Coming full circle?

Let me thus talk only about the good work on the Marathi film front. The year began with writer-director Paresh Mokashi paying tribute to the pioneer of Indian cinema late Dadasaheb Phalke through his debut film Harishchandrachi Factory. It was a complete film,doing justice to every department and was selected as India’s entry for the Oscars too. This was just five years after Shwaas,in 2004,which was India’s official entry for Best Foreign Language Film at the 77th Academy Awards. Shwaas was a pathbreaking film as it was the turning-point in Marathi cinema that was then undergoing a very low phase.

2010 saw a bold attempt in Zenda that supposedly was based on the political tiff between Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray and his cousin,MNS leader Raj Thackeray.

Technically too,Marathi films have gained an upper hand after 2009’s Mee Shivajiraje Bhosale Boltoy. This year,Natarang had Atul Kulkarni experimenting with his body and undergoing a rigorous fitness regime for the role of a wrestler who consequently turns into a nachya. Trupti Bhoir is making all attempts to enter the Guinness Book Of World Records with her film Agadbam,wherein she played a character weighing 250 kilos,a first-of-its-kind in Marathi films.

AB Corp’s venture into Marathi films has been very fruitful with their debut movie Vihir continuing to garner international accolades. Hindi director Anant Mahadevan’s debut venture in Marathi cinema,Mee Sindhutai Sapkal ,was screened at the 54th British Film Institute London Film Festival as well as the South Asian International Film Festival in New York recently. A biopic of Sapkal Sindhutai,a social worker who is based in Pune,it has been well-received.

Ringa Ringa,a thriller,had a Hindi film feel to it. Lalbaug Parel touched a chord with its emotional tale of Mumbai’s mill-workers. I particularly liked Mumbai Pune Mumbai. It was a simple film about two young people meeting accidentally and spending a day together. I came out of the theatre with a feeling of contentment.

Mahesh Manjrekar churned out three films (two in Marathi and one Hindi) this year. While his Marathi film Shikshanachya Aaicha Gho… was a hit,Lalbaug Parel was not all that fortunate,as was its Hindi version City Of Gold. His next Marathi film Shahanpan Dega Deva,releases in January.

Marathi films are now being shot on exotic locations abroad with NRIs putting in their money. Marketing and distribution are being given a serious thought. All India Marathi Film Federation,the industry body,held a film festival in Mauritius with the support of its government and the Mauritius Marathi Mandal Federation acouple of years back. Though the festival got a good response,the film industry does not seem to have gained much from it. And now Marathi films take another step ahead with the first edition of the Marathi International Film and Theatre Awards to be held in Dubai next week. This is the brainchild of Mahesh Manjrekar who plans to commemorate the golden jubilee of the formation of Maharashtra by reaching out to Maharashtrians all over the world by showcasing some of this year’s films and plays. Amitabh Bachchan is to be the chief guest at the Dubai event while Salman Khan,whose mother is a Maharashtrian,recently launched the awards’ website,mifta.in.

Actor Bharat Jadhav too launched his website while a Marathi film site Laibhaari.com was also inaugurated recently. All these point towards a better tomorrow for Marathi cinema and I truly wish the new year brings some films worth watching. Or it may come a full circle when films that did not make sense ruled the roost.

namita.nivas@expressindia.com