Marathi cinema gets its due

When Shwaas tried to revive the flagging Marathi film industry in 2004, sceptics thought it had little chance to survive against the storm called Bollywood.
However, six years later in 2010, the film industry is trying to gain a firm foothold. The secret behind this success is not just great movies, but also smart budgeting and savvy promotional activities.Whether it was last year’s bumper hit Me Shivaji Raje Bhosle Boltoy or this year’s Natarang, the movies have been making enough money to brand themselves as profitable ventures.
The multiplex boom has been a boon of sorts for the makers. Says Atul Kulkarni, who was the lead actor in Natarang, “Multiplexes have proved to be a boon for the Marathi film industry. People are going back to the theatres. Also, filmmakers are making the kind of cinema that will appeal to the audience.” However, it’s still not an easy task to get the ball rolling. Paresh Mokashi, who directed and produced the much-talked about Harishchandrachi Factory, says, “It’s definitely a challenge to put together a movie, but that’s the case with any first time filmmaker.”
Besides individual producers, even corporate houses are now interested in putting their weight behind movies that seem promising like UTV did when they decided to distribute Harishchandrachi Factory. Trade analyst Amod Mehra points, “At one point the state of Marathi movies was so bad that the government had to offer incentives to makers to make movies. But today the tide is definitely changing. With large production houses showing interest in producing and distributing Marathi films, things are going to get interesting.”
But it’s not just a matter of money and smart marketing strategies, the movies have generated interest because filmmakers have opted to take risks. Atul, who took six months off only to concentrate on Natarang, knew it was a huge gamble to turn away some plum roles in Hindi films. “Natarang was meant for film festivals,” he reveals. Despite not having huge publicity budgets at their disposal the good old-fashioned word-of-mouth publicity has helped these movies get more audience in the cinema halls. And it’s not just entertainment that’s on the mind of these makers. Social issues like students’ suicide too have been addressed in movies like Shikshanachya Aaicha Gho.
But despite the encouraging response, filmmakers and actors are treading on the filmi front with caution. Atul says, “It’s too early to call this the golden period of Marathi cinema. There’s lot of work to be done.” Paresh adds, “I agree that it’s too soon to call it the golden period of Marathi cinema. It’s more like work in progress. But the future is definitely bright.”
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