Paani (film)

Paani (transl. Water) is an Indian Marathi-language drama film directed by Adinath Kothare^[1] and produced by Priyanka Chopra Jonas^[2] and Madhu Chopra under the banner of Purple Pebble Pictures.^[3][4] The film stars Addinath Kothare and Rucha Vaidya in Lead roles, While Subodh Bhave and Kishor Kadam appears in supporting roles. In 2019, the film won the National Film Awards for Best Film on Environment Conservation.^[3][5][6] Paani was released theatricaly on 18 October 2024.^[7] The film is based on the real-life efforts of activist Hanumant Kendre to improve the water supply in his drought-prone village in the Marathwada district. Pani movie is very inspirational movie for drought areas

Paani
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Adinath M. Kothare
Written by	Nitin Dixit
Produced by	Priyanka Chopra Jonas Madhu Chopra Neha Barjatya Rajjat Barjatya Mahesh Kothare Siddharth Chopra
Starring	Adinath Kothare Rucha Vaidya Subodh Bhave Kishor Kadam Rajit Kapur
Cinematography	Arjun Sorte
Edited by	Mayur Hardas Adinath Kothare
Music by	Gulraj Singh
Production companies	Purple Pebble Pictures Rajshri Entertainment Kothare Vision
Release date	18 October 2024 (2024-10-18)
Running time	148 minutes
Country	India
Language	Marathi

Plot

Addinath aka Hanumant Babu Kendre is an ordinary man living in a Nagderwadi, a village in Nanded, plagued with drought. Paani follows his journey towards making the village independent of water, all while dealing with local goons, a budding romance, and other disruptions of daily life.^[1] Hanumant Kendre’s marriage got called off by the girl Suvarna’s family due to water crisis in his drought prone village. Hanumant promised the girl that he would marry her the day he resolves this crisis in his village. "Will you wait for me?" He asked. What unfolded ahead is a breathtaking true story of human endeavour driven by love.

Cast

Main

• Subodh Bhave
• Kishor Kadam
• Adinath Kothare

Other

• Rucha Vaidya
• Rajit Kapur
• Nitin Dixit
• Sachin Goswami
• Mohanabai,
• Shripad Joshi
• Vikas Pandurang Patil.

Release

The film was screened at New York Film Festival in the United States of America and was awarded the Best Film on Environment/Conservation/Preservation at the 66th National Film Awards in 2019.^[1][3] The film was theatrically released on 18 October 2024.

Soundtrack

Track listing

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Singer(s)	Length
1.	"Paani - Title Track"	Adinath Kothare	Gulraj Singh	Shankar Mahadevan	3:35
2.	"Tujhya Sathin"	Adinath Kothare	Gulraj Singh	Gulraj Singh Shashaa Tirupati	2:56
3.	"Nachnar"	Manoj Yadav	Gulraj Singh	Aanandi Joshi Adarsh Shinde	3:14
Total length:					09:45

Awards

Year	Ceremony	Category	Recipient	Result	Ref.
2019	66th National Film Awards	Best Film on Environment Conservation/Preservation	Producer:Purple Pebble Pictures Director:Adinath Kothare	Won	[3]
2019	New York Indian Film Festival	Best Actor	Adinath Kothare	Won
2025	Maharashtra Times Sanman Awards	Best Film		Won
		Best Director		Won
		Best Writing	Nitin Dixit	Won
		Best Music	Gulraj Singh	Won

Reception

Critical reception

Siddhant Adlakha of Firstpost stated, "On paper, Paani amounts to a linear tale of steely determination overcoming the odds. However, in Adinath Kothare’s hands, it’s a nuanced character piece."^[4] Nandini Ramnath of Scroll.in wrote, "Despite being far too long and repetitive for its own good, the 148-minute Paani achieves what it sets out to do: it shows how a village joins forces to defeat a long-standing problem. Nitin Dixit’s screenplay laces a predictable plot with rich local flavour, which is enhanced by the Marathi dialect spoken in Marathwada.^[8] Ganesh Matkari of The Hollywood Reporter India called it a "balanced environmental drama." He further wrote, "Paani is largely successful in creating a plausible portrayal of a real-life crisis."^[9]

Box office

The film earned ₹28 lakh net collection in its opening weekend.^[10]