The New face of Marathi

Until the year 2008 the Marathi film industry was limited to around 30 releases a year.

Until the year 2008 the Marathi film industry was limited to around 30 releases a year,the box office holdings not even a close second to their Hindi counterparts. Plays were mostly confined to exploring the language rather than themes. The films largely drew actors from within the Marathi film fraternity.

2012 tells a completely new story. Over the next four months only,more than 35 Marathi films will be ready for release. While 2011 saw actors from mainstream cinema like Naseeruddin Shah and Helen debuting in Marathi films ‘Deool’ and ‘One Room Kitchen’ respectively,this year sees Anupam Kher in the Marathi film ‘Kashala Udyachi Baat’. In 2008,Bollywood biggie Subhash Ghai entered the Marathi film industry with ‘Valu’; following his track was Ronnie Screwvala,one of the producers of ‘Harishchandrachi Factory’ (2010). The Marathi play ‘The Last Color’ was the only Indian entry at the Ordu International Theatre Festival,organised in Turkey in June. Last year,altogether seven national awards were bagged by Marathi actors,directors and producers. Just two weeks back,Sujay Dahake,director of ‘Shala’ was honoured with the award for the Best Director at the Stuttgart International Film Festival.

From critically-acclaimed films to theme-oriented plays and award-winning performances– Marathi language seems to be on a regional,national and international high. While the change might be attributed to the mature film makers,playwrights as well as the audience,what is heartening is how the language is being pulled out of its limitations and being explored for the cultural stories it offers.

Most of the 35 films releasing over the next four months,cover a wide variety of genres including socio-political,comedy,drama,horror as well as biopics. Most businessmen are noticing the potential of Marathi cinema and are willing to invest in the industry. As producers,it may be a profit and loss equation for them but the influx of money is encouraging more and more film makers and scriptwriters to experiment with genres and ideas, says award- winning scriptwriter Abha Gaikwad.

The Marathi momentum is not only attracting the producers but also actors. On one hand,actors like Tejashree Khele,Shruti Marathe and Neha Pendse made a comeback to Marathi film industry from South films,on the other hand,TV actor Shweta Salve makes her Marathi film debut with Marathi film ‘Kurukshetra’.

Having worked for over six decades in Marathi cinema,actor director Ramesh Deo says,Critics of the industry played an important role. They showed how the industry had fallen into disarray and that it was time to change.

Be it writing,art designing,directing or even choreography,professionalism has helped shape the recent cultural surge. It is translating into creative works,says playwright Shrikant Bhide,who wrote ‘The Last Colour’ about the the dwindling numbers of tigers. No other regional theatre reflects a similar makeover,stresses Bhide In Marathi theatre,the shift has been from language-oriented drama to experimental plays. Whereas,in the North-East plays or those from Haryana,the focus is still on language. Globally theatre is changing because it is opening up to new ideas. Language barriers are no longer existent, adds the playwright.

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