Sharad Kelkar’s latest Marathi film, Har Har Mahadev, did well in Maharashtra and surpassed the box-office numbers of some Hindi releases, too. But the actor feels, like other regional films, the movie had the potential to do well across the country, but it didn’t due to lack of marketing and distribution. “There’s still scope for Marathi cinema [to do better],” says the actor.

He adds, “Har Har Mahadev didn’t get the kind of reach that was anticipated. We could have done better in the Hindi belts, because people across India would want to know about Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.”

The 46-year-old, who has been a part of Bollywood films such as Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior and Laxmii (both 2020), feels that it’s important for Marathi films to get better distribution. “We should try and make films that are on a par with Hindi or south cinema as far as the quality is concerned. Going forward, we will make sure that the distribution and marketing is done well in every state. Everyone was aware of the film and the trailer got great reviews, but when it released across India, it didn’t do well because it didn’t reach everywhere,” Kelkar says.

However, the silver lining was that the film found acceptance in Tamil Nadu. “When you work hard and the audience pours love, it feels great. I am happy that we got a fantastic response in Tamil Nadu. We were surprised that a Marathi film did so well there. Earlier, Lai Bhaari (2014) did well in Andhra Pradesh,” he ends.