Amaltash is a Marathi film starring Rahul Deshpande (of Me Vasantrao fame). It was made in 2018 but got a release in cinemas this year, on March 8. Thankfully, the film doesn’t look dated at all. It is the story of a Canada-based Indian-origin girl who visits her hometown, Pune, and meets a localite, who’s a gifted musician. It is a sweet and simple flick; the conversations that the protagonists have and the music element give a lovely déjà vu of Before Sunrise and Begin Again. It’s heartening to see the way the characters live their lives and are there for each other through thick and thin. Though it’s just 111 minutes long, it still feels like a lengthy affair in places. The ending is different and might not be acceptable to a section of the audience. Rahul Deshpande delivers a worthy performance and keeps his act quite real. Pallavi Paranjape, too, puts her best foot forward. Deepti Mate (Deepti), Bhushan Marathe (Pawan), Omkar Thatte (Deepti's husband) and Raghunandan Kulkarni (Amol) leave a huge mark. Trisha Kunte (Dimple) and Pratibha Padhye (Ajju) are cute. All in all, Amaltash is a feel-good, touching flick. It is running with selected shows in Maharashtra; do give it a try if it plays in a theatre near you. And do book in advance; the film is attracting a good amount of crowd.

My rating - *** ½ out of 5!