From witnessing its best haul at the 59th National Awards to Fandry drawing in the crowds beyond traditional audiences, Marathi cinema is breaking barriers, especially in terms of language
Kanika Sharma (MID-DAY; March 5, 2014)

Marathi cinema has always had it heavy on its shoulders, especially when the precedent of such a legacy is Dadasaheb Phalke. Though decked with illustrious names, Marathi films have had it tough since the 1980s as Maharashtrian audiences were the only ones who turned up, despite government support. This wasn’t the case earlier, Kapil Bhopatkar, owner of Bharatmata Cinema, tells us, “Marathi cinema has had many downturns. First, with the arrival of the videocassette recorder (VCR), cinema hall audiences became uncertain. Then, satellite television, followed by local Marathi channels and Marathi theatre, posed problems.” Bharatmata Cinema, one of the last surviving single- screen cinema halls in Mumbai, established in 1941, serves as a reminder of the times when Marathi cinema had queues of cinegoers snaking pavements. Bhopatkar claims that even Gujaratis, Marwaris and Parsis would watch the cinema during those days.



Audience applause
“In the last two/two-and-a-half years, there has been an upsurge in the screening and success of Marathi films. We’ve had films that open with three shows on a Friday and midweek become nine to cater to the increasing interest,” informs Kamal Gianchandani, president of PVR Cinemas.

Evident of a change, Nagraj Popatrao Manjule’s Fandry that won the Grand Jury Prize at the Mumbai Film Festival was released in unusual places such as Kolkata, Indore, Chennai and Baroda.

The actual game changer can be traced to 2004, in the film, Shwaas that triggered the dwindling number of films being made in the industry from 14 to 100 and more. “Marathi audiences have always been used to reading literature, so they appreciate quality,” maintains Bhopatkar.

Mixing it up
“Recently, I watched Duniyadari,” says 21-year-old Sachin Dhivar, who was not attracted to Marathi films as “there was no fun in them” till some time ago. Yet he regards the 2013 blockbuster as an eyeopener which he found as “ advanced”. Sachin Khedekar, a Marathi actor who has marked his presence in both Hindi and Marathi films, gives the expert’s lowdown on this recent development: “If you look at the last five years, none of the films can be said to belong to a single genre.” He adds, “They are all sorts — historical, comical and social.” Naming a few, he shares Kaksparsh, Duniyadari, and Balak Palak.

Raking in the moolah
“Festival screenings help in making the audience aware of your film,” adds Manjule. As the premises of Hindi cinema and regional cinema fades during the selection of films at festivals, Indian films seem to be destined to attain greater heights of viewership. Yet, in order to give it a mainstream release, publicity and promotion will play a vital role, asserts Bhopatkar.

Since Shwaas, which only had word-of- mouth publicity; Manjule’s Fandry is being promoted by the who’s who of Bollywood including Kiran Rao and Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra. As of today, an average Marathi film is being made for Rs 1.5 crore. Bhopatkar still feels that the market for Marathi cinema is almost unexplored and has the potential to give tough competition to Bollywood.



How Shwaas broke new ground
“The budget of Shwaas was only Rs 65 lakh,” reveals Sandeep Sawant, its director, adding that the idea was to take up a fresh subject and take the risk of making something different, as the film was based on a grandfather-grandson relationship. With Shwaas, after a long period, a good film was seen that led to more filmmakers making radical films. Shwaas indeed broke the ceiling, as it was not only India’s official entry to the Academy Awards but also the first Marathi film in 50 years to win a National Award. Since then, there has been a change in the subjects of the films and target audiences that now focus on the youth, shares Bharatmata Cinema owner, Kapil Bhopatkar.

 >> Fandry’s net collection at the Box Office so far has been Rs 2.35 cr, according to its director Nagraj Manjule.

 >> Duniyadari ran for 15 weeks superseding any Bollywood film’s record.

>> Duniyadari was viewed by 4.6 lakh people at PVR and did a business of Rs 3.6 crore while Timepass had about a 6-lakh viewership at PVR and raked in 5.04 crore at the same venue