# Ashi Hi Banwa Banwi

Ashi Hi Banwa Banwi (translation: This Is Being Street–Smart) is a 1988 Indian Marathi-language comedy buddy film directed by Sachin Pilgaonkar and produced by Kiran Shantaram under the production banner of V. Shantaram Productions. Widely regarded as one of the greatest comedy films in Marathi cinema industry, it stars an ensemble cast of Ashok Saraf, Sachin Pilgaonkar, Laxmikant Berde, Siddharth Ray, Ashwini Bhave, Supriya Pilgaonkar, Priya Arun, Nivedita Joshi, Nayantara, Viju Khote, and Sudhir Joshi.
The film follows the core plot from the 1966 Hindi film Biwi Aur Makan, directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee. Remade in several languages such as Olu Saar Bari Olu (2003) in Kannada, Paying Guests (2009) in Hindi, Mr & Mrs 420 (2014) in Punjabi, Jio Pagla (2017) in Bengali. The film was also an inspiration for the 1991 Telugu film Chitram Bhalare Vichitram, which was remade in Kannada as Bombat Hendthi (1992) and in Tamil as Aanazhagan (1995).
Ashi Hi Banwa Banwi achieved cult status in Marathi cinema due to its overwhelming reception.

## Plot

Dhananjay Mane is a street-smart salesman in a cosmetics store in Pune and is secretly in love with his employer, Madhuri. He is the sole tenant of a stingy landlord, Mr. Vishwasrao Sarpotdar, and soon joined in Pune by his younger brother, Shantanu, who is a medical student from Miraj. Though prohibited by Mr. Sarpotdar, Dhananjay and Shantanu allow their childhood friends, Sudhir and Parshuram, who is also known as Parshya, to secretly live with them since they have come to Pune from Kolhapur in search of jobs. Sudhir has been miserably disowned by his old, abusive uncle (Suhas Bhalekar) for his negligence towards job and income and participation in the typical village dance programs out of interest. Meanwhile, Parshya worked as a domestic worker for Chhaburao, a theatre contractor, who fired him from his job after he discovered that Parshya is in love with his daughter, Kamli. One midnight, Dhananjay, Sudhir and Parshya majorly insult Mr. Sarpotdar in a drunken state and are taken away from his house by Shantanu, who arrives at the scene a little late. Enraged by the harassment and deceit, Mr. Sarpotdar angrily storms into the room of the four friends the next day and orders them all to vacate the place within four days.
After several unsuccessful attempts in finding rented accommodation, Dhananjay and Shantanu finally reach the bungalow of a rich, old, kind and cataractic widow, Leelabai Kalbhor, who lives with her shrewd domestic worker, Tanu (Gulab Korgaonkar), and is often harassed for her property by her estranged nephew, Bali. She is willing to rent some rooms in her bungalow provided that her tenants are married couples. In an attempt to comply with Leelabai's condition, Dhananjay and Shantanu have no other option, but to force Sudhir and Parshya to dress as women and thus begins the comedy of errors. Parshya shaves off his moustache and transforms himself into "Parvati", Dhananjay's wife, while Sudhir transforms himself into "Sudha", Shantanu's wife. Shortly after the arrival of the four friends at Leelabai's bungalow as "married couples", Leelabai's niece, Manisha and her childhood friend, Sushma, who is coincidentally Shantanu's girlfriend from Miraj, also arrive to stay with Leelabai for many months.
Sudhir, now a successful singer and music educator, falls in love with Manisha and courts her in his original form, stating that he is the twin brother of Sudha and that he had disapproved of her marriage with Shantanu and is thus not on talking terms with them both. On the other hand, Shantanu, having passed to become a successful doctor, narrates a fake story of the deadly stomach cancer of Sudha in front of Sushma since she is deeply upset at his betrayal with her and his marriage with Sudha. Elsewhere, Parshya reunites with Kamli when she comes to Pune with Chhaburao's theatre troupe and also shares the news of Parshya having become a successful playwright back in Kolhapur. Meanwhile, Madhuri is heartbroken to see Dhananjay married with Parvati during her visit at Leelabai's bungalow, but Dhananjay confides the truth in Madhuri through a letter and the two confess their love for each other. While the four friends develop a bond of motherly love with Leelabai, Tanu reveals Parvati and Sudha's identities to Bali after she notices Parshya's wig and Sudhir wearing earrings while jumping out from the bungalow window in his original form and the two plan to teach the four friends a lesson.
Eventually, the four friends decide to leave Leelabai's bungalow after finding a new accommodation with the help of Madhuri and stage a drama in front of Leelabai for their way out. However, in the process, the four friends are unfortunately attacked and exposed by Bali and his henchmen in front of Leelabai, Manisha and Sushma, and are handed over to the police brought in by Tanu for their crimes. However, at the police station, Leelabai surprisingly disowns Bali as her nephew and absolves the four friends of their deceit instead, since she feels from the bottom of her heart that they cheated on her out of their desperate need for a roof over their heads. She also accepts the truth that their intention was not to steal from her or take advantage of her cataract and only treated her like their own mother. Hence, Leelabai decides to take the four friends in as her own sons with the collective marriage of Dhananjay and Madhuri, Sudhir and Manisha, Parshya and Kamli, and Shantanu and Sushma. The film ends with the all four newlymarried couples taking a family photograph along with Leelabai.

## Cast

* Ashok Saraf as Dhananjay Mane
* Sachin Pilgaonkar as Sudhir / Sudha Mane (fake)
* Laxmikant Berde as Parshuram (a.k.a. Parshya) / Parvati Mane (fake)
* Siddharth Ray as Shantanu Mane
* Ashwini Bhave as Madhuri
* Supriya Pilgaonkar as Manisha
* Priya Arun as Kamli
* Nivedita Joshi as Sushma
* Nayantara as Leelabai Kalbhor (landlady)
* Viju Khote as Bali Kalbhor (Leelabai's estranged nephew)
* Sudhir Joshi as Mr. Vishwasrao Sarpotdar (landlord)
* Lata Thatte as Mrs. Sarpotdar (Mr. Sarpotdar's wife)
* Gulab Korgaonkar as Tanu (Leelabai's shrewd domestic worker)
* Jairam Kulkarni as Chhaburao (Kamli's father)

### Cameo appearances

* Suhas Bhalekar as Sudhir's old abusive uncle
* Bipin Varti as Police Inspector
* Madhu Apte as visitor at Sudhir's workplace
* Avinash thakur as shop member
* Chintu dhavale as car driver

### Character analysis

* Dhananjay Mane – The character of Dhananjay is portrayed by Ashok Saraf. Dhananjay is an equal bit of serious as well as witty. He is very quick with his words and even has a romantic side to him.
* Sudhir / Sudha Mane (fake) – The character of Sudhir is portrayed by Sachin Pilgaonkar. Sudhir is interested in music and will go to any extent to protect his loved ones. Sachin Pilgaonkar's ace acting skills ensured that despite being dressed as a woman for most part of the movie, the audience could see a glimpse of Sudhir quite clearly.
* Parshuram (a.k.a. Parshya) / Parvati Mane (fake) – The character of Parshya is portrayed by Laxmikant Berde. Laxmikant Berde's well-timed comedy and his stellar screen presence are what made the character of Parshya popular. He was a delight to watch despite having to dress as a woman for most parts of the movie. Parshya is quite sensitive and has a flair for writing. He is romantic, but also very understanding.
* Shantanu Mane – The character of Shantanu is portrayed by Siddharth Ray. Shantanu is the youngest in the friends and also very serious when it comes to his studies. He is a medical student but is also a fun-loving youngster. He is great at improvising as well.
* Madhuri – The character of Madhuri is portrayed by Ashwini Bhave. Madhuri is an employer woman but secretly loves her employee. She is focused and dedicated, yet she has a soft heart.
* Manisha – The character of Manisha is portrayed by Supriya Pilgaonkar. Manisha is a bubbly and happy girl with big dreams. She knows exactly what she desires and is not afraid to go after it.
* Kamli – The character of Kamli is portrayed by Priya Arun. Kamli is a soft-hearted girl but would stand up for what she believes in and would do anything for her closed ones.
* Sushma – The character of Sushma is portrayed by Nivedita Joshi. Sushma is very understanding as well as an independent girl. She is kind and values people and relationships.
* Leelabai Kalbhor – The character of Leelabai Kalbhor is portrayed by Nayantara. Leelabai is very innocent and trusts people easily. She is kind and a maternal figure to her tenants.
* Bali Kalbhor – The character of Bali Kalbhor is portrayed by Viju Khote. Bali is the antagonist who does not value relations and is a spoilt brat. However, he is also filled with vengeance and would go to any extent for the sake of money.
* Mr. Vishwasrao Sarpotdar – The character of Mr. Vishwasrao Sarpotdar is portrayed by Sudhir Joshi. Mr. Sarpotdar is a petty man with a loudmouth, who wants to profit from every situation and is always looking for the easy way out.
* Mrs. Sarpotdar – The character of Mrs. Sarpotdar is portrayed by Lata Thatte. Mrs. Sarpotdar is quite traditional and easygoing compared to her husband.
* Tanu – The character of Tanu is portrayed by Gulab Korgaonkar. Tanu is a grey character in the movie and was quite good at establishing her motive despite not having a lot of screen time.

## Production
### Development and casting

Sachin chose to play the role of Sudhir/Sudha himself. Ashok Saraf was cast as Dhananjay Mane, marking his third collaboration with Sachin. Laxmikant Berde was selected for the role of Parshuram/Parvati and felt thrilled when Sachin recommended him for the film. Initially enthusiastic, he became upset upon realizing he would have to portray a woman. However, Sachin reassured him by saying, "While people might enjoy seeing me in a female role, you'll likely receive even more appreciation for your portrayal of Parvati." Producer Kiran Shantaram recommended Siddharth Ray for the role of Shantanu to Sachin. Supriya Pilgaonkar and Nivedita Joshi were chosen for the roles of Manisha and Sushma, respectively. Nayantara was offered the role of Leelabai Kalbhor. Kishori Shahane was the initial choice for Madhuri, but after she declined, the role went to Ashwini Bhave. The film also marked the debut of Priya Arun. Viju Khote was cast as Villain.

### Dubbing

All the actors in the film provided their own dubbing, except for Priya Berde, whose character Kamli was voiced by Shubhangi Rawate. This was because the film's climax was re-shot for some reason, and by that time, Priya was on her scheduled theatre tour.

## Soundtrack

The lyrics were penned by Shantaram Nandgaonkar and Sudhir Moghe. The song "Hridayi Vasant Phulatana" was sung by Anuradha Paudwal, Suresh Wadkar, Sudesh Bhosale, Uttara Kelkar, Shailendra Singh, Amit Kumar, Suhasini, Aparna Mayekar and Sachin Pilgaonkar.

### Track listing

All music is composed by Arun Paudwal

## Legacy

Ashi Hi Banwa Banwi remains a significant work in Marathi cinema, influencing comedic storytelling and cultural discourse. Renowned for its blend of humor, relatable characters, and witty dialogues, the film has achieved cult classic status. Iconic lines, such as Dhananjay Mane Ithech Rahtat Ka? (Does Dhananjay Mane live here?) have permeated popular culture, frequently quoted in various contexts. The film effectively reflects the social dynamics of its time, addressing gender roles and societal expectations through humor, with its portrayal of men dressing as women paving the way for more inclusive narratives in Marathi cinema. Featuring strong performances from actors like Ashok Saraf, Sachin, and Laxmikant Berde, the film showcased exceptional comedic timing, influencing future generations of actors. The writing and direction set a benchmark for Marathi comedy, demonstrating how humor can address serious themes without losing its light-hearted essence. The film has inspired many subsequent works exploring similar themes of identity and family dynamics, solidifying its place as a reference point for filmmakers.
Even decades after its release, the film enjoys enduring popularity through reruns on television and screenings at cultural festivals. Additionally, it has spawned memorabilia and merchandise, reflecting its status as a beloved classic.