Duniyadari

Duniyadari ( Worldliness) is a 2013 Indian Marathi-language coming-of-age romantic comedy drama film directed by Sanjay Jadhav and produced by Deepak Rane under Dreaming 24/7 Productions. It is considered to be a cult film in Marathi cinema. The film stars an ensemble cast of Swapnil Joshi, Ankush Chaudhari, Urmila Kanitkar Kothare, Sai Tamhankar, Jitendra Joshi, Sushant Shelar, Uday Sabnis, Uday Tikekar, Varsha Usgaonkar, Sandeep Kulkarni, and Nagesh Bhosle. The film is based on the novel of the same name by late author Suhas Shirvalkar and ran for more than 100 days in cinemas. The film is about the journey of everyone which eventually makes them realise the true face of life.

The film was theatrically released on 19 July 2013. It was a commercial success, as the film grossed over inr 300000000 at the box office. This is the only Indian film of the decade (2010–2020) which has completed 50 weeks in cinemas and had the most collection at the box office for a film in Marathi which was broken by Timepass in 2014, again by Lai Bhaari, and again by Sairat in 2016. The film was remade in Kannada in 2017 as Noorondu Nenapu, and in Gujarati as Duniyadari.

Plot
The film opens with grandmother Shirin with a streak of grey accompanying grandfather Pritam to Pune, grandchildren in tow. The story traces itself back to presumably the late 1970s (seen through the bell-bottom pants on the gentlemen and the polka-dot dresses and "Asha Parekh" salwar kameezes on the ladies). Nothing is spelt out, but each character and its relevance in the plot is unveiled through the narrative that revolves around Shreyas Talwalkar, a youngster in his early 20s from Mumbai, who is caught up in a bitter relationship with his father, Sudhir, and his mother, Rani. After scoring poor passing marks in graduation, Shreyas is forcefully admitted by his mother into the S. P. College in Pune for his post-graduation. After arriving in Pune, Shreyas finds his accommodation in a college hostel and encounters the rowdy and notorious Digambar Shankar Patil, also known as Digya, and his hangout gang consisting of Ashkya, Nitya, Sorry, Shree and Umya, a bunch of hooligans. Digya is in relationship with his long-time neighbourhood friend, Surekha Bhate, who is also a part of the gang. The hangout gang members add vibrant colours to the otherwise disturbed life of Shreyas, who is from a rich family but is deprived of love and friendship. A do-gooder standing tall for friendships, Shreyas becomes the voice of reason for the rustic gang of the creepy Saainath Dedgaonkar, also known as Saai, who is Digya's archrival and the son of a local politician, Diwakarrao Dedgaonkar.

Soon, the hangout gang of Digya comes across the brother and sister duo of Pritam and Shirin Ghatge, who are the children of a renowned MLA from Kolhapur, Vinayakrao Ghatge, who has mercilessly disowned his own daughter. Pritam is also a student of post-graduate studies and becomes friendly with Shreyas and his other friends, while Shirin is a medical student and a frequent visitor to their college. Shreyas falls in love at first sight with Shirin and their friendship grows. After Inspector Ramesh Inamdar slaps Shreyas for misdemeanour, Digya and his friends advise Shreyas to flirt with his beautiful daughter, Meenakshi, also known as Meenu, as a challenge to teach a lesson to her adamant father. However, Meenu falls in love with Shreyas in the process at the expense of Shirin which creates a love triangle. Jealous about the growing friendship between Digya and Shreyas, Ashkya breaks away from the gang and joins Saai's group. On Shirin's birthday, Shreyas is shocked to discover that her father has arranged her marriage with Saai against her wishes. Watching Shreyas coming closer to Meenu, Shirin reluctantly accepts Saai's proposal and brings Meenu closer to Shreyas with the help of Pritam. As Shirin repeatedly rejects his advances, Shreyas faces a dilemma and miserably declares his love for Meenu in the presence of Shirin while wishing neither of them to be unhappy. Meanwhile, Digya is devastated to find Surekha will marry a stranger at the behest of her father, Anna Bhate, who does not approve of Digya.

After his father's untimely death, Shreyas' mother reveals to him that she was deeply in love with his namesake, Shreyas Gokhale, during her college days and that her family arranged her marriage with Shreyas' father against her wishes. Shreyas' mother made a deal with his father that he will reject her proposal and unite her with her true love, but was miserably cheated along with marriage between the two, causing Shreyas' mother to name her son after her former love in revenge. Following this revelation, Shreyas has a sudden change of attitude and returns to Pune with his changed plan. Meanwhile, Meenu's father discovers her relationship with Shreyas and forbids her from meeting him. However, Meenu escapes from home and decides to marry Shreyas, but he worriedly confesses to Meenu that he is not worthy of her, and requests her to leave him and find some suitable life partner for herself. Soon, a dejected Shreyas tries to board a train back to Mumbai, when Shirin arrives at the railway station on time and confronts him over his feelings, but Saai intervenes and teasingly announces that he will marry Shirin in Kolhapur. After his departure from the train, Shreyas encounters MK, a depressed alcoholic, whom he had previously met at a local bar. MK is seemingly trying to recover from the loss of his love and shockingly commits suicide by jumping out from the train right in front of the eyes of Shreyas.

After his dead body is recovered at the next railway station, Shreyas goes through MK's wallet in search of his family's contacts, when he is shocked to come across his mother's photograph in her youth, realising that MK was none other than his namesake and his mother's ex-lover, "Shreyas Gokhale". Shreyas cremates MK's dead body and overcomes his fear and hesitation to unite himself with Shirin, recalling MK's last words in the train that the world is full of love but one should be determined to successfully gain his love at any cost. On the day of Shirin and Saai's marriage, Shreyas arrives at the ceremony in Kolhapur and proposes to Shirin with a heavy heart, causing her father to furiously slap her and Saai to make his henchmen brutally attack Shreyas. However, Pritam, Digya and the reformed Ashkya motivate Shreyas to fight against Saai and his gang and they all manage to defeat Saai. Finally, Shreyas takes Shirin away with him from the marriage ceremony and the two get married. After a few days, Shirin falls pregnant with Shreyas' child and is aware that Shreyas is the patient of a terminal illness (probably blood cancer) and has only few months or a year to live. At this point, Shreyas expresses his last wish to Shirin that all his friends should reunite at their hangout each year on his birthday and recall his memories. The film moves back to the present and ends with a touching scene where Shirin, Pritam, Digya, Meenu and all the other friends, now in their early 50s, meet at the same hangout of their former college campus on Shreyas' birthday and express all their feelings for him.

Cast

 * Swapnil Joshi as Shreyas Talwalkar
 * Ankush Chaudhari as Digambar Shankar Patil (DSP . Digya)
 * Sai Tamhankar as Shirin Ghatge
 * Urmila Kanitkar Kothare as Meenakshi Inamdar       ( Meenu)
 * Jitendra Joshi as Saainath Dedgaonkar as ( Sai)
 * Sushant Shelar as Pritam Ghatge (Shirin's brother)
 * Uday Sabnis as Inspector Ramesh Inamdar (Meenu's father)
 * Uday Tikekar as Sudhir Talwalkar (Shreyas' father)
 * Varsha Usgaonkar as Rani Patkar Talwalkar (Shreyas' mother)
 * Sandeep Kulkarni as Shreyas Gokhale / MK (Rani's ex-lover)
 * Nagesh Bhosale as Vinayakrao Ghatge (Shirin and Pritam's father)
 * Shrirang Deshmukh as Diwakarrao Dedgaonkar (Saai's father)
 * Richa Pariyalli as Surekha Bhate (Digya's lover)
 * Sunil Godbole as Anna Bhate (Surekha's father)
 * Yogesh Shirsat as Shree
 * Nitesh Kalbande as Nitesh ( Nitya)
 * Ajinkya Joshi as Ashok (Ashkya)
 * Pranav Raorane as (Sunil (Bhonsale)
 * Rajesh Bhosle as Umesh ( Umya)
 * Anand Abhyankar as Dean of S. P. College (voiceover by Girish Oak)

Character Analysis

 * Shreyas Talwalkar (Swapnil Joshi) - Shreyas, the protagonist, is an innocent, shy, and introverted young man who comes from a dysfunctional family. He has always been deprived of love and affection from his parents. Shreyas is a sensitive and emotional character who seeks companionship and understanding from his friends. Throughout the movie, he evolves as a person, learning to stand up for himself, and eventually finds love and a sense of belonging.
 * Digambar Shankar Patil / DSP Digya (Ankush Chaudhari) - Digambar Shankar Patil, also known as Digya, is a flamboyant and charming character who becomes Shreyas' close friend. He is a popular and influential figure in college, known for his carefree attitude and notorious behaviour. Despite his tough exterior, Digya has a soft side, especially toward his friends. He plays a significant role in helping Shreyas find his way in college and in life.
 * Shirin Ghatge (Sai Tamhankar) - Shirin is a strong, independent, and confident young woman who is admired by many. She is Shreyas's love interest and plays a crucial role in his emotional development. Shirin helps Shreyas come out of his shell and teaches him to express his feelings. However, she has her own emotional baggage and struggles with her feelings for Shreyas and her past relationship with Saai.
 * Meenakshi Inamdar / Meenu (Urmila Kanitkar Kothare) - Meenu is a sweet, caring, and supportive character who is in love with Shreyas. She is always there for him, even when he is oblivious to her feelings. Meenu's unrequited love for Shreyas adds an emotional layer to the story, showcasing the complexities of love and friendship.
 * Saainath Dedgaonkar / Saai (Jitendra Joshi) - Saai is the antagonist of the film and is a merciless and arrogant youngster who has a fierce rivalry with Digya. He proposes to Shirin through his political connections and is also known and respected in college. His character represents the darker side of humanity and serves as a catalyst for the events that unfold in the film.

Production
Sanjay Jadhav ace cameraman of films like Dombivali Fast, Jogwa, Mumbai Meri Jaan and director of Checkmate, Ringa Ringa, Fakta Ladh Mhana is the man behind the production house Dreaming 24/7. What makes Duniyadari more special with Jadhav's directing is the plot inspired from one of the all-time best seller's Duniyadari by eminent writer late author Shri Suhas Shirvalkar.

The film was majorly shot in Pune. Sanjay Jadhav emphasized the importance of authentic settings for his film revolving around college life and youth. Initially opting for locations in Sangli and Kolhapur, logistical challenges led him to choose the Agricultural College in Pune. However, the location fee was exorbitant, equivalent to a Marathi film's entire budget. With assistance from Nitesh Rane's initiative, Maharashtra Kalanidhi, and support from Videocon, Jadhav managed to overcome financial hurdles and successfully shoot in Pune.

Release
Duniyadari was released on 19 July 2013 in the theatres in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa, Karnataka etc. On July 19th, the film opened with 140 screenings across 110 theaters, sparking overwhelming demand with sold-out shows everywhere. Within three days, the number of daily screenings surged to around 200, showcasing its immense popularity. The film acclaiming huge success outside Maharashtra. The film had a record 710 shows daily and more than 5,000 shows weekly across 270 theatres.

The film was re-released on 27 May 2024.

Critical reception
Aparna Phadke of The Times of India rated 3.0/5, praised Sanjay Jadhav's adeptness in crafting a friendship film, noting his success in portraying confusion, pathos, sacrifice, and the complexities of love effectively. However, he suggest that reducing the number of twists in the plot would make the film tighter and even more engaging for the audience. Saumitra Pote of Maharashtra Times rated 3/5 expressed that while the movie follows a predictable rhythm and achieves expected results, the ending is the only aspect that stands out as truly shocking. He feel that besides the main characters, the supporting cast seems one-dimensional, possibly due to neglect in costume design, which affects the emotional impact. However, despite these flaws, they still find the movie to be good overall, especially praised the quality of the songs.

Box office
The film collected inr 18000000 in the opening weekend.

Duniyadari was a huge commercial success in Marathi film industry grossed over inr 320000000 and become an all-time blockbuster.