The Hindu Business Line : Reviving Marathi cinema

The Marathi film industry no longer wants to be seen as a second fiddle to Bollywood. Though it has few star attractions, the industry is re-examining itself and bringing in changes with respect to subject matter, technology adoption and overall presentation. Alongside, old actors too are making the progression to playing strongcharacter roles.

“People have to change with the times,” says Ajay Sarpotdar, President, Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Chitrapat Mahamandal, an all-India association of Marathi cinema.

“With the advent of technology, Marathi cinema too is finding itself in a phase where shooting on 35mm is a must. Dolby sound too has become a necessity for the upcoming films. Now there are many avenues open to the actors and technicians such as television for instance, where you will find yesteryear heroines playing solid character roles. Even some of the old talented technicians have upgraded themselves with new techniques,” he says.

Marathi films until 2003-04 were all made on a 16mm format, usually used for shooting documentary and TV news. These films would then be blown up for the big screen, thus technically the picture would be of poor quality and lacking in wide or long-shots. The shift to 35mm was difficult for technicians like the cameramen, cinematographers and editors, who had to learn the new shooting and lighting techniques. Earlier, all films would be cut using scissors but today all of themare edited on computers which is a major advancement for the industry.

The industry has also undergone a ‘makeover’ in terms of contemporary choice of subjects. Now the films that rule the screen are stories on homosexuality in Thaang, Maaybaap dealing with Bombay bomb blasts, Balirajacha Rajya Yeu De (let the rule of the farmer come) dealing with farmer suicides in Vidarbha, Dombivali Fast depicting a daily traveller’s woes and even the story of collegians’ fast life in Saat Chya Aat Gharat.

Director Kedar Shinde’s Aga Bai Arechya, a comedy with Sanjay Narvekarin in the lead, raised the bar for Marathi cinema. Uttarayan directed by another first-timer, Bipin Nadkarni, showcased the sensitive love story between two 60-plus individuals who were once in love but were compelled by circumstances to go their separate ways.

“Marathi cinema has its roots in Dadasaheb Phalke’s Raja Harishchandra, and in later years, directors like V. Shantaram, Master Vinayak, Bhalji Pendharkar, Raja Paranjpe, and G.D. Madgulkar gave audiences the same kind of classics. Dada Kondke catapulted the audience into mindless comedy and funny antics in the 1970s, while Sachin, Laxmikant Berde and Ashok Saraf dominated the 1980s. By 1990s, Marathi cinema saw several rural-based stories making it big, but failed to gather attention,” explains Ajay.

In 2003, Sandeep Sawant’s Shwaas broke the mould and captured even non-Maharashtrian audiences. This film won the Golden Lotus National Award in 2004 and was also the official entry to the 77th Academy Awards. Other films like Not Only Mrs Raut, Anahat and Saat Chya Aat Gharat too captured cinegoers’ attention.

Even film budgets have increased considerably. Compared to Rs 15-18 lakh spent on a film in the 1990s, today a film costs not less than Rs 75 lakh thanks to the use of new technology such as Dolby FX, THX, new editing modes and so on. “The film that I am producing has crossed the one-crore mark already,” remarks Ajay.

Earlier the industry produced about 35 movies a year, while this year the number is likely to cross 100, he adds.

“Before the 1990s, we saw a lot of films typically set in the urban milieu and were mostly comedies, but it was after Shwaas that people realised that there were other kind of stories to be told. Shwaas created a buzz; it also made the Marathi language known throughout the world,” he says.

Despite all the technological inputs, Marathi cinema still cannot compare with Bollywood as its market is limited to regional Maharashtra, with most viewers still hailing from rural regions, he says. “Our lead heroes and heroines are paid peanuts compared to Bollywood biggies. Although the Marathi film industry has come of age, it is yet to get its due. Technically, we are on par with Hindi cinema, but we still need to fight our neverending problems of finance, publicity structure and distribution for our films. Besides these, we lack the star-power that Dada Kondke once possessed. With our actors working in other forms of media, they are regarded as everyday people. Until they get a good market, we won’t get glamour in our industry,” Ajay points out.

Despite all these challenges, filmgoers can look forward to 20 good films which have technical value, different storyline and are well-packaged films. “We are not looking at exotic locations but solid presentations and sleek entertainment,” he adds.

More Stories on : Cinema | Maharashtra | Retailing

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Stories in this Section
Farmers get it right

Train through a sprain

Movie tones

Reviving Marathi cinema

Rural India calls

Falls trail

Chief concern officer

On the road