Ravi Jadhav’s Nude starring Kalyanee Mulay and Chhaya Kadam, tells the story of Yamuna (Kalyanee), who leaves her abusive husband and travels to Mumbai with her son. In order to gather funds to educate her son, Yamuna starts working as a nude model, in the prestigious J.J School of Arts. She is supported by her friend Chandrakka (Chhaya), who works in the same profession.

Watch the film here.

Through Yamuna’s journey, Ravi sheds light on our patriarchal and hypocritical society. It also attempts to break the stereotype of nudity being synonymous with vulgarity. We look at the 5 best scenes from the film, starting with this one where Yamuna confronts her husband, after discovering that he has been cheating on her. Yamuna’s rage and aggressiveness here will send a chill down your spine.

Yamuna comes to terms with the fact that being a nude model can get her the money she desires to support her son. But she is hesitant, as she’s scared of the ridicule she might face in her community. She is also extremely conscious of her body. In this scene, we see her taking a bath and it’s synonymous with how she is becoming more self aware and trying to lose her inhibitions. This scene aims to subtly depict Yamuna’s catharsis and has been shot beautifully.

Chandrakka is Yamuna’s anchor and her only support system. In this scene, they both pose together in an art class. The scene is symbolic of the great bond they share as women, fighting a patriarchal society. So comfortable are the two together, that they have no qualms about being naked with each other. It’s a powerful scene depicting that Chandrakka and Yamuna’s friendship transcends the normal boundaries of love and trust.

Though Yamuna starts doing well professionally, she is in a personal turmoil because of the constant backlash she faces from society. She is time and again called characterless and morally lose. The stress and pressure gets to Yamuna and she decides to take her own life. In this scene, she takes a walk on the seashore with a student, whom she grows close to during art classes. He leaves her for bit to get a cup of tea, and Yamuna seizes the opportunity to do what she has decided.

She keeps walking into the sea and doesn’t return. This scene is heartbreaking and you can’t help but sympathise with Yamuna’s struggle.

Yamuna’s son grows up to become a hooligan. He and a bunch of friends decide to attend an exhibition, after they discover that it will display nude paintings. The boy gets turned on while looking at the paintings and is in disbelief when he comes across his mother’s portrait amongst the collection. This scene sheds light on the hypocrisy that exists in our society.

Yamuna’s son didn’t refrain from watching Nude paintings and pleasuring himself, till he came across his own mother’s picture. In that instance, she became “characterless” to him. His thought process reflects men’s double standards where they watch porn films but refer to the actresses as ‘whores.’

Watch the film above and tell us about your favourite scene in the comments section below. For more entertainment, check out the collection of fun Marathi films on ZEE5 here.