Why Marathi cinema is captivating the youth and how youngsters are making space for its growth on social media platforms

“Marathi cinema has originality, it is connected to the theatre. It is also the birthplace of cinema and there are new actors and role models coming up,” says Parth Deshmukh, who runs a page on Instagram where he shares clips and insights of movies he likes.

He started the page in 2023 when he felt that movie discussions that happen online are limited to Bollywood. A year on, he has a dedicated following of 103k, mostly of the 21 to 30 age group.

Some of Deshmukh’s favourite movies in recent years have been Aatmapamphlet, Valvi, Trijya, etc, all of which he considers to be experimental. “You don’t get to see tons of projects released from the Marathi industry each year but these few ones make a lasting impact on a generation,” said Deshmukh.

Aatmapamphlet was released in 2023, written by Paresh Mokashi and directed by Ashish Bende. It is about a young boy growing up amidst massive social and economic changes in India during the 1990s.

About the movie, Deshmukh says, “It is one of the finest pieces of satire I have seen in Indian cinema. The film tackles the Indian history’s important moments with stingy humour and satire with a narration from Mokashi that is a cherry on top. The socio-political commentary is straightforward and handled with precision. You don’t get to see such topics, especially religion and caste, which are delicate subjects anyway, being openly showcased in movies,” says Deshmukh.

Atmapamphlet and Valvi also appeal to Rhea Gangavkar, 26, due to their experimental nature. Gangavkar is a development editor at a publishing house, who explores cinema through people who exclusively post about films on Instagram and frequents Letterboxd, an app that lets you share your opinion about films.

She says, “Mostly in Marathi cinema, you see really good storytelling but experimentation is less in terms of form. Form, as in, how the story is told; it’s unstructured, random, could be viewed as ‘quirky’ as well. We see a lot less absurdist cinema and a lot less dark humour. So, Valvi stood-out because it is very funny, but it’s morbid as well. The director has not made it very on the nose; it is effortless. In Atmapamphlet, it’s the1990’s and everything around the boy is changing because of liberalisation, privatisation and globalisation. Mokashi has written it well and sort of gives it a Wes Anderson like treatment, which was new.”

Talking about Valvi, Deshmukh says, “It portrays complex characters with depth and keeps you hooked till the last minute. I think this was the first time I witnessed something like this in a long time in Marathi cinema. Even after Andhadhun, Valvi was a breath of fresh air in the genre.”

Apart from experimental cinema, there are other factors like nostalgia and intermingling of cultures that are driving more young people to watch Marathi cinema.

Elaborating on that, Gangavkar said, “There is a trend in people wanting to talk about things that they think are not represented enough. For example, people are pushing to talk about regional cinema at the scale at which Hindi cinema is discussed. It also helps that movies like Sairat are being adapted. So, that drives people back to watch the original source material. Nostalgia is another factor, as a lot of us have grown up reading ‘shyamchi aai’ and Faster Fene. That too makes young people go back to their roots to some extent.”

Recently, Deshmukh collaborated with another young cinephile content creator, Yatharth Jadhav, 23. They dedicated a post to what they called ‘Modern Marathi cinema’ that is redefining storytelling. It featured stills from movies Fandry, Killa, Natrang, Dombivali Fast, Kaksparsh and Shwaas.

Jadhav is amazed by the diverse pool of emerging filmmakers like Akshay Indikar and Archana Phadke, “who bring fresh perspectives with works like Trijya, Sthalpuran, Udaharnarth Nemade and About Love. Then there are seasoned directors like Nagraj Manjule, Nishikant Kamat and Mahesh Manjrekar, who have consistently delivered powerful narratives,” he said.

“For me, highlighting these modern classics of Marathi cinema on my platform was a natural inclination driven by a profound connection I feel towards these films. The allure of Marathi cinema lies in its storytelling ethos, where the emphasis is on substance rather than star power. Each film on our list represents a distinctive voice, a narrative that resonates deeply with me and, I believe, with many young audiences,” said Jadhav.

Jadhav believes Marathi cinema is on a similar trajectory as Malayalam cinema to receive recognition from audiences of different demographics. He said, “With each passing day, both in India and around the world, I would love to see Marathi cinema’s diverse array of narratives given more credit and admiration.”