Mala Aai Vhhaychy!
{{short description|2011 Marathi drama film}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2015}}
{{Use Indian English|date=November 2015}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Mala Aai Vhhaychay!
| image = Mala aai vhhaychy.jpg
| alt =
| caption = Poster
| director = Samruoddhi Porey
| producer = Samruoddhi Porey
| writer = Samruoddhi Porey
| based_on =
| starring =
| music = Ashok Patki
| cinematography = Rahul Jadhav
| editing = Deven Murdeshwar
| studio =
| distributor =
| released = {{Film date|2011|2|11|df=y}}
| runtime =
| country = India
| language = Marathi
| budget =
| gross =
}}
Mala Aai Vhhaychay! ({{trans}} I Want to Be a Mother!) is a 2011 Indian Marathi-language film produced and directed by Samruoddhi Porey. The story deals with rising surrogacy instances in India, where women are used as surrogates by foreigners. The film is an emotional drama telling the story of one such surrogate who bears a foreigner's child.{{cite news|url=http://www.dnaindia.com/entertainment/report_medical-based-films-take-centre-stage-in-marathi-cinema_1510435 |title=Medical-based films take centre stage in Marathi cinema |newspaper=DNA India |accessdate=22 Dec 2011 |author=Pallavi Kharade |date=20 Feb 2011}}
The film is critically acclaimed and won National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Marathi in 2011.{{cite web|title=58th National Film Awards, 2010|url=http://dff.nic.in/Press%20Release%20-%2058th%20National%20Film%20Awards%20Winners%202010.pdf}} It was remade in Telugu as Welcome Obama in 2013,{{cite AV media |url-status = live |archive-url = https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/qr4Z-HS_GoU |archive-date = 2021-12-11| url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qr4Z-HS_GoU |title = Welcome Obama Theatrical Trailer - Singeetham Srinivasa Rao |website=YouTube}}{{cbignore}} in Malayalam as Lucky Star, and in Hindi as Mimi in 2021.
Plot
Mary comes to India for a surrogate mother to bear a child. She finds a poor woman Yashoda who accepts the offer. Yashoda gets pregnant successfully. During her pregnancy, doctors inform Mary and Yashoda that due to some complications, the child would probably be born with disabilities. Mary decides to abandon the contract and leaves India though the pregnant Yashoda begs her not to leave. A few years later, Mary decides to return and look for her child.
The film shows the story from a legal and emotional perspective of whom the child should be with; his surrogate mother who raised him or his biological mother who has a blood relation with him.
Cast
- Urmila Kanetkar as Yashoda
- Stacy Bee as Mary
- Samruoddhi Porey as Nanda
- Aiden Barkley as Madhav
- Vivek Raut as Ganpath
- Sulbha Deshpande as Sindhu tai
- Akshay Deshpande
- Shreya Porey
- Suchitra Bandekar
- Matt Ridde
- Rupali Modak
- Atul Bhardwaj
- Sandip Rajput
- Ronit Malode
- Srushti Porey
- Shubhankar Raut
- Nakshatra Rajgire
- Sumit Ghom
Production
The writer-director-producer of the film, Samruoddhi Porey is a practicing lawyer in Bombay High Court. The story of the film is based on one of the surrogacy cases she came across.
The film completed its shooting in the rural areas near Melghat-Chikhaldara of Amravati district in Maharashtra.{{cite news|url=http://www.deccanherald.com/content/110072/american-child-actor-surprises-fluent.html |title=American child actor surprises with fluent Marathi |newspaper=Deccan Herald |accessdate=22 Dec 2011}}
Aiden Barkley, who plays the role of a 4-year-old surrogate child hails from Washington DC. He was selected for the role because of his blonde looks and was then tutored in Marathi, especially the Warhadi dialect. Aiden's father Matt also appears in the film. Matt and his spouse confirmed that Aiden himself was a surrogate child born in India and they were back in India to have their second surrogate child when Porey noticed Aiden and approached them for the role.
Awards and recognition
The film won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Marathi. The film was also selected to be shown to President Obama by President Pratibha Patil.{{cite news|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/Entertainment/RegionalFlavours/Obama-watches-Mala-Aai-Vhhaychy/Article1-624368.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101124124430/http://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/regionalflavours/Obama-watches-Mala-Aai-Vhhaychy/Article1-624368.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-date=24 November 2010 |title=Obama watches Mala Aai Vhhaychy |newspaper= Hindustan Times|author=Priyanka Jain |date= 11 Nov 2010 |accessdate= 22 Dec 2011}}
Soundtrack
The music of the film is composed by Ashok Patki on lyrics written by Samruoddhi Porey. Kunal Ganjawala and Vaishali Samant have sung the songs.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb title|1772303|Mala Aai Vhhaychy!}}
- {{Official website|http://www.malaaaivhhaychythefilm.com/}}
{{National Film Award Best Feature Film Marathi}}
Category:Marathi films remade in other languages
Category:Best Marathi Feature Film National Film Award winners
Category:Indian pregnancy films