FPJ 98th Anniversary: Marathi Cinema Stays A Step Ahead With Offbeat Stories That Champion Inclusivity
· Free Press Journal
Cinema as an art perfectly showcases human stories. And since its inception, socially-relevant Marathi cinema has redefined Indian cinema, with movies such as Kunku, Manoos, Samna, Sinhasan, and Pinjra. Recently, films like Fandry, Sairat, Court, Deool, Tighee, Dashaavtaar, Deool Band 1 and 2, Krantijyoti Vidyalaya Marathi Madhyam, Sthal, and Ata Thambaycha Naay! have revived interest beyond Maharashtra.
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The torch bearers
Young Jeejivisha Kale recently made her directorial debut with Tighee produced by Supri Media & Advertising and Coquelicot Pictures. She considers Marathi cinema as being deeply rooted in people and their lived realities. “Take films like Jait Re Jait, Saamna, Fandry, Aatmapamphplet, and Ata Thambaycha Naay! These socially relevant films are also rich cinematic experiences. Cinema has always reflected the times we live in, and Marathi films have consistently questioned, analysed and, at times, simply mirrored society.” She feels social relevance rises naturally when true characters appear, allowing audiences anywhere to connect with the story.
Actor Sandeep Kulkarni, who has been part of Marathi cinema such as Shwaas and Dombivli Fast, feels that good films act as a mirror to life, complete with its complexes and problems. With time, he sees new problems cropping up. Direction and scripting process might change. But he sees cinema still being the mirror to life.
He was recently impressed by Ata Thambayacha Naay! “The BMC is such an important part of Mumbai. But I didn’t realise that these people (cleaning staff) also have dignity. What I felt proud about was the way the writer and director from Pune presented Mumbai’s story.”
He sees world cinemas like Iranian or Japanese films reflect on the lives they live. He feels their strength is that you get to see their life, constraints, sensitivities, etc., without leaving your place. “Life, emotions and complexes are the same. It’s just that the geographical conditions or the economic and social status are different.”
For young writer, director and lyricist Kshitij Patwardhan, Marathi films have always been a content-driven industry. “Though there were movie stars, they are part of the subject or the film. Unlike any other region, there is not a fan service film in Marathi. So, content and relevance and response to the surroundings have always been a forte of Marathi cinema.”
He speaks of the 50s and 60s with a big surge in the tamasha-led Marathi films, followed by an era of urban comedies. He saw the 90s bring slice-of-life drama, marital issues, etc. to Marathi cinema. And he also saw Shwaas bringing in a different version of Marathi cinema. “And people are really taking rooted and interesting stories, local concepts and making them into a movie.”
Recent success
Kulkarni sees recent success of films such as Tighee and Aata Thambayacha Naay as a change in getting a certain reach, money or audience. But he doesn’t call them isolated successes. He sees the way people respond to films such as Shwaas. “It is a simple social film about a boy with cancer, and how he deals with that. But look at the complexities it showed. It became so successful that Bollywood took notice.”
He also noticed individual films providing a big lift to the industry. Like Shwaas became a turning point after which good cinema started being made. And Dombivli Fast followed immediately. The plan was simple. With Shwaas giving the industry a push, it is time to take the industry ahead after that.
Patwardhan does consider the success of films like Dashavatar, Ata Thambaicha Nai! Gulkand, Deool Bandh 2 and Kranti Jyoti Vidyalaya give everyone an important notion about the audience. “The audience wants to see big films in theatres. And they want to enjoy the experience. Having said that, films like Tighee, or Sabar Bonda, or Uttar, were relatively small films. But we do have our share of the audience. And that share is growing with the opportunities like film clubs or festivals, and other institutions.”
Last year, he spoke of 2026 ensuring Marathi cinema multiply threefold. “If you look at last year’s numbers, we did a business of 99 or 100 crores. Today, we are sitting in the sixth month of 2026, and have done business of more than 200 crores. That speaks a volume of the audience we have. But we need to do this more to sustain both kinds of cinema.”
Comparison
Jeejivisha feels Marathi cinema deserves to be part of the national conversation more often since the quality of storytelling has always been there. According to her the Marathi film industry lacked visibility. “That is slowly changing. With Tighee, we saw tremendous support from across languages, from critics, cinephiles and audiences alike. Good films are being made, and with continued support from audiences, Marathi cinema will grow from strength to strength.”
Patwardhan gets a huge respect outside the industry for being part of the Marathi film industry. “Directors like Rohit Shetty and Lakshman Uttekar are constantly asking what’s new happening in Marathi. The only thing is Marathi cinema doesn’t make a fuss out of it on a national level, which we definitely have to. Last year, we introduced nine new directors. All the nine films did good numbers.”
Kulkarni has seen good discussions around and an increase in expectations from Marathi films outside Maharashtra. He sees movies like Adinath Kothare’s Paani winning awards and making Marathi cinema proud. “I am positive about Marathi movies because a lot of young people are coming into the industry. They are making movies on things they know and feel. They know how to showcase or get an audience,” he happily mentions.
The challenges
A major issue Kulkarni sees is that of no dedicated theatres for Marathi films. “The South Indian cinema has a dedicated audience and theatres. But the Marathi film industry exists with Bollywood here. The solution is that every multiplex in Maharashtra should have one screen dedicated to Marathi cinema. This way, Marathi cinema reaches everywhere.”
Another issue he sees is that of audience motivation to watch the film in the theatres. Many prefer watching the film on OTT or know it will come online. He feels that if this continues, who will come into the theatre? Patwardhan finds it easier to make Marathi films as of now. “Marathi cinema has a homely environment. The people are courteous and supportive. Many actors and the writer-directors do theatre and films together. Secondly, the budgets are still within reach. It really brings out the best creative talent you have. Otherwise, I have seen people wasting time, talent and money enormously in Hindi.”
What troubles the Marathi film industry, he feels, is that it is largely scarcity-driven, with fewer resources, less time, and fewer days of shoot. He thinks slowly yet steadily; the days are increasing. “Like usually we used to have 20 days; now it’s 25. Usually, we used to have one camera setup. Now sometimes, we have two cameras.”
Jeejivisha thinks our audiences are more ready and open to such stories and exploring other genres. She wants the producers to see the bigger picture and understand that films such as Tighee can carry the cultural value and long-term commercial potential. “Independent filmmaking is challenging in any language, and Marathi cinema is no exception,” she expresses.
FPJ 98th Anniversary: How Maharashtra's Handloom Weavers Are Keeping India's Textile Heritage Alive“The biggest support filmmakers need is sustained trust from audiences, institutions and exhibitors. Films need adequate time and exhibition space to recover their investment and find their audience through word of mouth. Continued investment in script development, production, distribution and marketing creates a healthier ecosystem where diverse stories can be made, discovered and monetised more effectively,” Jeejivisha adds.
The future
Jeejivisha optimistically sees streaming platforms and film festivals creating chances for regional stories to go beyond linguistic boundaries. “Marathi cinema has countless stories that are deeply local yet universally human, and our filmmakers are incredibly intuitive. There are many fresh voices emerging, bringing new perspectives and the confidence to experiment with genres while staying rooted in our culture.”
Patwardhan opines the future depends on the director, who wants to tell his or her story and the passion with which he or she makes the story reach a wider audience. Marathi films always showed the changes needed in the Indian social fabric. With renewed interest and possible consistent efforts, its future seems bright.