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Journalism of Courage
From being the writer of children’s plays to directing a Marathi serial for Doordarshan, with a cast comprising names like Varsha Usgaonkar and Laxmikant Berde, Mahesh Tilekar sure has come a long way. For the 25-year-old writer who has some 200 poems, 25 short stories and a novel to his credit, making it big in the world of serials was a result of dedication and sincerity. But his big break came courtesy a hair-oil advertisement.
“I have no godfather in this industry, so I had to make it by dint of talent and hard work. As a playwright and stage-show organiser, I had to struggle a lot. However, my work was slowly being recognised by people who mattered. I had well-known actors dropping in at my shows, and one of them recommended my name to the makers of Mahabhringuraj Hair Oil. They were looking for someone to make an advertising film and gave me the assignment.
It proved to be the turning point in my career. I made the film and it was a runaway success. Soon, I was flooded with offers that included directing a Marathi teleserial.
“Today, if I have well-known names working with me, it is only because of my reputation. I do not have the money to pay them, and in most cases, just about cover their commuting charges. Yet no one has turned down my offer. At one point of time, I even worked as an extra in a Marathi film mob scene. There, I was required to stand behind Laxmikant Berde. Today, as a director, I stand in front of him and instruct him,” smiles the man who has a serial for Zee TV in the pipeline and plans to go in for feature films in Marathi and Hindi.
