Start the week with a film: In ‘Unaad', the tug between heart and head

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07-07-2025

Aditya Sarpotdar's surprise hit Munjya (2024) is set in the Konkan and is based on that region's folklore. While Sarpotdar has directed other works in Hindi, his previous films suggest that he is more comfortable in his native language, Marathi.
Sarpotdar's Unaad (2023) is also set in the Konkan. Unaad is a more deeply rooted film than Munjya, making good use of picturesque locations and fishing community culture to explore the travails of its hot-headed and angsty hero.
Unaad was dumped on JioCinema rather than being released in cinemas. The Marathi film continues to be available on JioCinema's new avatar, JioHotstar.
The title translates into tramp, rowdy, layabout. It fits Shubham (Ashitosh Gaikwad), a school dropout who whiles away his days and nights rather than working with his fisherman father. Shubham hates the sea, holding it responsible for his father's lengthy absences from his family.
The theme of absent fathers unites Shubham and his friends Bandya (Abhishek Bharate) and Jameel (Chinmay Jadhav). Bandya's mother (Devika Daftardar) runs the household. Jameel's father is away in Kuwait, with Jameel expected to follow him there.
Shubham's troubles begin when he develops a crush on Swara (Hemal Ingle), who has recently moved to the fishing village. It gets worse when Shubham shoots a video of a couple and it goes viral, leading to scandal and possible police action against Shubham.
Written by Saurabh Bhave, Kalyani Pandit and Guru Thakur, Unaad skilfully reveals how the friendship between the three young men teeters after Shubham's misguided actions. Robbed of his support network, Shubham is forced to face his immaturity.
The sea serves as both a backdrop and a metaphor for Shubham's coming-of-age experience. While Unaad focuses on Shubham, the film makes room for the journeys of his friends too, particularly Jameel.
Shubham is movingly played by Ashitosh Gaikwad, with fine turns too by the rest of the cast. Aditya Sarpotdar's emotionally affecting film packs into 104 minutes a great many details of the ways of the fishing village and their specific concerns. While the movie features the variant of Marathi spoken in these parts, one of the most beautifully staged scenes has no dialogue at all – just an exchange of looks that suggest remorse and a new beginning.
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