#sthal

I wish my scheduling had permitted me to watch more than one Marathi film this year, but the one I did watch was very good!

It was called स्थळ [sthaḷ] ("A Match"), and it was directed by Jayant Digambar Somalkar.

The film is set in rural Maharashtra - specifically in the region known as Vidarbha. The Wandhares, a family of cotton farmers, are desperately trying to marry off their daughter Savita, who, apart from being uninterested in arranged marriage, has a desire to study sociology and enter the civil services.

I found that the film arrayed a variety of emotions, starting off light and humorous and gradually deepening in its seriousness.

The core focus of the film is the rigidity of oppressive, patriarchal social structures in rural India and how impossible it is for individuals - both those rebellious and those complicit - to break free.

I really enjoyed the performances in the film, especially lead actor Savita Chikte, who I thought was effortlessly charming. I think the film is a 3.5/5 overall, so I really liked it and I would recommend it as one of the better Marathi films to watch!

Of special note is the authenticity of the language used in the film, which is the Vidarbha dialect of Marathi. The director is himself from this region, and so he sought to capture the language as well.

I was too engrossed to make notes on the dialect, but I noticed an increased smattering of Hindustani words, and also the use of राहणे [rāhṇe] (to stay) as a copula. For instance, the Marathi phrase "What have you done?", हे काय केले? [he kāy kele], may be rendered as हे काय करून राहिले [he kāy karūn rāhile].

aww, thank you so much, anon. I had so much fun doing this request that it came out longer than I thought oops. I swear I’ll try to do smaller replies in a future ;w;

Gaius’ partner kisses him secretly while he’s taking a nap on their lap. The sun burns heavily in their necks although the breeze is  pretty cool to be comfortable enough under a small tree. After a brief snack (which consist on a piece of strawberry cake) Gaius falls sleep onto his partner who runs their fingers around his ginger hair, lazy. None of them has said a word about their feelings but flirty replies to each other teasing and sneaky comments. Even so, the partner, dizzy due to the heat and the sweet, mellow smell of strawberries, leans and steals their first kiss. It’s fast and it tastes as sweet as they expected, but it’s also furtive and makes their heart beat faster. Not to mention that their heart almost stop when Gaius made a little sneak peek, ruffling his nose. 'W-why are you awake!?', the partner shouts, a hint of panic on their voice. ‘I always sleep with one eye open, you know. Due to my job, it’s usual to be stabbed while taking a nap. Now, do I have to worry about being kissed too? How dangerous!’ 'S-shut up! I didn’t want to… I'm sorry…' 'I'm not', Gaius replies, a kinky smirk before holding his partner face and licking their lips.

Chrom and his partner first kiss is a long one they share on a private strategy meeting. The partner was thinking to help Robin within the next battle’s strategy, so they requested Chrom’s help to fulfill some details and, of course, Chrom couldn’t say no to that hopeful, petty face his partner always makes when they request something. That night, after a brief dinner when all lights are off, Chrom helps his partner with a strategy he finds pretty solid already. After a few minutes, he notices his partner trembling hands moving around frenetically, as if they were trying to chase a fly. Chrom chuckles: ‘Are you trying to say something to me in sign language?’ His partner freezes and shakes their head really quickly. ‘No, no… it’s just… I- You probably think I’m weird… Geez, I know I’m not as good as Robin on thinking but-’, the partner starts to mumble incoherently. Chrom can almost feel their head burning. ‘You’re thinking too much’, he says frankly and flashes a warm smile that makes his partner melt. ‘I like you, Chrom. I like you so much it’s ridiculous. I’m sure it’s obvious. So, what should we-’ and before the partner can even finish the sentence, Chrom has already leaned to put a small kiss on his partner’s cheek before going to their mouth.

Sthal’s first kiss it’s somehow stealed by his partner while they’re cooking dinner together. His partner has always been naugthy and kinda spoiled due to they being the youngest among the shepards. That’s why he isn’t surprised at all when they come to the kitchen with a mischievous grin on their face. ‘What are you up to today?’, he asks. ‘Nothing’ ‘Nothing good, you mean’ ‘I mean nothing, trust me!’ Then, the partner starts to walk in circles around Sthal, who’s cutting carrots really carefully, following his partner with a dubious look. ‘Hey Sthal, do you need some help? I’m good at cutting things!’ ‘Well, yes. Actually, I’m so busy I can’t even go to the restroom. A little help would come in handy’ ‘Ah, but I want a reward’, the partner takes a knife and starts to peel a potato. A big, not even a bit innocent, smile makes Sthal hope for the worst to happen. ‘What do you want? And fyi, I can’t get you the Falchion. Chrom got really mad at me last time I borrowed it’ ‘It’s not the Falchion what I want’, says the partner going on their tiptoes and leaning onto Sthal’s face, biting their own lips on anticipation. Shthal snorts with laughter what makes his partner frown. ‘What?’ ‘I thought you wanted to steal me a kiss, don’t you? Go ahead’ He closes his eyes and lets his partner think they’re in command until he grabs their waist in a solid grip and bends over the table. Sometimes his partner forget how much Stahl likes to play too.