Regional flavour

The resurrection of the Marathi film industry started in 2004 when Shwaas was selected as India’s entry for the Oscar. According to Mokashi,a number of remarkable films made by Marathi filmmakers in recent years show that their quality and story-telling techniques have improved a lot. “Jogva and Gandh are some of the instances of that,” he says. Ajay Sarpotdar,the curator of the festival,echoes,“Post-Shwaas,the industry has produced different kinds of films which have been handled very efficiently.”

The five films which will feature in Nave Valan offer a look at the interesting range of current Marathi films. Mokashi’s film is about the making of the first full-length feature film of India,Raja Harishchandra by Dadasaheb Phalke. Gandh,with Milind Soman and Sonali Kulkarni in the cast,is an ensemble of three independent films. They are bound together by characters that go through experiences involving their olfactory senses. Gho Mala Asla is a musical which has the entire village supporting a girl’s resistance to arranged marriage while Jogva is about a woman’s journey to break out of sexual oppression. The closing film,Gabhricha Paus,is of farmers’ plight.

Sarpotdar says,“These are the five best films made last year. We have selected them on the basis of critical acclaim and appreciation. They represent the new wave that the industry has been witnessing.”

Apart from showcasing the new wave,the festival also aims to create an audience for Marathi films in Mumbai. “A film might run successfully for 10 weeks in Pune,but it doesn’t last for 10 days in Mumbai theatres. We want to change that by hosting similar festivals,” says the producer-distributor. A big step in this direction will be taken by the Marathi Chitrapat Mahamandal in December and January. A festival of seven new Marathi films is proposed at five centres across the metropolis during that period. AS