Grand feat

“The self-pitying Marathi manoos has been putting the blame on outsiders for their problems instead of doing something about it. To shake up this attitude,I required someone talking to them. Though Maharashtra has produced a number of great leaders,Shivaji Maharaj was the obvious choice as the horse-riding hero is cinematically most delightful,” says the actor-director,who plays the great warrior in this Marathi blockbuster.

Now,seated at a café overlooking Shivaji Park — Manjrekar’s home for the past four years—the filmmaker seems to be revelling in the film’s success. But while doing the film,he knew that playing the widely-revered Shivaji was a big risk. And putting Rs 3.8 crore in a Marathi film was an even bigger risk. “I knew,I will be facing hell if anything went wrong. But the good thing is that there is no documentary proof of how Shivaji conducted himself. So it was interesting to give his character a modern twist,” says Manjrekar about the portrayal of an up-to-date Shivaji.

Nearly a month after its release,it seems Manjrekar’s trick has worked. The film overtaken the Akshay Kumar-starrer 8X10 Tasveer’s earnings at the box-office by a huge margin; has got everybody talking; and continues to enjoy a successful run at theatres.

Its grand show has taken Manjrekar as well as the industry by a surprise. “We knew the film will do well,but never expected it to be such a big hit,” he says as dust storms cloud the nearby huge Shivaji statue. Unmindful of that he starts walking towards the installation—past the aspiring cricketers on the ground.

Considering the film’s message,it’s granted that it would draw political attention. Manjrekar says that though politicians agree with his views they may not support him. “Regional parties are the bane of national politics. When we have so many regional issues to deal with the national concerns are affected,” he says.

Spurred by the success of Mee Shivaji Raje Bhosle Boltoy,he is scheduled to start shooting for another Marathi film,called Satra Saati,on June 9. “I’m all charged up right now. This film mocks the education system in a very subtle manner,” he reveals gleefully. With this,he will be back to wielding the director’s baton. Mee Shivaji Raje was directed by his assistant of 14 years,Santosh Manjrekar. “Santosh has been working with me since my first film Aai. I wanted to give him a break,” he adds. The maker of Astitva will return to directing a Hindi film after a while. “When I make a Hindi movie,I want the audience to come to watch the film and not stars,” he says.

However,for one of his most ambitious future projects,he wants Aamir Khan in the lead role. “Only he can do justice to it. It’s a very beautiful love story showing the central character’s journey from the time he was 30 years old till he is 65.”