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

While the I&B Ministry has issued revised SOPs for cinemas, allowing them to operate at full capacity, the state government, till the time of going to press, was yet to give a goahead to multiplexes and single screens with regards to the 100% seating capacity. However, the centre’s decision has made Marathi filmmakers hopeful of bringing the audience back to theatres as they gear up for long-pending theatrical releases and new projects.

Digpal Lanjekar, whose period drama Jungjauhar (above) wrapped up shooting just before the Coronavirus lockdown in March last year, says he wanted to release the film in 2020, but couldn’t. He says, “We were waiting for the government’s nod to 100 percent occupancy. Jungjauhar is a film that needs to be watched with friends and family. With the new development, our team is now finalising a release date, and the film will hit the big screens soon.”

Another period film, the Pravin Tarde directorial Sarsenapati Hambirrao, is also ready for release and the makers have breathed a sigh of relief with the new directive. Tarde says, “Ours is a big budget and big screen film. So, it was obvious that we’d release it in theatre. The 100 per cent occupancy will allow viewers to enjoy the historical saga as it should be. At the same time, it will also help makers in making fair returns at the Box Office.” The team is planning to release the teaser on February 19 and eyeing a June release, as of now.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many films that were supposed to release around the summer vacation time last year were postponed. Among them, prominently, were the Akshay Kumar-Katrina Kaif starrer Sooryavanshi, directed by Rohit Shetty, and Kabir Khan’s '83, with an ensemble cast headlined by Ranveer Singh. With the new directive, it’s obvious that these films will be eyeing release dates soon. So, will that result in regional films being pushed further?

Aditya Sarpotdar, who has three films, Zombivli, Maheshcha Badla and Unaad, ready for release, feels that though releasing a film to full occupancy immediately is tempting, he is not willing to pit his films against the big Bollywood outings. “We will wait for movies like Sooryavanshi, Satyameva Jayate 2 and Radhe to release, and then present ours. These movies will reinstate movie goers’ faith in cinema halls, and sort of normalise the process of watching movies on a big screen again. Subsequently, it will benefit regional cinemas. All my films will be spaced out between June and November,” he says.

In 2018, actor-writer-director Pravin Tarde created waves with his directorial Mulshi Pattern. The Marathi film turned out to be a one of the hits of that year and also resulted in talks for a Hindi remake. While we had recently written about the shooting for the Hindi version, titled Antim: The Final Truth, having begun, we have now learnt that Mulshi Pattern is getting more remakes.

The film highlighted the hardships faced by farmers, who sold off their lands to builders and, due to no knowledge of savings, slipped into poverty soon after. It also spoke about the young generation from these farming families taking to crime.

Speaking to us, Tarde shares, “The movie is being remade in three south Indian languages — Telugu, Tamil and Kannada. I am working on the project with actor Dev Gill. Though I am not associated with the Hindi version (Mahesh Manjrekar is directing it with Aayush Sharma in the lead), I will be directing, writing and acting in the south versions.”

When asked if audiences will relate to the movie down south, Tarde answers, “Like Mulshi in Pune, the situation is the same with farmers from Bengaluru and Chennai where IT parks and industries have been set up on erstwhile farm lands. The topic is relatable across the country.”

He also informs us that most of the cast will remain the same as the Marathi version. “I will play the role of an inspector, while the lead actors will be from the south industry,” he says.

Tarde is simultaneously busy with multiple projects. He has announced the sequel of the Marathi film Deool Band and is awaiting the release of the historical Sarsenapati Hambirrao. “I will soon start working on a love story titled Kolhapur To Buldhana Via Israel. The film will see a boy from Kolhapur and a girl from Buldhana, who are in love, heading to Israel to understand farming techniques and improve the condition of agriculture back home,” Tarde shares.