Mahesh Manjrekar: Movies of the actor-director you should not miss

Mahesh Manjrekar is one of the most revered names in the Marathi film industry. Not only has he proved his mettle in acting but is also a director par excellence. He has also made a mark in Bollywood with some of the best works such as 'Vastav'. His role of Shivaji Maharaj in Marathi film ‘Me Shivajiraje Bhosale Boltoy’ was commendable. Let us take a look at some of the acting masterpieces in Marathi.

'Me Shivajiraje Bhosale Boltoy' is a Marathi film released in 2009. The movie is produced by Sanjay Chhabria along with Ashwami Manjrekar and directed by Santosh Manjrekar. The film follows an underdog who fights against the evil in society, to re-instate his identity and keep his pride. It starred Mahesh Manjrekar, Sachin Khedekar, Makarand Anaspure, Siddarth Jadhav, Suchitra Bandekar, Priya Bapat and Abhijeet Kelkar. The story is about an ordinary, laid-back middle-class middle-aged Maharashtrian man by the name of Dinkar Bhosale (Sachin Khedekar). Everywhere he goes he finds that 'outsiders' are prospering. Shivaji Maharaj (Mahesh Manjrekar) wakes Dinkar Bhosle out of his lethargy and tells him to take responsibility for his life. Manjrekar has done a complete justice to his role. All the actors did a commendable work and the movie was blockbuster.

'Rege' a drama thriller by Abhijit Panse, showcases a young man’s journey into the underbelly of corruption. A movie has some moments furthered by a gritty, is an engaging plot. It featured Mahesh Manjrekar, Pushkar Shrotri, Santosh Juvekar and each one has done justice to their roles. Encounter specialists Pradeep Sharma (Mahesh Manjrekar) plays a real-time cop very well. This movie is shown in non-chronological order. This film became a blockbuster then as it was based on a true story.

A Jatin Satish Wagle directorial, this movie starred Mahesh Manjrekar, Subodh Bhave, Medha Manjrekar, Shruti Marathe, Sunil Barve, Sanjay Narvekar and Pranjal Parab. Devdatta (Subodh Bhave) is a career-obsessed man who has left his parents and gone to the U.S looking for a promising career, but comes back to India with his family and now asks Raghunath (Mahesh Manjrekar) and Mangal Joglekar (Medha Manjrekar) to live with them. But the old couple denies as they know his selfish motives. This family drama is thus, worth the watch.

'Mumbai Time' a film based on a journey of a well educated middle-class Marathi boy who’s forced to be a part of Mumbai Underworld in the era of 1985 to 1990 directed by Sushrut Bhagwat. This is a unique movie for Marathi film industry as such subjects of underworld, action and revenge are tried rarely. A young man named Amar's life goes haywire after his parents are killed by a local mobster. To avenge his parent's death, he meticulously plans to kill each and every member of the gang, while staying true to his utopian nature. Umesh surprised audiences by his action boy image. Mahesh Manjrekar as ACP has done a great job.

A Chandrakant Kulkarni directorial, this movie is based on the play 'Mukhyamantri'. It cast Sachin Khedekar, Mahesh Manjrekar, Rishikesh Joshi, Ashwini Bhave, Pushkar Shrotri and Anand Ingle. This political drama is a take on the political and bureaucratic class of our country, and an attempt to show how sometimes all it takes is a strong will to get the most difficult of things done. Sachin Khedekar who played Chief Minister of Maharashtra goes way beyond to stay on the righteous path. Mahesh Manjrekar, Rahimatpurkar is an IAS big shot has done complete justice to his role. This movie thus deserves a watch.