Back the 1990s in school or college, I do not remember much going to the theatre to watch a marathi movie.Not that I am much of a movie buff, but we preferred the madhuri dixit or kajol starrer to the local stuff. Firstly marathi movies were as rare as the dodo and all seemed to have the same story.. lakhya (laxmikant berde) and ashok (ashok saraf one of the most prolic and versatile actors in marathi who later acted in many hindi films, although never in a lead role) playing the slap stick with not much of a story line..
Budgets were low, the movies did not run much (barring a few exceptions) and there was not much to remember about. Producers never made any money, the government subsidised to keep the industry alive.
Fast forward to 2009/2010, and we have a slew of releases making it big at the box office. Probably the entry of big names like Zee Talkies and UTV movies has something to do with it. The latest technology, big sets, impressive "packaging" and commendable scripts. Earlier multiplexes used to be reluctant, now we have movies running simultaneouly at many places.
I was surprised to see a hindi style "item girl song " in " Made in China" , a movie about the murky politics of SEZs being set up in the country along the lines of China. Good performances by Sandeep Kulkarni , madhura Velankar and others. It shows how the SEZ model which created jobs in China and boosted its production and exports many times, cannot be copy pasted to India. makes you think.
Another good one was "Harischandrachi factory", the story of the father of Indian cinema Dadasaheb Phalke. His made India's first cinema called Raja Harischandra. The movie shows his enterprising nature, his trip to England to learn the trade and the personal sacrifices made by him and his wife to achieve their goals. Played by Nandumadhav and Vibhavari Deshpande.
And then there was Mahesh Manjrekar's "Mi Shivajiraje Bhosale Boltoy". Mahesh, who has made a name in the Hindi film industry, exhorts Maharashtrians to shed their "thevile anate taishechi rahave" attitude and actively compete with others, especially in Mumbai, where Maharashtrians are falling behind in trade and industry. Through the medium of Shivaji Maharaj, who buit an empire from scratch, fighting mighty opponents like the Mughals, Manjrekar asks the marathi manoos to be bold, hard working and enterprising.
Well this is just the beginning, we are yet the see the real "Avataar" of marathi movies !
