Producers of the film are feeling super-generous as film crosses Rs 60-cr mark
Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 20, 2016)

It is appraisal season, after all. And why should film stars be any different? The leading lady and man of the biggest blockbuster in Marathi cinematic history, Sairat, have been awarded a bonus of Rs 5 crore each by its benevolent (and delighted) producers.

The film itself is being seen as a landmark in Marathi film history. Cinemas to meet with the demand have opened 12 am and 3 am slots in rural Maharashtra, a phenomenon never heard of in the hinterland. But so astounding has been the word-of-mouth for the blockbuster that the film has garnered Rs 60 crore at the box-office.

The actors, who had been signed on for a meagre Rs 4 lakh, will now be given Rs 5 crore each, as announced by producer Nittin Keni, CEO-Founder of EsselVision Productions, and co-producer Nikhil Sane, who pulled off the modern classic on a shoestring budget of Rs 4 crore. "Yes, we are planning this as a small gesture of goodwill for the cast and it is not only the actors who will be receiving certain amounts of money, but also the extended cast and crew. We are finalising the paperwork, but at the same time are hoping that we do not have to close our accounting books soon, since the shows are still going houseful. Last week, there were three shows of Captain America: Civil War, three of Azhar and eight of Sairat in Mumbai suburbs," Keni laughs.

The career-defining roles have come to both Akash Thosar, 22, and Rinku Rajguru, 15, with the sort of serendipity that rustic fairytales are made of: eight months ago, filmmaker Nagraj Manjule spotted Akash Thosar, a local pehelwan, at the Jeur railway station as the youngster prepared to board a train to his hometown, Solapur. Manjule had written a story about a young boy falling in love with a girl, set against the backdrop of caste discrimination. He instinctively felt that if this beefed-up lad lost his bulk, he'd be great for the part. Akash, who lives in Pune's Aundh area with his parents and four younger siblings - two sisters and two brothers - was headed to the Jeur Kushti Akhada for a state-level championship. His father is a retired accountant and his mother a housewife. Akash supported his large family with the money he won at kushti matches, each victory bringing in Rs 1,000. Life was hard.

"I went up to him and said that I wanted to cast him as the hero of my next film. He thought I was joking, so I told him that I was the director of Fandry (the 2014 National Award winner for First Film of a Director). We exchanged numbers, I told him that I'd be back in three weeks and that he'd be perfect for the role if he wasn't so muscular. He showed up at the station three weeks later, eight kilos lighter," recalls Manjule, who had already finalised Rinku Rajguru, a local from Akluj village in Solapur, who loved to dance, for the female lead.

Rinku's journey to tinsel town is equally fascinating: she hails from one of the more well-to-do farmer families of Akluj in Solapur district. Rinku was prepping up for her ninth standard exams at the Jijamata Kanya Prashala and confesses that she did even not know "audition" meant. "Nagraj dada told me 'Tu acting karsheel?' I said yes, dancing a bit and spouting a few lines. He gave me the role. I had only 15 days to study for my final exams and I still scored 81 per cent," she says proudly.

The process to stardom was rigorous to say the least: for two months, the cast was holed up at Manjule's Pune home, reading the script and prepping for the role. Six months later, Sairat released on February 17 with English subtitles in 400 theatres. At the end of the second week, the total number of shows went up from 8500 to 14,000. "The Sairat craze has taken all of us by surprise. Who would've thought a Marathi-speaking Romeo and Juliet would eventually hit a 60-crore mark, a first in Marathi cinema. It's gone out of hand with midnight and 3 am shows being introduced at a hall in Satara," informs producer Nitin Keni.

Keni though also insists that the fantastic story and the score by composer duo Ajay-Atul is behind the film's dream run in theatres. "The rough cut was complete and we decided to gamble another Rs 60-70 lakh by sending Ajay-Atul to the US to record live music with 100 instrumentalists and musicians performing at the Sony Theatre in Los Angeles. Guess that paid off too," the producer explains, pointing out that the makers will not be selling the remake rights of the film, even if the largest production house in the country offers them a deal. "We are rolling with the Telugu remake of the film first, followed by a Gujarati version, and, of course, Hindi. The idea is to not make a sequel, but replicate this success in different regions," adds Keni.

Keni hosted a grand success bash at a Juhu five-star on Saturday night, which began at 11pm, when the teenagers who turned superstars overnight walked in. "If one year ago, someone had told me that I would be a superstar, I would have laughed," says Akash, who confesses that he is more used to being called Prashant, his Sairat character's name by now. "Mere parents and friends khush hai and sab mere saath selfie chahte hai, main isi main khush hoon. Aamir Khan and Irrfan Khan ne bhi meri taarif ki. Jin logon ko screen pe dekhkar main taaliyan bajata tha, voh mujhe aaj screen par dekh rahe hai," he says. Ask him on his signing amount of Rs 4 lakh and what he plans to do with his five crores, he says, "Nahi, starting main toh koi contract nahi tha..." and the phone is taken away by the film's publicist, who says that contracts cannot be discussed with the media at this moment.

Rinku, on the other hand, reveals via her publicist that she does not want to discuss her contract or the money she is going to receive. "I have not gone home since the film started and have been living in Pune and Mumbai. I want to continue studying and go home," confides the 15-year-old, who bagged a Special Mention at the 63rd National Awards for her performance as Archana 'Archie' Patil. But she is instantly happy when asked about what she'll remember about Sairat for the rest of her life. "When we were shooting, "Zing Zinghat" played for three days, and all we did was dance. That is what I want to do for the rest of my life," Rinku beams.