(L-R) Director Ananth Mahadevan and actor Prasad Oak

Only a year after helming Phule (2025), director Ananth Narayan Mahadevan is bringing the tale of another social leader, Rashtrasant Tukdoji Maharaj, to the big screen. On March 9, the director kicked off his Marathi biopic, Khanjiriche Bol, which sees actor Prasad Oak step into Maharaj’s shoes.

Speaking to mid-day from his shoot in Kolhapur, Mahadevan shared, “The film will depict how Tukdoji Maharaj overcame a traumatic childhood, then marshalled the villages of Maharashtra to [bring about] social equality and rural revolution. He steered the country towards a progressive outlook.”

Active from 1937 till his demise in 1968, the leader worked towards rural upliftment and education, even writing the book Gramgeeta. He also aimed for the eradication of untouchability. While Khanjiriche Bol — that is being produced by Maharashtra Film, Stage & Cultural Development Corporation along with Shivam and Kartikee Yadav — will focus on his social messages, the director added that it will also touch upon the leader’s friendship with Mahatma Gandhi.

“Tukdoji Maharaj stood by Gandhiji in the fight against untouchability. Gandhiji helped Tukdoji in enabling the Dalits to enter the Vitthal Temple in Pandharpur in October 1947.”

Huge sets, high-octane battle sequences, a wide canvas and elaborate costumes — historical films have been the talk of the town in the Marathi industry for a while now. With almost five such films either ready for release or in the making right now, it’s safe to say that the genre is at its peak in the industry. We spoke to filmmakers to know more. Read on:

Marathi filmmakers have been trying their hand at lesser explored genres like dark comedy, sci-fi and psychological thrillers. But history is clearly the favourite subject this season. Director Digpal Lanjekar, who has helmed two historical films in the past — Farzand and Fatteshikast — will be making six more films under the series ‘Shivraj Ashtak’. The third and fourth films —Pawankhind (earlier Jungjauhar) and Sher Shivraj Hai — have already been announced, with the former eyeing a release soon. Speaking about the reason behind doing this eight-film series, Digpal says, “There are a lot of events in Maratha history that deserve to be made into films. My basic motive was to make the youth know of the glorious tales of the bygone era. Plus, the genre hasn’t been explored well in Marathi.”

Director Rahul Jadhav, who recently revealed the first look of his next, Chhatrapati Tararani, based on the life of the erstwhile regent of the Maratha empire and featuring Sonalee Kulkarni in the lead, also plans to make another period drama based on the life of Maratha naval commander Kanhoji Angre in 2022. “These are our unsung heroes and we need to celebrate them,” he says, adding, “At least 200 movies can be made on the life and times of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and the Maratha empire.”

Ask Rahul what prompted him to make a film on Chhatrapati Tararani and he replies, “I remember, I was in Kolhapur with my daughter and we were crossing the statue of Chhatrapati Tararani. My daughter pointed towards the statue and said ‘Jhansi ki Rani’. It left me heartbroken. I respect Rani Lakshmibai, but I realised that lack of awareness and information about Maratha warriors among the younger generation. That was a trigger point on me and I decided that these stories needed to be told.”

Filmmakers say that thorough research is a must before venturing into making a historical saga. Prasad Oak, who directed Sonalee in Hirkani, shares, “You can’t tweak history. Period. In fact, right from the costumes, to the sets, everything is created from scratch for a historical film. Your groundwork and knowledge about the subject should be impeccable. Every scene in Hirkani was written in detail, which is why we could pull everything off smoothly. It is true that making a historical film is far more challenging than other genres. But it’s satisfying, too, and I am looking forward to beginning another epic soon.”

Pravin Tarde, whose upcoming directorial Sarsenapati Hambirrao boasts of a big star cast, feels that the grandeur of historical films must not be compromised upon. “The film has been made with a budget of approximately Rs. 18 crore. Most of my technicians in the film have worked in big Bollywood films. The sets, the costumes and make-up, nothing has been compromised upon. We have tried to keep VFX to a minimum and tried to keep it as real as possible,” says Pravin, adding, “My actors, including Gashmeer Mahajani and Raqesh Bapat, have shot war scenes wearing armours weighing 90 kgs. I am sure when audiences watch the film, it will be a thrilling experience for them.”

One of the first posters of Jungjauhar , which has now been renamed to Pawankhind