2018 hit releases of Marathi film industry

Marathi as an industry is gaining recognition and acceptance internationally, both for its content and performances of the actors. One of the fastest growing regional industry, it offers the audience with something new and unique each time. This year too, Marathi industry came up with some out-of-the-box performances of actors in some exceptional films. Here we take a look at some of the recently released hit films of the year.

'Ye Re Ye Re Paisa' is a Marathi movie released on January 5, 2018. The movie was directed by Sanjay Jadhav and starred Siddharth Jadhav, Umesh Kamat and Tejaswini Pandit as lead characters. Sanjay Jadhav directorial is star-studded and largely delivers on its promise of being a complete entertainer. The 'Duniyadari' director treads the Rohit Shetty zone. 'YRYRP' mainly became a hit because of good direction and performances.

'Barayan' directed by Deepak Patil includes Prarthana Behre, Om Bhutkar, Vandana Gupte, Sanjay Mone and Prateeksha Lonkar. ‘Barayan’ is a story of a young boy studying in 12th standard who is struggling to balance between his parents’ expectations and his own passion. The subject itself is very strong. The film was appreciated by critics and the audience alike.

'Whats Up Lagna' by Vishwas Joshi featured Vaibhav Tatwawadi and Prarthana Behere. This Marathi romantic comedy movie that certainly put a smile in our hearts was released on February 9, 2018. 'Whats Up Lagna' is the movie title which most of us can relate to. We all know that this is the age of technology and social media. A lot of things have happened due to this communication channel. The best part is the mind-blowing tandem of the popular faces in Marathi cinema. Vaibhav Tatwawadi and Prarthana really look good together on screen, since they have this wonderful chemistry that makes the audience giggle and grin.

Vaibhav Dange’s 'Chitthi', as the tagline suggests, 'lihili tula pochli tila', the story revolves around the confusion caused by a misplaced love letter, starring Dhanashree Kadgaonkar, Shubhankar Ekbote. Although the end is predictable, the movie skips done-to-death sequences, replacing it with a cartoon strip. A wise move we must say. ‘Chitthi’s’ high point is its innocent humour which makes it worth watching.

'Yuntum' directed by Sameer Asha Patil starred Sayaji Shinde, Apoorva Shelgoankar, Vaibhav Kadam, Aishwarya Patil and Rushikesh Zagade. The climax of the film is an out-of-the-box. It leaves you with a sense of longing and that’s exactly what the film is about. Life doesn’t always give you a happy ending, many times, it’s about compromises.

'Aapla Manus' directed by Satish Rajwade is an emotionally powerful ‘Game’! This movie revolves around three characters Abba (Nana Patekar), Rahul (Sumit Raghavan) and Bhakti (Iravati Harshe) from the beginning the movie feels like a crime thriller which actually is a drama. The narrative keeps playing with our emotions like an orchestra master who keeps controlling the instrument players constantly and cherry on the cake is Nana's powerful acting. ‘Aapla Manus’ is perfect family entertainment and has garnered a lot of praises from critics as well as the audience.

'Gulabjaam' by Sachin Kundalkar starred Sonali Kulkarni and Siddharth Chandekar. 'Gulabjaam' is the first food film in Marathi and it works because of it metaphors the Maharashtrian food into a beautifully simple story. ‘Gulabjaam’ touches heart because it brings the audience close to its traditional food and shows different shades of life.

'Aamhi Doghi', directed by Pratima Joshi, features Mukta Barve, Priya Bapat and Bhushan Pradhan. 'Amhi Doghi' explores the beautiful relationship between two women. On the similar lines, ‘Amhi Doghi’ showcases the story of two ladies. The feminist storyline and the performances have won hearts.

'Raakshas' directed by Dnyaanesh Zoting featured Dnyanesh Zoting, Sai Tamhankar and Sharad Kelkar. The team of 'Raakshas' deserves a pat on the back for making a film in a genre that was untouched by the Marathi industry. 'Raakshas' explores the unexplored. In terms of performances, this film earns brownie points. 'Raakshas' because of its untouched subject is winning praises and running successfully.