankani and Kshama Raj are good but the other supporting actors don’t seem seasoned. But this is a minor defect for an overall satisfactory children’s film.