# Pinjra (पिंजरा)
**Pinjra** (पिंजरा; "Cage") is a 1972 Indian Marathi-language drama film directed and produced by [V. Shantaram](https://www.edgepedia.org/v-shantaram), about an upright village schoolteacher who falls for a traveling tamasha dancer and is destroyed by the relationship. It was a Marathi color film made after V. Shantaram's earlier Marathi color film Iye Marathichiye Nagari (1965), ran for a record 134 weeks in Pune, and won the National Film Award for Best Marathi Film in 1973.[1](https://dff.nic.in/images/Documents/20_IPCatalogue2014.pdf) • [2](https://scroll.in/reel/1022453/why-we-are-still-singing-the-songs-of-pinjara-50-years-after-its-release) • [3](https://artsandculture.google.com/story/the-life-times-of-v-shantaram-v-shantaram-motion-picture-scientific-research-and-cultural-foundation/FwUBzUD0r80sKQ?hl=en) • [17](https://vishwakosh.marathi.gov.in/22122/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | 31 March 1972 at Prabhat Theatre, Pune; 14 April 1972 in Mumbai at Plaza (Dadar), Bharatmata (Lalbaug), and Central (Girgaon)[4](https://www.esakal.com/premium-article/marathi-film-pinjaras-golden-jubilee-year-article-by-subhash-khutwad-hbk87) |
| First in color | It was V. Shantaram's later color film, following *Iye Marathichiye Nagari*; its success opened the color era in Marathi cinema[3](https://artsandculture.google.com/story/the-life-times-of-v-shantaram-v-shantaram-motion-picture-scientific-research-and-cultural-foundation/FwUBzUD0r80sKQ?hl=en) • [5](https://indiancine.ma/PFX/documents) • [17](https://vishwakosh.marathi.gov.in/22122/) |
| Source | A loose adaptation of the German film *The Blue Angel* (1930), itself based on Heinrich Mann's novel *Professor Unrat*[2](https://scroll.in/reel/1022453/why-we-are-still-singing-the-songs-of-pinjara-50-years-after-its-release) • [6](https://www.moviebuff.com/pinjra) |
| Lead cast | Shriram Lagoo as teacher Shridhar Pant (his film debut), Sandhya as the dancer Chandrakala, Nilu Phule as the dance troupe's leader[1](https://dff.nic.in/images/Documents/20_IPCatalogue2014.pdf) • [5](https://indiancine.ma/PFX/documents) |
| Music | Composed by Ram Kadam with lyrics by Jagdish Khebudkar; songs such as "Aali Thumkat Naar" and "Disla Ga Bai Disla" remained popular for decades[1](https://dff.nic.in/images/Documents/20_IPCatalogue2014.pdf) • [2](https://scroll.in/reel/1022453/why-we-are-still-singing-the-songs-of-pinjara-50-years-after-its-release) |
| Box office | Ran a record 134 weeks in Pune; over 20 centers celebrated its jubilee, and in five centers it ran for 50 weeks[2](https://scroll.in/reel/1022453/why-we-are-still-singing-the-songs-of-pinjara-50-years-after-its-release) • [7](https://www.mid-day.com/amp/mumbai/mumbai-news/article/v-shantaram-s-1972-marathi-classic-pinjra-still-draws-huge-crowds-17093192) |
| Award | National Film Award for Best Marathi Film, 1973[2](https://scroll.in/reel/1022453/why-we-are-still-singing-the-songs-of-pinjara-50-years-after-its-release) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
Shridhar Pant is a principled schoolteacher in a village that does not value his qualities. A tamasha troupe led by the dancer Chandrakala enters the village; infuriated by the entertainment, the teacher demolishes the troupe's temporary dwellings. Chandrakala stays on to take revenge, and adult-school students begin attending her performances. When she is injured during a show, the teacher aids her out of humanity and falls in love with her; he asks her to keep the relationship secret, but an enemy, Bajirao, sees him visiting her and tries to expose him.[8](https://www.justdial.com/streaming/watch-movies-online/Pinjra/1532672469322)
The film's title names its theme: the teacher is trapped in the cage of his desire for the dancer, and his moral, inner, and social downfall follows. In the ending, the teacher is implicated in the murder of a villager; Chandrakala reforms and tries to save him, but fails. According to the film's synopsis circulated at the [International Film Festival of India](https://www.edgepedia.org/international-film-festival-of-india), the teacher accepts punishment to preserve his ideal, and death frees both characters from their cages.[1](https://dff.nic.in/images/Documents/20_IPCatalogue2014.pdf) • [9](https://in.bookmyshow.com/movies/pinjara/ET00039959) The Indiancine.ma synopsis describes the ending more starkly: in his new identity the teacher is accused, and sentenced to death, for having murdered the teacher, that is, himself.[5](https://indiancine.ma/PFX/documents)
## Origin and adaptation
The story descends from [Heinrich Mann](https://www.edgepedia.org/heinrich-mann)'s 1905 German novel *Professor Unrat*, filmed by [Josef von Sternberg](https://www.edgepedia.org/josef-von-sternberg) as *The Blue Angel* (1930), in which a man ruins his life after falling into the attraction of a circus performer. Shantaram took this framework and set it in the tamasha, the popular folk musical theater of [Maharashtra](https://www.edgepedia.org/maharashtra), with the dancer performing lavani (Maharashtrian folk song-and-dance performance genre).[6](https://www.moviebuff.com/pinjra) • [10](https://www.esakal.com/manoranjan/kiran-shantaram-writes-pinjara-movie-entertainment-pjp78) • [2](https://scroll.in/reel/1022453/why-we-are-still-singing-the-songs-of-pinjara-50-years-after-its-release)
Credits for the writing differ among sources. The festival catalog credits the screenplay to Shankar Babaji Patel; the *Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema* credits the story to the Marathi filmmaker Anant Mane with dialogue by Shankar Patil; and the Cinemaazi record of the Hindi version lists Anant Mane as story writer with V. Shantaram on screenplay.[1](https://dff.nic.in/images/Documents/20_IPCatalogue2014.pdf) • [11](https://indiancine.ma/texts/indiancine.ma%3AEncyclopedia_of_Indian_Cinema/text.pdf) • [12](https://cinemaazi.com/public/film/pinjra-1972) A Marathi account states that Anant Mane turned Shantaram's story idea into the finished color film.[13](https://bolbhidu.com/pinjara-marathi-movie-completed-50-years/)
## Production and release
Shantaram made the film after his 1971 *Jal Bin Machhli Nritya Bin Bijli* failed commercially; accounts in the Marathi film trade say *Pinjra* was made to recover those losses.[14](https://maharashtratimes.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/bollywood-news/v-shantaram-made-pinjra-movie-to-compensate-for-lost-money/amp_articleshow/100526404.cms) [Principal photography](https://www.edgepedia.org/principal-photography) was held at Kolhapur, which then supported an active film industry.[7](https://www.mid-day.com/amp/mumbai/mumbai-news/article/v-shantaram-s-1972-marathi-classic-pinjra-still-draws-huge-crowds-17093192) The film was produced under Rajkamal Kalamandir and V. Shantaram Productions, with cinematography by [Shivaji Sawant](https://www.edgepedia.org/shivaji-sawant) and music by Ram Kadam.[1](https://dff.nic.in/images/Documents/20_IPCatalogue2014.pdf) • [6](https://www.moviebuff.com/pinjra)
The release came at a difficult moment: a severe drought spread misery across Maharashtra in March 1972, yet the film opened on the last day of the month to a strong response, carried by word of mouth in the pre-television era.[2](https://scroll.in/reel/1022453/why-we-are-still-singing-the-songs-of-pinjara-50-years-after-its-release) With 35 mm prints, wide release was hard to arrange; the production released 18 prints in Mumbai and other major cities of the state, and Shantaram chose the exhibition centers a year in advance to prepare them for the film.[7](https://www.mid-day.com/amp/mumbai/mumbai-news/article/v-shantaram-s-1972-marathi-classic-pinjra-still-draws-huge-crowds-17093192) His son Kiran Shantaram recalled that Shantaram paid from his own pocket to fit new projector lenses at cinema halls across Maharashtra so audiences got a good picture.[7](https://www.mid-day.com/amp/mumbai/mumbai-news/article/v-shantaram-s-1972-marathi-classic-pinjra-still-draws-huge-crowds-17093192)
A Hindi version, *Pinjda*, was released in 1973 with a longer running time of 186 minutes against the Marathi film's 175; it did not succeed, and trade talk held that it had been made chiefly to recoup the cost of the Marathi production.[11](https://indiancine.ma/texts/indiancine.ma%3AEncyclopedia_of_Indian_Cinema/text.pdf) • [13](https://bolbhidu.com/pinjara-marathi-movie-completed-50-years/)
## Music and legacy
Ram Kadam's songs with Jagdish Khebudkar's lyrics were central to the film's success. In the years after release, song requests on [All India Radio](https://www.edgepedia.org/all-india-radio)'s Marathi station were dominated by Kadam's *Pinjra* tunes, the most in-demand being "Disla Ga Bai Disla"; a Marathi periodical cartoon at the time used its lines to mock politicians absent during the drought.[2](https://scroll.in/reel/1022453/why-we-are-still-singing-the-songs-of-pinjara-50-years-after-its-release) Other songs include "Aali Thumkat Naar Lachkat Naar", "De Re Kanha Choli Ani Lugdi", "Chabidar Chabi Mi Toryat Ubhi", and "Tumhavar Keli Mi Marji Bahal".[15](https://marathi.abplive.com/entertainment/bollywood/marathi-film-pinjara-completes-51-years-dr-shreeram-lagoo-sandya-movie-1164151)
The film is treated as a milestone among Marathi films based on the tamasha tradition, and its success is credited with beginning the color era in [Marathi cinema](https://www.edgepedia.org/marathi-cinema).[2](https://scroll.in/reel/1022453/why-we-are-still-singing-the-songs-of-pinjara-50-years-after-its-release) • [5](https://indiancine.ma/PFX/documents) It also established [Shriram Lagoo](https://www.edgepedia.org/shriram-lagoo), already a major stage actor, in film; later tamasha films such as *Natarang* (2010) worked in a tradition it helped define.[5](https://indiancine.ma/PFX/documents) • [16](https://publications.waset.org/abstracts/search?q=Marathi+cinema) Decades later the film was restored and re-released, and it remains available on streaming platforms.[7](https://www.mid-day.com/amp/mumbai/mumbai-news/article/v-shantaram-s-1972-marathi-classic-pinjra-still-draws-huge-crowds-17093192) • [8](https://www.justdial.com/streaming/watch-movies-online/Pinjra/1532672469322)
## References
1. [Pinjara synopsis and credits, IFFI 2014 Indian Cinema catalogue, Directorate of Film Festivals](https://dff.nic.in/images/Documents/20_IPCatalogue2014.pdf)
2. [Why we are still singing the songs of 'Pinjara' decades after its release, Scroll.in (Yogesh Pawar, 24 April 2022)](https://scroll.in/reel/1022453/why-we-are-still-singing-the-songs-of-pinjara-50-years-after-its-release)
3. [The Life & Times of V. Shantaram, V. Shantaram Motion Picture Scientific Research and Cultural Foundation, Google Arts & Culture](https://artsandculture.google.com/story/the-life-times-of-v-shantaram-v-shantaram-motion-picture-scientific-research-and-cultural-foundation/FwUBzUD0r80sKQ?hl=en)
4. ['Tumhavar Keli Mi Marji Bahal...' golden jubilee article on Pinjara, Esakal (Subhash Khutwad, 18 April 2022)](https://www.esakal.com/premium-article/marathi-film-pinjaras-golden-jubilee-year-article-by-subhash-khutwad-hbk87)
5. [Pinjra (Hindi) (V. Shantaram) 1972, Indiancine.ma](https://indiancine.ma/PFX/documents)
6. [Pinjra (1972), Moviebuff.com](https://www.moviebuff.com/pinjra)
7. [V Shantaram's 1972 Marathi classic Pinjra still draws huge crowds, Mid-Day](https://www.mid-day.com/amp/mumbai/mumbai-news/article/v-shantaram-s-1972-marathi-classic-pinjra-still-draws-huge-crowds-17093192)
8. [Watch Pinjra (1972) Full Movie Online, Justdial Streaming](https://www.justdial.com/streaming/watch-movies-online/Pinjra/1532672469322)
9. [Pinjara, BookMyShow (re-release listing)](https://in.bookmyshow.com/movies/pinjara/ET00039959)
10. [Suvarnamahotsavi 'Pinjra', Esakal (Kiran Shantaram, 26 March 2022)](https://www.esakal.com/manoranjan/kiran-shantaram-writes-pinjara-movie-entertainment-pjp78)
11. [Pinjra entry, Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema, Indiancine.ma texts](https://indiancine.ma/texts/indiancine.ma%3AEncyclopedia_of_Indian_Cinema/text.pdf)
12. [Pinjra (1972) movie details, Cinemaazi](https://cinemaazi.com/public/film/pinjra-1972)
13. [10 interesting behind-the-scenes facts as Pinjara completed 50 years, Bolbhidu](https://bolbhidu.com/pinjara-marathi-movie-completed-50-years/)
14. [V Shantaram made Pinjra to compensate for lost money, Maharashtra Times](https://maharashtratimes.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/bollywood-news/v-shantaram-made-pinjra-movie-to-compensate-for-lost-money/amp_articleshow/100526404.cms)
15. [Pinjara Marathi Film completes 51 years, ABP Majha](https://marathi.abplive.com/entertainment/bollywood/marathi-film-pinjara-completes-51-years-dr-shreeram-lagoo-sandya-movie-1164151)
16. [Reviving Customs: Examining the Vernacular Habitus in Modern Marathi Film via the Tamasha Genre, WASET publications](https://publications.waset.org/abstracts/search?q=Marathi+cinema)
17. [vishwakosh.marathi.gov.in](https://vishwakosh.marathi.gov.in/22122/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Indian films (individual works) › Marathi films*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license