Marathi Talkies

Anand Mahadevan,who directed Mee Sindhutai Sapkal,says,“Marathi cinema was at an all-time high during the pre- and post-independence years. Pune’s Prabhat Studios and the hit after hit churned out by directors like Baburao Painter,V Shantaram,G D Madgulkar defined the best period for the industry. But then came the 80s and 90s and the industry fell to a new low.” The movies being made were spin-offs of their Hindi counterparts and failed to strike a chord with the audiences.

However,post Shwaas in 2004,which was India’s official entry for the Oscars,a new string of films like Tingya,Gabhricha Paus and Natarang made their way to commercial and critical acclaim. Abha Gaikwad,who wrote the script for Antardaha and is now working on his next film Patharwat ,says,“Now,no one wants to see a movie ripped off from another language. Producers are more willing to invest in movies which are different. Thus,the films are made with state of the art technology which helps their popularity.”

The films have also gained a regular multiplex audience. Mahesh Tilekar,director of upcoming film One Room Kitchen,comments on the strong cast that the films boast of. He says,“Actors across the nation will be interested to act in a movie if the script is good. The renaissance of the industry has brought actors from Bollywood to Marathi films. Also,Marathi actors like Siddharth Jadhav,Madhura Velankar and Bharat Jadhav have been seen in Hindi movies.”

The industry has just set off on this changed road. Mahadevan points out,”Close to 70-80 Marathi films are made in a year,of which only three or four actually make it overseas or are widely appreciated. A complete change will take some more time.”